‘Slither’ swims through the guts of its pseudo-horror
Residing in the same vein as such horror films like “Tremors” (1990) and the awesomely horrible “Ghoulies” (1985), “Slither” is another horror film which seems to revel in its dismal qualities. Having schizophrenic combinations of raw terror, awkward comedy, and gruesome violence, this is a film only for the most devoted of horror fans.
Although this film is only an hour and a half in length, it manages to pack in plenty of blood and guts. And none of the gore is realistic. There are many moments of bursting music in which the scary monsters suddenly appear from the shadows or behind shoulders. This further adds to the strangeness of the film and its lack of “scaring power.”
After a small meteorite crashes in the woods near a rural, American town, people start getting attacked by masses of squishy, slimy, slug-like creatures. Only in this film, these slugs are plump, smart, and fast. We see them wriggle their way into people’s mouths where they breed with humans (remember “Alien” anyone?) and consequently turn hundreds of townspeople into homicidal zombies (remember “Night of the Living Dean” anyone?). The most preferred method of murder for these zombies is purging buckets of acidic, runny ooze onto their victims, which apparently turns them into zombies as well. (Remember the “Ghostbusters” films anyone?)
With hordes of slugs, hordes of dead bodies and hordes of zombies, it becomes easily clear to every viewer that this film goes way over the top. Indeed, it was painfully clear to the only other people in the theater beside myself, a middle-aged couple, and they left after twenty minutes.
Written and directed by James Gunn, whose other writing credits include the “Scooby-Doo” films and the 2004 remake of “Dawn of the Dead,” there’s nothing very intellectual or exciting about this film. Some exceptions might be when the giant, alien mother-womb explodes or when a hungry slug swims its way through a bathtub, approaching a sexy, unsuspecting teenage girl.
The acting in this film consists of screaming while wide-eyed, straining to out-think the monsters and dying. Nathan Fillion (“Serenity”) plays the tough policeman, Elizabeth Banks (“The 40 Year Old Virgin”) is the wholesome schoolteacher and Gregg Henry (“Gilmore Girls”) portrays the pompous mayor. I guess they ran out of space to include the intriguing roles of the milkman, the town drunk and the high school jock.
Nothing in this film is remarkably new. But it does a good job presenting the genre of cheesy, comedic, horror films and it holds nothing back while doing so. There are a few moments of spookiness and sporadic humor, but unfortunately, they are just moments. There isn’t anything lasting in this film except for the constant feeling of repulsion you’ll get. A bit of annoyance also develops due to the erratic storyline and choppy sub-plots. (Don’t you hate it when things are never resolved or explained because of the hurried “wrapping up” at the end?)
Remember the mesmerizing, 1984 horror film “Gremlins” anyone? This is not it.
Casey T. Allen is a critic for the Utah Statesman. Comments can be sent to caseyal@cc.usu.edu.