Splinter is a 2008 AMerican horror movie directed by Toby Wilkins and starring Shea Whigham, Paulo Costanzo, and Jill Wagner. The vast majority of the movie is centered in a gas station where a couple and a convict fight for a survival against a deadly parasite that can take over their host. Splinter (2008) movie review
Splinter is a movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously. From the very beginning the movie does not waste any time getting to the actual parasite. It establishes the main characters and hits us in the face with the Splinter monster. This parasite looks like a spiky fungus. It can take over a living host and make limbs have a mind of their own. While the movie does have a lot of uncomfortable scenes. (lots of bone crunching and squishing sounds). It is hard to take it seriously. It is more of a horror/dark comedy. In one scene where a body was contorting in a weird unnatural manner, one can’t but laugh because it looks ridiculous. (Maybe it’s just me?). Either way, the dialogue will give you a few chuckles, if not for its content, than perhaps in the delivery.
The characters are also ridiculous and stereotypical. You got a macho girlfriend who is very handy, a nerdy boyfriend, a tough but somewhat cowardly convict and his bimbo squeeze. They are not necessarily unlikeable, just not memorable. You also got a plot that starts with “it was supposed to be a perfect weekend…” with premise that something really bad is yet to come. This is not bad because the director runs wild with this storyline and includes a lot of ridiculous scenes knowing that it has been done before and even made fun of. The movie is not necessarily trying to be original, but I do think this does give it a unique charm that separates it from other “isolated in a remote location” movies.
The effects were also top notch. From a hand walking by itself (you can’t take it seriously, especially if compared to the hand in the Addams family), to a person contorting like a silly putty figurine, it was all done in a convincing manner. On top of this, the sound effects used during these scenes were very unsettling to say the least. It creates a dark atmosphere where you got a shocked characters not knowing what to do and a “dead” person going berserk and spasming like there is no tomorrow. The “growth” scenes were also very intense and unforgettable. They are not too graphic but they are irritating because they are growing all over a human body and spreading like wildfire. The way to defeat this parasite is not very original, but it is acceptable. However, the ending scene is as cliche as it gets.
Overall the movie is very short and it does its best to provide a solid entertainment for all fans. With good amount of graphic bloody scenes, the movie finds a good balance between horror and ridiculousness. Some scenes are funny, but there are plenty that are uncomfortable to watch. The director knew exactly what he wanted to do and he ran with a ridiculous premise that paid off. This movie faded into obscurity but I think it should be remembered for how weird it truly is.
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