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Slither (2006) - James Gunn


Slither is a horror/dark comedy from the mind of James Gunn. The very same James Gunn that brought us Tromeo and Juliette, Super, and soon Guardians of the Galaxy. He has created this black comedy niche, that he really directs very well. This movie is no exception.

The acting really helps drive along the story here. Nathan Fillion, Elizibeth Banks, Michael Rooker, Gregg Henry, Jenna Fisher, and even Rob Zombie. They do a great job of keeping the banter very comedic, while the visuals are enough to make Hannibal Lecter dry heave. Well, not that crazy, but they are pretty nuts.

This horror movie actually pulls a bit from the sci-fi realm. The plot revolves around a small town that has to deal with their new parasitic visitor from outer space. This visitor releases these strange maggot like creatures that enter through your mouth and control you from the inside. The main bad guy, Grant Grant (yeah two names), gets it the worst. He is our patient zero. He begins eating hordes of meat and killing people around town to spread the infestation. Now the local sheriff, Nathan Fillion, needs to save the day.

That actually leads me to the one thing about this movie that bothers me. The CGI. I am a very harsh critic of over CGI use. James Gunn is guilty of over use of the computer, you know its bad when even the blood is generated. If you can look past the horrible CGI then you might just find a really awesome movie. For some reason no one talks about this movie. I really dig it.

Don't let them in your mouth! 
  • In the script, Jack tells Bill that Brenda is the niece of Randy Flagg. Randall Flagg is the bad guy in several Stephen King novels including The Stand
  • People, places and buildings, throughout the film, allude to various late-20th-century monster movies. See Movie Connections for specifics. 
  • Jenna and Emily Strutemyer were named after Jenna Fischer, director James Gunn's wife, and her sister. 

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