Few movie genres are more uneven than the horror genre. The quality of these movies vary from outstanding and taunt entertainment, like Alien, to the worst made-over-a-weekend-for-$100 crap that ever made its way on to film. I’m happy to report that the new horror movie Slither falls solidly into the former category. Gross, campy and even downright funny at times, Slither might make you uneasy, but it seldom fails to entertain.
Slither opens in Wheelsy, a small town that could be almost anywhere in the South or Midwest with generally friendly folk. But when a meteor lands outside town and one of the town’s wealthiest citizens begins to act a bit peculiar, things change pretty quickly. Animals and even people go missing. It soon becomes apparent to the local law enforcement agency that something dangerous is afoot and this is one problem that is not just going to pass their little town by.
Played by Nathan Fillion (Serenity, Firefly), Wheelsy’s chief of police, Bill Pardy, is a no-nonsense character that is prepared to do whatever it takes to protect his town. He can keep his wits about him and is not afraid to draw his gun and use it. At the same time Fillion plays Bill Pardy with the same wide streak of fun and sarcasm that made his character of Captain Malcolm Reynolds so popular on Firefly. The moment the movie threatens to slow down, he is there with another jab at the situation at hand that immediately lightens the tone.
Playing opposite Fillion is Elizabeth Banks (The 40 Year Old Virgin, Seabiscuit) as Starla Grant, wife of the alien’s first contact on Earth, Grant Grant (Michael Rooker). Starla is a faithful wife, even though she carries a torch for Chief Pardy. She believes marriage is a sacred bond – even though her husband is obviously turning into a monster. Ms. Banks plays the absurd situation to the hilt. I also have to give Ms Banks credit for the fact that when she ultimately had to use a gun in a scene, she did not look like some sissy that was afraid of it.
Written and directed by James Gunn (Tromeo and Juliet, Dawn of the Dead [2004 version], Scooby Doo: Monsters Unleashed), who got his professional start with the low-budget film maker Troma, Slither shows the love he has for the genre. Deftly mixing elements of Invasion of the Body Snatcher, The Blob, any zombie film you can think of, and other classic1950s creature features, Gunn’s script comes off closest to the B-grade (or maybe D-grade) 1956 Roger Corman film It Conquered the World. Of course Gunn had the good judgment to not take his film anywhere near as seriously. He constantly gives a knowing wink to the audience that he understands most of this stuff is way-over-the-top silly, while supplying continuously high-quality one-liners and sight gags to keep the tension low and the movie as light entertainment rather than shocker/brutality horror.
As with most horror film special effects, the use of makeup and prosthetics get a heavy workout in Slither. The computer generated imagery seemed to be kept to a minimum. It is probably a good thing. The bits that I suspect might have been CGI generated, looked rather low quality. Overall the look of the film was nothing special and the sets were definitely uninspired.
Rated "R" for heavy violence, quarts of blood (No, we’re not talking Peter Jackson’s Dead Alive quantities.) and very strong language, Slither is definitely not for younger viewers. It is equally not for movie goers with a weak stomach, it can get pretty gross. But if you’re an adult with a good grip on your gorge, a love of campy and classic horror movies, and loves a good laugh, Slither is probably going to be for you.
