Slither - Old School Gory monster fun

Every time I see a review of 'Slither' I see how it's a 'homage' to John Carpenter's classic monster movie 'The Thing.' Now, it just so happens that 'The Thing' is one of my favourite films of all time.  Therefore, you'd probably thing that I spotted every single reference/homage to it contained in 'Slither.' I didn't.  Not to say that I didn't enjoy 'Slither,' but now I've seen it about five times and I can only spot the similarities that both films contain huge, gross monsters and there's mention of a character called 'MacReady' thrown into the mix.

But enough about 'The Thing...' What you have here is a film that's made by someone (James Gunn actually - long before his rise to fame with the 'Guardians of the Galaxy' saga) with a real love of the 'monster/horror' genre.  We see an alien parasitic lifeform come to Earth and land in one of those small American towns that always seem to get affected by this sort of paranormal shenanigans.  And soon the locals are overrun by thousands of slug-type things that - yes, you guessed it - slither their way into people's bodies in order to take them over.

Back when it was released in 2006, not many people really thought of Michael Rooker as a household name.  And, I guess he still isn't today.  However, the horror/sci-fi community probably knows him as 'Merle' from 'The Walking Dead' or 'that blue guy' from 'Guardians of the Galaxy.' Now, whether you're aware of his career or not, he's one of those actors who always puts in an excellent performance no matter how big or small his role is.  I'm pretty sure to say that it's not much of a 'spoiler' to say that he's the first member of the community to get 'infected' by the alien slug and we spend a fair amount of the story witnessing his transformation into, well, something much, much worse!

Those most affected by his actions are his wife (played by Elizabeth Banks) and the town's sheriff (Nathan Fillion) who just so happens to have a bit of a long-term 'crush' on Banks' character (no prizes for guessing where that plot thread will lead!).  Both are likable enough heroes, but besides Rooker, special mention should go to the town's resident idiot (Gregg Henry) who plays every scene he's in for laughs - and he succeeds massively there without ever really being annoying.

Yes, there's a lot of gore.  Whereas 'The Thing' used 'practical effects' 'Slither' does use computer generated trickery here and there.  Bearing in mine it was filmed in 2006 without what you'd exactly call a 'mega budget' you'll probably notice which effects have been added on, but it's at its best when it too uses rubber and latex to really gross us out.  Plus be prepared for much of the gore to come in the final act.  The first two thirds of the movie are mainly set-up (with one brilliant scene in a barn that has to be seen to believed - all I'll say is that it's like a modern day 'Mr Creosote' sketch!).

In plot terms it's nothing that you haven't encountered before if you're a fan of the genre.  However, it seems to have been made with such love and affection (and, yes, it knows what it is and plays to its strengths!) that, if you're into ridiculously disgusting 'body horror' with a fair helping of monsters added for good measure, then definitely give this one a go.  It's the sort of film that doesn't require much brainpower to appreciate, but it's all the better for it.

7/10 if I woke up on Groundhog Day and had to watch this again, I could live with that