Slither (2006) Poster

(2006)

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7/10
An homage to everything
Newski_the_Hippie5 March 2006
James Gunn wrote Slither as an homage to the horror movies he loved. Every single one of them. From the Deadly Swarm, to The Fly, to the Toxic Avenger, to Basket Case, to some films most people wouldn't know much about.

The film is about a loving husband (though noticeably not the best. His love for his wife is one of his better sides) who is stung by an alien insect. He starts mutating into a squid beast while slug like monsters Terrorize a small town where cell phones don't exist.

It's obvious from the previews that this is a bit of a comedy. You'll be surprised at just how suspenseful it really is. The horror ranges from cheap pop-outs, hilarious gore, and heart pounding action in a genre bending film that is like Tremors for adults.

The movie is well acted, and all the actors have such great chemistry together. While the movie isn't an excellent film, those looking for a good time have nothing to complain about. It keeps the audiences entertained like few other movies can.
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7/10
AFFECTIONATE HOMAGE TO LOW BUDGET B HORROR MOVIES.
andrewchristianjr21 August 2021
A horror comedy that doesn't take itself too seriously, and delivers scares and laughs in equal and effective measure, and serves as an affectionate homage to low budget B horror movies. Its over-the-top violence may be hard to watch, but its compelling performances, witty and clever script, stylish direction and stunning visual effects make for an entertaining and thrilling viewing experience.
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7/10
slither will make zombie and scifi film fans more than happy.
denigmatic30 October 2021
Slither is like a party for a scifi and zombie genre fans, it's have the same vibe like The Faculty, the character is explained enough and the story is not so complicated, so don't watch this film too seriously just enjoy the weird, the thrill and, the comedy.
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6/10
She packs a boxed lunch…Slither
jaredmobarak14 April 2007
I think I might enjoy the comedy/horror genre more than the actual horror films they parody. James Gunn, (yes, the man who brought us what I can only imagine are fantastic scripts for Scooby Doo 1 & 2—not sure since I would never watch them), has broken into the mix with his film Slither. It appears he understands the appeal these films have and jam-packs it with gore, camp, and humor. The audience can never wonder if what transpires is unintentionally funny because they are too busy thinking about the parts that are unintentionally scary. A comedy, through and through, Gunn gathers a nice group of actors to play up the cheese yet still make us believe they are smack in the middle of the otherworldly situation they are in.

The basic premise here is that an alien life form—not Martians as they are from Mars of course—has come to Earth to make it its next world for consumption. Our villain inhabits a local and makes him go out to either infect, impregnate, or devour all other forms of meat, human or otherwise, along his journey. This host just happens to be involved in a somewhat loveless marriage with the resident good-looking teacher, who or course is the object of our hero's affection, the chief of police. Once the creature's first mate unleashes his spawn of collective-consciousness worms, the town comes under attack and only the chief, the host's wife, and the obnoxious mayor can save the day.

Amidst all the zombie-turning and the blood, acid spit, and limb jellying, we are treated with some great laughs and one-liners from people who truly know how to deliver the script deadpan for added effectiveness. The great Michael Rooker plays the host body to campy perfection. What role of his hasn't oozed tongue-in-cheek outbursts and over-the-top facial expressions? Gregg Henry takes the unpolished politician to new heights and everything he says gets a laugh as result. Even his introduction in the film, swearing in the midst of his constituents and their children, is a tired gimmick, but still effectively funny. As for our real heroes, we are treated to some good forbidden chemistry between Nathan Fillion and Elizabeth Banks. Fillion is king of sarcasm and always stays in a realistic mode unfazed by the horrors happening around him. Someone else could have allowed the film to become unhinged if they didn't take this role seriously; the comedy relies on this character not seeing the humor around him. With Banks, a favorite of mine who is underused in movies, I was not a big fan of the fake accent, but I guess it does fit the aesthetic of what is going on. And as the mayor says, she is hardcore—when she kills her first infected assailant, it's priceless.

Definitely more entertaining than expected, I can still understand the lack of love at the box office. The trailers showed that there would be some subversion to the horror with humor, but didn't quite go all the way with it. I'm sure people were confused in what to expect and those who wanted scares were disappointed as were those that wanted pure laughs. To me, Gunn masterfully mixes the two just right for an enjoyable ride in Hicksville, USA during an interstellar battle for supremacy. He gets all the little moments right, the grenade folly, the corny love scene music, and even the extras looking like they are from a backwoods/ incestuous town. The look was right and the delivery just as effective as I laughed pretty much straight through.
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8/10
A Horror Movie Made By Horror Fans for Horror Fans
w00f31 March 2006
Today, I am a happy gorehound. I've just seen "Slither," and it was a truly good time! OK, let's face it... this one isn't going to win any awards for originality. The story here is "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" meets "Night of the Living Dead" with hints of "The Blob," David Cronenburg's "Shivers," and a more-than-passing special effects nod to Brian Yuzna's "Society." But it WORKS here.

James Gunn, a veteran of Troma Studios, has made a horror fan's horror flick. Laced with homages to everything from 1950's drive in cinema to R.L. Stine's "Goosebumps" books (not to mention a clip from a Troma movie on a TV in one scene). Gunn clearly knows his audience, because he IS his audience. He delivers up a movie that might be formulaic, but its over-the-top gore, it's black humor (this is one horror show that never takes itself too seriously), and it's general gung-ho, pull-no-punches attitude turn what could have been yet another plodding bit of cinematic flotsam into what could well be an instant horror classic on par with "Re-Animator." If you know what I'm blathering about here, if the names and the titles of these films are familiar, then see "Slither." You're going to love it.
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7/10
Better than I remember
mjb3010862 March 2022
I remember watching this at the cinema when it came out and I didn't love it but on a second viewing I really enjoyed this. You can really see where James Gunn got a lot of his ideas for Peacemaker from. Solid 7/10.
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9/10
As pure B-movie fun, Slither pulls no punches.
urthstripe32130 March 2006
It is absolute fun, plain and simple. It gets in, does it scares and it's laughs, and gets out quick. As what it was meant to be, it was absolutely brilliant. It does its own thing, and it does it perfectly, and the result is pure entertainment, nothing more. So, if you like movies like Shaun of the Dead, Army of Darkness, Dead Alive, Gremlins, Tremors, or anything in that vein, you will like this movie.

Or if you just wanna see Captain Mal Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) again on the big screen and wistfully wipe a tear or two away, you can go see this movie too.

It's creepy, it's gleefully gross, it's HILARIOUS, and I don't think I wasted a single minute watching it. Great movie.
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3/10
What'd I miss?
Evil-Dead-Girl10 April 2006
I don't know what I missed here, but I can't believe all these positive comments by so many people on this film. I thought it was silly, and a bit over the top. I did like the performances of Gregg Henry and Michael Rooker, however the others were just... boring.

Now I like B movies, I really do, but this was a bit further down the alphabet for me. I saw someone compare the humor and horror in this to "Army Of Darkness" and "Shaun of the Dead", as well as "On par with The Re-Animator". You must be joking. I didn't find this film funny, it tried, it did make an effort, (possibly too much of an effort), but it failed in my opinion. By the time I was hit with the 3rd or 4th one-liner I was rolling my eyes and checking my watch.

There were definitely homages made to several other films, which is always cool, kind of like an inside joke for us horror fans. But here it may have just been a lack of original thought. Admittedly there were some nice special effects, good gore, but that can't carry an entire movie. The mutated Grant looked like a cross between Jabba the Hut, and in the early stages of mutation- Chet from "Weird Science" (after he was turned into the monster) and one of the alien creature/children from "The Explorers". It just didn't work. I thought it looked like something some kid from Grade 5 art class could have designed. Then there was Brenda, the woman that Grant impregnated and chained up in the barn. When help finally arrived she looked like a giant tick waiting to be popped. The design once again was totally unimaginative. A round flesh colored balloon with a face in the middle. *yawn*

Now about the zombies- The more movies I see with zombies in them these days the more I wish George A. Romero had a patent on them and was the only writer/director allowed to make movies about them. He's the only person so far to do it right, with the exception of Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg (but that was a comedy). Oh, and Danny Boyle, but they were a different style of Zombie. Maybe Mr. Romero has ruined any zombie film for me due to his ingenious ability to get his actors to moan, groan and shamble about as if their joints are dried up and lacking even a drop of synovial fluid, and their muscles are fighting the effects caused by rigor mortis that had started to set in right before they were re-animated. The people of "Wheelsy" just didn't have the proper motivation... they were horrible zombies.

So in the end I give "Slither" a 3, for a couple of laughs and a few nice gore scenes.
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7/10
Good slugfest
SnoopyStyle1 January 2014
Starla Grant (Elizabeth Banks) is a hot teacher in the small town of Wheelsy. Her husband Grant Grant (Michael Rooker) is a bit of a jerk. He's out in the woods with a young lady and finds an alien in a meteor that had fallen close to town. He gets stuck by the alien and he begins to change. Meanwhile childhood friend Bill Pardy (Nathan Fillion) has just been promoted to Chief of Police.

Everybody is playing a country bumpkin. The slugfest is more gross than scary. This is something of a goofy horror. There is good entertainment value in that. The dialog could be sharper and funnier. Writer/director James Gunn isn't the most accomplished. But this is still a playful little gross slimy time.
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7/10
James Gunn Origins
imxhill22 February 2022
Since this is James Gunn's debut as a feature film director, you can find his signatuer styles in this one. (B-Movie Vibes, Gore and Comedy) It is rather 'gross' than 'scary'. Do not expect some deep themes or characters, since this is not citizen kane or something.

But fans of creature/ body horror genre would really dig this one.

There are similarities to Gunn's later works like The Suicide Squad (2021) and Peacemaker (2022). (Alien parasite that share connected minds controls people. )
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6/10
Very fun: It won't blow your mind, but you'll have some laughs
korythacher8 October 2021
Slither was a fun horror comedy with a great cast and good production quality.

It won't blow your mind, but you'll have some laughs. There are a lot of plot holes, but they don't keep this from being a good experience. Plenty of cheesy dialogue and gore effects.

If you like horror-comedies, this is worth the watch!
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6/10
Wanted to like it but couldn't
preppy-38 April 2006
A comic homage to sci-fi films of the 1950s updated with extreme violence. A small Southern town of Wheeley is infested by some disgusting alien slugs. The main slug infects Grant Grant (Michael Rooker) to the confusion of his young, blond-haired beautiful wife (Elizabeth Banks) who is secretly loved by the towns sheriff (Nathan Fillion). Soon the slugs are infecting everybody and its up to the sheriff, Grant's wife and a plucky teenager (Tania Saulnier) to save the town.

Horror comedies are hard to pull off--they can become either too gross or too funny. Only a few have pulled this off--"Evil Dead II", "Re-Animator", "Night of the Creeps" and "Dead Alive". Unfortunately this isn't as good as those. The cast does play it straight (wisely) and it's well-made with some great (if disgusting) special effects. But the humor and horror never mesh comfortably. I DID laugh out loud a few times and was impressed by the gross out effects--but the movie was always wavering uncomfortably between the two. It never found even footing. It's not terrible and the cast is good--but I still wasn't entertained. LOTS of plot holes too. I can only give this a 6.
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8/10
Damn entertaining...
ecwaenigma6 March 2006
First off, I'm a horror nut and no matter what anybody else says, this is NOT a rip-off of "Night of the Creeps" or "The Deadly Spawn". James Gunn himself said at a recent Fangoria Weekend of Horrors in Chicago that the only film that played a part in "Slither" was David Cronenberg's "They Came from Within" (AKA - "Shivers"). There's a blatant homage to it that fans of the Cronenberg film will spot right away, and that's cool. That what James Gunn is about. You forget, this is a guy from the house that Kaufman built - Troma. Nods and inside jokes abound in "Slither". It's a horror movie for real horror movie fans. Slimy, not gory. Funny, not insipid. "Slither" is the next logical step from the guy who wrote the remake of "Dawn of the Dead". It's a little more fun, a lot less serious, and features a great cast that makes this movie what it should be - hugely entertaining. Perfect, no. But it sure is fun and makes you look forward to what he'll do next.
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8/10
Slither is your B-grade horror/comedy movie that has everything and is hilarious
the-movie-guy31 March 2006
(Synopsis) The movie opens with a meteorite landing in the backwoods of the small town of Wheelsy. The bad news is that our atmosphere did not burn up everything inside the meteorite. One of Wheelsy's rich business men, Grant Grant (Michael Rooker), who is married to the young and beautiful high school biology teacher, Starla (Elizabeth Banks), finds a slow moving slimy thing behind the town bar. The slug stops moving as Grant moves closer, he becomes infected by the slug. Grant begins to change and evolve into a bloodthirsty meat-eating squid creature with a need to kill to maintain his life. Sheriff Bill Pardy (Nathan Fillion) and Starla must defeat this creature or the entire earth will be consumed.

(My Comment) Slither is a 1950's type B-grade horror/comedy movie scenario that has everything. A billion-year-old alien parasite from outer space with penetrating tentacles that sucks the life out of you, fast moving slugs that want to get inside your mouth, dogs and cows being eaten by human and deer zombies, an enormous mother glob, and the small town being terrorized by a monster. This is your classic B-grade movie that is a lot of fun watching. You will laugh from beginning to end. For budget reasons, it looks like they used the old standby, tomato ketchup, for blood. There are some scary moments, but most of the scenes are hilarious. If you want an enjoyable night and a good laugh, this is the movie to see. (Universal Pictures, Run time 1:36, Rated R)(8/10)
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1/10
Slither is terrible! Do not see it!!!
paul-chmiel6 April 2006
Like I said, Slither was an absolute horrible movie. Besides bad acting, it also had a simplistic plot, and the worst was that it didn't know if it wanted to be a comedy or a horror movie, it hopelessly failed in both categories. One thing that I have to say though is that it was incredibly disgusting. Anyone that sees the movie should be able to verify the afore mentioned comments. The only bright spot in the movie, was the mayor, a bad mouthed individual, who did manage to make me laugh a few times, just because he was ridiculous. Parents SHOULD NOT let their children go see this movie, unless of course they're interested in seeing a very bad movie.
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6/10
slither falls on its face
supertye30 April 2006
Slither isn't a bad film its juts not wonderful it cant decide what it wants to be a comedy or a horror.It fails on both there are some funny moments in it but the ending feels kinda rushed and doesn't satisfy you. some parts did me make me laugh and yes a couple of times it made me jump but its predictable. you can see the very few jokes coming at you like a train. Don't get me started on the alien design I might sound very nerdy now but that alien wouldn't have survived it just isn't a mastermind creation like alien or predator E.T IS SCARIER ! The actors and actresses all suit there roles apart from grant who has two women drooling over him but he looks like that gay bloke of the Catherine Tate show. Comparing slither to Shaun of the dead is stupid !
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1/10
This movie is awful
sandychuck9 April 2006
One critic even had the audacity to compare this movie to Tremors. Whoever said that either never saw Tremors or should never be allowed to write a review again. This movie jumps from place to place with no apparent idea. Is it a comedy or a horror? truth is the creator probably doesn't know. The only times it makes you laugh are when it is so stupid that it is funny, and then your not even sure that you are supposed to be laughing. Besides that it is disturbing and graphic. I think that the person who made this movie should make another movie, "How to fail at movie-making" or "what not to do" -1000 stars.

-sidenote, the opening that they stole from the movie. The Blob made in the 50's without fancy special effects and was way better. If you have any urge to watch slither go rent The Blob.
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10/10
A Great Horror Comedy
SnailKM18 March 2006
I got to see this movie at it's LA premiere on a fluke -- I was interested in the star, Nathan Fillion, and got in when someone had extra tickets -- and I have to say, from the previews I wasn't that impressed. They just didn't appeal to me.

Despite all that, I absolutely loved the movie. It was funny and gross and scary and such a good time. It managed to be all those things at once and hit all the right notes.

In many ways it is like the movie Shawn of the Dead -- real people's reactions to classic horror movie scenarios; funny, self-referential mocking of the horror genre, etc. -- but somehow it is new and fresh and highly enjoyable.

The writing is superb and there are some genuinely surprising moments (both of the funny and scary varieties). All the actors do a fabulous job. I highly recommend seeing this movie.
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Good... Yet Disappointing
Crap_Connoisseur29 March 2006
I have eagerly been awaiting the release of Slither since reading an interview in which James Gunn stated that he was going to make a "B-Grade" movie in the vein of his early work for Troma and inspired by the movies of Stuart Gordon and Frank Henenlotter. In my opinion, those men have created some of the best films ever made and I have always wondered what miracles they might have been able to achieve with a decent budget. While Slither's $15 million budget is petty cash for most studios, it would probably be enough to churn out 20 trash epics down at Tromaville. And sadly, the majority of them would be far more enjoyable than Slither.

Despite my reservations about the film, there is no doubting Gunn's love of the genre. Slither is single-mindedly crap orientated from the opening scene, to the very last and I almost got dizzy picking out the multitude of references to other horror films. The film's premise is so B-grade that it feels like a remake of a 1950s Ed Wood movie. I mean, any film about intergalactic slugs should be awesome. I'm not really sure why it isn't. Gunn is a talented director, the actors are all well known to genre fans, the film is relatively subversive by mainstream standards and there is sufficient black humour to balance the gore.

The problem with Slither is that it simply tries too hard to be cult. The charm of Troma movies, not to mention the films of Henenlotter and Gordon, stems from their ingenuity and originality. These are two qualities which Slither severely lacks. Films like "Basket Case", "Re-Animator" and "The Toxic Avenger" contain more spirit and creativity in one frame than Slither's entire 110 minutes. This is not due to James Gunn being a bad filmmaker, but rather due to the fact that he spends so much time paying homage to his inspirations that he forgets to add anything new to the genre himself.

The other jarring thing about Slither is the quality of the special effects. They are simply too professional! The slick computer generated effects lack all of the charm and ingenuity of the effects used in real B-grade movies. Who can forget the crushed watermelon used as a child's head in "The Toxic Avenger"? I'm not sure how many people will remember the thousands of computer generated slugs in this movie. The high quality effects also sit uneasily with the ultra B-grade script. Bad dialogue is easily forgiven when the director is forced to use tomato soup as blood due to budget constraints. Ridiculous one-liners seem lazy, however, when interspersed with amazing visuals of exploding women.

While Slither may not be all I expected it to be, it certainly is superior to the current slew of dull horror movies being churned out by Hollywood. The film never manages to be scary but as mentioned above, there are several wonderfully staged scenes such as the townspeople being absorbed into Grant's monstrous body and Kylie's encounter with a slug (the phallic symbolism contained in that scene is actually pretty offensive - good stuff!). I also enjoyed most of the performances. Michael Rooker displays his usual versatility and charisma, Nathan Fillion is actually pretty good as Bill. I almost forgive him for the pile of excrement that was "Serenity". Music fans will also be impressed to see "Corb Lund and the Hurtin' Albertans" make a rocking cameo at the deer hunting party.

Slither is a bit of a recycled mess. However, it least has the decency to steal from great films. After leaving the theatre, I went home and watched "The Brood", "The Hidden" and "Frankenhooker". I guess any film that inspires a mini-marathon of those films must have something going for it.
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6/10
Pure B-Movie fun
mahmus15 September 2020
Slither is what happens with mix Tremors and Parasyte (the anime, not the Oscar winning movie) and filter it all through James Gunn's classic pre-Guardians irreverence.

The result is a highly entertaining, if not necessarily memorable horror comedy with a bunch of fun homages to classic horror movies like A Nightmare on Elm Street and The Thing, as well as some of the most incredible body-horror effects I have ever seen.

If for whatever reason you're one of those people who refuses to wear masks during this pandemic, just imagine the virus as bunch of giant slugs wanting take over your brain by entering through your mouth. That may do the trick.
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1/10
How does junk like this find a distributor?
hesketh274 May 2006
There must be literally hundreds of excellent films being made throughout the world every year and yet utter garbage like this is getting distributed in the UK. For some unknown reason the British press seems to be giving this stinker good reviews, which is why we decided to go and see it in the first place. The film is obviously trying be a tongue in cheek but unfortunately all it is is a charmless piece of junk. The script tries to throw in amusing one liners along the way, every one of which fell flat on its face. The whole audience sat throughout without so much as one ripple of amusement and we left feeling that we had both wasted our money and our time by going to see this. OK, I admit that I would probably have enjoyed the special effects when I was 13, but now I feel insulted being offered dross like this as entertainment. It really is time that a few more worthy films started being shown in British cinemas, alas, having seen the trailers for coming releases I fear that this will never be.... Our government is always banging on about the evils of eating junk food - perhaps they should start looking at the diet of trash that is being fed to the nation's minds - and believe me - they don't come any more worthless or trashier than this!
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7/10
Very funny, very gross
xredgarnetx10 April 2006
SLITHER is high camp entertainment, in the tradition of NIGHT OF THE CREEPS and INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS. Director James Gunn actually works references from a dozen films into this one, including THEY CAME FROM WITHIN and NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. As a graduate of Troma Films, Gunn doesn't shy away from the gore and violence, and we witness plenty of gunshot wounds to the head, sharp instruments piercing bodies and eyeballs, blood splattering in all directions, and so forth. Gunn fortunately keeps the CGI to a minimum, at least until the very end, and even then he appears to make far more use of physical prosthetics and animatronics. The king creature at the climax is right out of JOHN CARPENTER'S THE THING, a big, fleshy thing with horrible features and flailing arms -- and which appears to be mostly a physical construct rather than a cartoon. Lotsa laughs in between the gore scenes, even if the plot ultimately goes nowhere. A great cast, including Nathan "Serenity" Fillion, Gregg "Payback" Henry and Michael ""Henry" Rooker, keeps SLITHER from self-imploding.
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7/10
nasty sluggish aliens on a mission
therowdyref14 April 2006
Honestly... the movie was so much better then I thought it was going to be. I went in thinking it was a silly "B-rated" waste of time ( I had only gone as a favor to a friend) and walked out giving it 7 out of 10 stars. The movie was funny, freaky, gross, and added another reason to the list as to why sometimes it is just better to keep your mouth closed. I have talked to a lot of people that said they were not interested in seeing it because the previews registered high on their "totally stupid" meters. Well.... it was stupid... but in a fun way. My friend and I had a blast... laughed our asses off... got grossed out.... and wondered if we would be able to sleep tonight. Despite what you may think it is... go see it. You will be pleasantly surprised.
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6/10
You Might Think Twice Before Ordering the Escargot
evanston_dad20 May 2007
Nathan Fillion's engaging screen personality was largely responsible for making something special out of the potentially run-of-the-mill sci-fi movie "Serenity," and that same personality does something similar for this film, the latest in the flesh-eating zombie genre.

In "Slither," a meteor from outer space deposits a gooey egg out in the middle of some woods, which a very unlucky regular Joe comes across one dark night while cavorting with a female companion. A quick moving critter makes a home out of this regular Joe's body, and through him impregnates the female companion. She experiences perhaps the worst pregnancy ever caught on film until she pops like a giant helium balloon, unleashing a horde of speedy slugs that begin taking over the minds and bodies of a whole townful of regular folk. Nathan Fillion, playing the sheriff of this once-quiet village, along with a small batch of survivors, struggle to put an end to the infestation and restore order to the galaxy.

"Slither" keeps its tongue firmly in cheek, so if it's not a great movie, it's at least a fun and playful one. It's not remotely scary, but it doesn't try to be. It's gross, but in a stylized way that allows you to enjoy the gross out parts, unlike the gore that characterizes the new breed of torture porn films that are so inexplicably popular. It's a rather lazy movie really, with characters getting killed off when the script doesn't know what else to do with them, and with too many dramatic conflicts being too quickly and easily resolved. But when I sat down to watch this, I was really in the mood for something I wouldn't have to think too much about but that wouldn't insult my intelligence, and "Slither" delivered in both respects.

Grade: B
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8/10
Good, old fashion fright fest.
Nightman8531 March 2006
Surprisingly funny black comedy is a sharp witted throw-back to old school horror films.

Alien creatures inhabit the bodies of some small-town rednecks and reek some bloody havoc!

While it's easy to see the influences of every horror movie from Night of the Living Dead (1968) to Tremors (1989), Slither is itself a gutsy horror ride that firmly stands on its own. Writer/Director James Gunn delivers a story thats equally gripping and comical. There's plenty of action, suspense, and steely chills to be had as well. The special FX are nicely well-done and provides for some unforgettably wild scenes.

Cast-wise the movie isn't half bad either, although it's really Gregg Henry who steals the show as the town's foul-mouthed mayor.

All around Slither is an enjoyable creature show for those that like their horror films gooey! It's also a heck of dark comedy, yall.

*** out of ****
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