Slither (2006) – Movie Review
28th June 2021 Written by Peter Walkden
The film begins with an asteroid flying straight to Earth. After crashing into a small town, the asteroid opens to reveal an unusual amount of slime and pink goo inside. We then get to meet several leading characters, including the town’s newly appointed chief officer, Bill Pardy (Nathan Fillion), along with a married couple Starla (Elizabeth Banks) and Grant (Michael Rooker).
Grant and Starla are having marriage issues, including in the bedroom department. One night, when Grant is feeling annoyed, he decides to go for a walk only to encounter the recent asteroid and find a strange creature living inside it. This creature attacks Grant and enters inside his body, leaving him a different man. Now, he has the urge to eat lots of raw meat, and his body starts to change for the worse. His wife, Starla, becomes increasingly suspicious of Grant’s strange activity and mannerisms. Grant slowly plagues the town with the alien creature inside, turning his fellow residents into mutants and, worse, zombies. Now it’s up to Chief Officer Bill and Starla, along with the rest of the police department, to load up their guns, attempt to survive the night and save the entire world.
Make no mistake; Slither is not your typical horror film. The film also includes science fiction elements and dark and witty comedy. The horror elements are highly creative but rather gross, and some viewers may not have the stomach to handle it. However, I enjoyed the level of creativity, horror, and creature designs, all of which impressed me throughout the duration. Comedy is also another tremendous factor in this movie. I found myself concerned at one moment and having a belly laugh the next. This is primarily due to our leads’ random moments in an excellent line delivery by Nathan Fillion and Gregg Henry, who plays the town’s mayor.
Slither’s pacing is incredible and highly unpredictable. Slither has no problems killing off a character you enjoyed watching or allowing an alien creature to take over a young child. This film does not hold back in any area, which I also admire. The film’s pacing is best compared to a roller coaster. It is scary thinking about watching this film, but once you start watching, it is a complete brainless blast filled with mindless entertainment. The film also knows how to start small with its plot before riding into utter chaos from every direction in the third act.
While it is evident that Slither is a low-budget film, what has been achieved on screen is quite stunning, and the direction results are incredibly pleasing. The film has recently been re-released under the company’s “Beyond Genres” line-up thanks to Australian distributor Umbrella Entertainment. This newest release on Blu-ray includes a brand new DTS-HD audio track and a new aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The latest release looks and sounds downright amazing, and I certainly felt like I was watching the film for the first time again.
Overall, this delightful horror film delivers fun, humour, and shocking moments to the big screen. Sure, it will not be for everyone, but I cannot deny the level of remarkable creativity in bringing several gross and ugly creatures to life. In addition, performances are fun, with actor Nathan Fillion taking the lead role. This is a must-watch for horror fans, even more so now that the film has been re-released via Umbrella Entertainment’s “Beyond Genres” line-up.
8.5/10
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