DVD Review: Slither

A dumb, fun little near-parody of the horror genre, Slither is an easily recommendable summer movie. Director James Gunn knows the genre, and proves it by naming everything in the town, from the characters to the storefronts, after people responsible for some of the greats in this field. Every dollar used of the meager budget is well spent.

Slither nearly completes the unofficial "rule book" for horror films. It contains all the following staples:

Alien life form
Small town isolated from the rest of the country
Zombies… lots of zombies
Ample gore
Small town sheriff
Hot female love interest
Cows, dead and alive
Burning projectile vomit
Gruesome make up
Completely vicious monster
Sequel set up after the credits

With a little radiation and a little building crushing, Slither would be one of the only films to run the list clean. It manages the rest well, with a wildly funny tongue-in-cheek style, while keeping with the film's mean streak. The balance is perfect, staying with the horror element as long as possible to build the punch lines.

Nathan Fillion leads a small cast with a touch of wit and plenty of ego. Dialogue sells the characters, and states exactly what the audience is thinking. The alien's insatiable appetite for meat of any kind leads to some true gross out moments, and the characters respond directly in conjunction with the viewer.

Slither does need a kick in the beginning. It languishes on the two main characters, a husband and wife couple played by Elizabeth Banks and Michael Rooker. Rooker undergoes a slow transformation after contact with the alien, and while it does build the suspense, the audience for a horror movie knows where this will end up. Keeping them waiting is only delaying what they came to see.

Make-up deserves an award here, especially given the $15 million budget. There is very little CG used, as most of the effects are practical. Rooker's final form alone, which had to take hours to fully apply, deserves to win an award. It's completely believable, gruesome, and sells the alien threat.

Article Author: Matt Paprocki

Matt Paprocki is a 12-year movie and game critic. He currently freelances for Blu-ray review site DoBlu.com and video game site MultiPlayerGames.com.

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