Slither (2006) Review

Slither (2006) Review

In the mid-2000’s, the horror genre was in a sad state. But then came along Slither, written and directed by James Gunn, and fans rejoiced, because here, finally, was something original, genuinely scary, but also hilarious, with likable characters played by capable actors. If you don’t know who James Gunn is, he’s most well-known today for writing and directing Guardians of the Galaxy, but he had his start in low-budget filmmaking with the independent studio Troma (the guys behind such schlock classics as Poultrygeist, The Toxic Avenger, and Tromeo and Juliet, the latter of which Gunn actually wrote). 

Slither begins with a little meteor striking the woods near a small town and unleashing an alien that finds its way into Grant (Michael Rooker) and starts to turn him into a deformed slug monster, which acts as a hive mind for hundreds of gross alien worms. The worms crawl their way down people’s throats and turn them into zombie slaves, and it’s up to a ragtag group of survivors to stop the invasion, including Grant’s wife (Elizabeth Banks) and the local sheriff (Nathan Fillion). 

It sounds like a dumb premise, doesn’t it? In less capable hands, it probably would have been total trash, but Slither is a pretty fun, well put-together horror-comedy. I hesitate somewhat to call it horror-comedy, because the actual horror elements of it are taken fairly serious, and are disturbing. The comedy comes more from the characters and the dialogue, but what the hell, any way you slice it, it’s funny and scary. 

It stars most of the James Gunn regulars, and Gunn himself even makes a cameo early on, but Nathan Fillion as the sheriff is arguably the best character. His comedic timing is just so good. One of the funniest/grossest parts is when they find a woman Grant had chained up in a barn and fed huge amounts of putrefied meat. She’s a host for the parasitic worms, and has become so fat, she completely fills the barn. The effects are mainly practical, and all very good, with the slug monster Grant turns into being the highlight. As great as Slither is, though, it’s far from perfect. The premise is extremely similar to Night of the Creeps with its parasitic alien worm concept, the cgi isn’t great, and it kind of seems like Elizabeth Banks is just there because she’s hot, not because she brings anything particularly unique to the cast of characters.       

Slither was a box office failure when it was released, but has gained more recognition since, and rightfully so. It’s essential viewing for fans of gross-out horror, spiced up with signature James Gunn humour.