The Gila Monster is no longer the federally protected and endangered southwest desert critter thoughtlessly nudged through balsa wood walls in the original movie. Clever EFX and a dangerous man-made chemical spill morph the gila into a monster and cave crickets into chickens. Tracked down and annoyed by the Sheriff's nitro explosion that supposedly sealed the cave the monster breaks through by morning and wreaks havoc.

Town drunk and civil libertarian Compton, played brilliantly by Rich Komenich, saves the day with a bottle of whisky in one hand and the Second Amendment in the other. His secret stash of machine guns and nitroglycerin - stockpiled to fight Russians or Martians or atomic monsters - has everyone home just in time for Christmas.

Gerald Pauwels plays the classic rich, blowhard Mayor who is forced to face the realities of city leadership as he, the Sheriff, the hot-rodders and town drunk pull together to fight the monster. Actor Don Sullivan who plays hero Chase in the original movie returns as the Scientist.

Gila spit, as we all learned in junior high science and Sullivan reminds us, is bad, but in Gila! giant gila goo dissolves human flesh in wonderful B-movie fashion.