Oct 5: Slither

"A small town is taken over by an alien plague, turning residents into zombies and all forms of mutant monsters."

Directed by: James Gunn, Rated: R, 95 minutes

Slither is the king of B-movies, blending just the right amount of twisted humor, plenty of gore, and cringe-worthy moments that make you sick in both the stomach and the head. It's a movie made by horror fans who know what true fans want and deliver it in the most over-the-top fashion. Slither is a horror movie of all sorts, emulating monster flicks, invasion movies, and even zombie films. It's a hodge podge of horror thrown into a pot, that although sometimes doesn't quite stick, still proves to be one hell of a ride. 

Whenever you can see tentacles bursting out of the chest of Michael Rooker, you know you're gonna have a good time. 

The womanizing and abusive Grant Grant (Michael Rooker) takes a young woman out into the woods for some "fun time". Its here that he discovers a fallen meteorite of some kind and after his redneck curiosity gets the best of him, a parasitic worm crawls into his body and takes over his brain. Grant Grant changes, slowly becoming a giant worm/squid-like man hybrid. He makes an unexpected visit to a young fling and "impregnates" her with his worm thing. After she grows larger and larger, she unleashes thousands of these slithering worms in a small town known more for its obsession with deer hunting than anything else. It's up to Sheriff Bill Pardy (Nathan Fillion), an incompetent mayor (Gregg Henry), and Grant Grant's wife, Starla (Elizabeth Banks) to save the town from total destruction and survive the night themselves.

Captain Hammer to the rescue. 

Slither is by no means a perfect film. However, you realize almost immediately that its intentions are to never be such a thing. The film references countless horror movies of the past, from The Blob to Dawn of the Dead and relishes in the fact it's trying so hard to be similar. It's cheesy, over-the-top, and packed full of so many gross out moments you can't help laugh your way out of it. The creature designs are simple, as they really are just slugs that move along, throat-raping their victims into zombie-like statuses. And although the slugs are the main monster of the film, there are plenty of other bigger creatures that are even more f**ked up. Each "reveal" is both unexpected and hilarious, in the "I can't believe I'm watching this!" kind of way. 

Yep, that's a person. 

Slither isn't for everyone. It's very violent, very bloody, and has all the messy bits of people and animals you're not meant to see. It's absolutely f**ked up in nearly every aspect, but it's so glorious you can't help but enjoy it. It's a film made for lovers of this kind of movie and doesn't hold anything back to appease those unfamiliar with the genre. The story is simple, even lacking actually, but when has the plot really mattered in a sub-par horror flick? It's simple a means of chugging the movie along so we can see more creative kills, creepier creatures, and have a laugh about it all. I'd definitely recommend Slither. Just keep your mouth covered. 

The Good:

a terrific throwback to horror movies of the past, adding a modern take that's more f**ked up than it should be... oh, and Nathan Fillion of course

The Bad:

severely lacking in any depth for the characters, with each cliche getting worse and worse (yet, it's still fun)

The Ugly:

the film's a little too messed up at times, with a climactic osmosis orgy that's just too weird

Overall: 7.0/10

Trailer: