Slither (2006) Review

Weapon Of Choice

Slither (2006): 7 out of 10: “Slither” is a horror-comedy film directed by James Gunn. The story begins when in the small town of Wheelsy, South Carolina, a meteorite crash-lands, bringing with it a malevolent extraterrestrial parasite. The parasite infects wealthy resident Grant Grant (Michael Rooker), taking control of his body and absorbing his mind. Grant begins to transform into a horrifying creature with tentacles, while also abducting and infecting a local woman named Brenda (Brenda James) to serve as a breeder for his alien larvae.

Grant’s wife, Starla (the always delightful Elizabeth Banks), becomes suspicious of his behavior and appearance, leading to a violent confrontation where Grant attacks her. When the police arrive, Grant flees, and a posse led by police chief Bill Pardy (Nathan Fillion) discovers the gruesome aftermath of Grant’s actions. Brenda’s body has become a vessel for alien larvae, which burst forth and infect others in the town, creating a hive mind controlled by Grant’s consciousness.

Bathtub Horror

A small group of survivors, including Starla, Bill, Mayor Jack MacReady (Gregg Henry), and teenager Kylie Strutemyer (Tania Saulnier, the naked girl in the bathtub), realize they must stop Grant and the alien infestation from spreading. They devise a plan to kill Grant, knowing it will eliminate the rest of the aliens. Armed with a grenade, Bill and Kylie head to Grant’s home, where they find the infected townspeople being absorbed by the mutated Grant.

We Need More Nathan Fillion

Nathan Fillion needs to get more big screen work. He was the captain on Firefly (and its big screen spin-off Serenity) and he brings that same laconic dry humored character to Slither. He is the talented center of an enjoyable romp.

Slither comprises way too many timeworn clichés to list here, but overall it is an eighties style creature feature. What sets it apart from its brethren is a topnotch cast, (Michael Rooker and Tania Saulnier both put in excellent turns), great special effects, (a minimum of bad CGI and a lot of good make-up effects) and a funny script.

If only I could Recall

The only problem with the movie (outside of a tendency to overplay the campy) is that is eminently forgettable. Unlike recent straight horror films such as Saw or Hostel or even recent horror/comedy hybrids such as Shaun of the Dead, Slither doesn’t have a single original thought or scene in its pretty little head.

It’s like that girl you dated in college that was pretty good looking, but boring in and out of the sack. (No, I can’t remember her name either.) I have to concentrate to recall even a couple of scenes from Slither and heck. I just watched the thing. I can remember about every scene from American Werewolf in London and I haven’t seen that in many moons (Please pardon the lame stretch for a pun.) One critic called it empty calories and I couldn’t agree more. No doubt it is a good time for horror and action fans just don’t expect any lasting impression.