With remakes dominating American horror cinema right now it is refreshing to see a movie like Slither slipping onto our big screens.
Written and directed by James Gunn (writer of the recent Dawn Of The Dead remake), Gunn might wear his influences on his sleeve but a remake Slither is certainly not.
It's a quiet night in the one-horse rural town of Wheelsy with not much going on. Suddenly a comet splits the sky yet no one seems to notice.
Crash-landing in a local field the comet contains a deadly organism just waiting to meet its human host, which it does in the form of Grant Grant (Michael Rooker), out on a drunken stroll in the forest. Over the following days Grant breeds thousands of killer slugs which then attempt to take over the town by turning people into flesh-eating zombies... Much to the chagrin of Grant's long-suffering wife Starla (Seabiscuit's Elizabeth Banks), and the very confused local constabulary led by sheriff Bill Pardy (Firefly heartthrob Nathan Fillion).
There's even more to Slither's story but to reveal any more would ruin the fun. Suffice to say, just like one of the many little slimy critters in its star line up, Slither never stops moving, changing and shape-shifting as a movie. Which keeps us guessing all the way, making it unpredictable in spite of the many horror references throughout.
It might sound like an episode of the X-Files but it takes things even further with plenty of twisted imagination and an excellent ensemble cast.
As you can tell Slither is very tongue-in-cheek and as a result it is extremely funny, a very good horror comedy. Writer/director Gunn cut his teeth writing Troma films in the 1980s - and it shows.
But it goes way beyond the puerile B-Movie schlock of Troma (which ultimately I always found disappointing in spite of the energetic intentions involved). It more recalls the gory wit of horror doyen David Cronenberg and the fun of legend George Romero, especially with its Living Dead-inspired zombies.
And you just have to admire the lengths taken to create the extreme mutant horror effects, which seem to get bigger and more mutated in each scene... Reportedly, so much silicon was used in the making of Slither that the manufacturer emptied their entire national supply for the film. It was worth it.
Slither also manages to be a well-written satire on redneck America. It has killer lines (and creative swearing), well-drawn characters (even the supports), and gooey effects that make you squirm in your seat. Lots of fun...
