Slither (Gunn, 2006)

Here are a few of my favorite things: zombies, invading aliens, isolated Southern towns, horribly grotesque mutants, and grenades used as foreshadowing devices. All I have to say is, thank God for “Slither,” the latest slime-fest from James Gunn (the guy who brought you 2004’s “Dawn of the Dead”).

Wheelsy is your basic sleepy town where interesting things never happen. But Sheriff Bill Pardy (Nathan Fillion of “Firefly,” the greatest show nobody bothered to watch) has his work cut out for him when a strange, extra-terrestrial egg lands in the forest and begins wreaking havoc on the unsuspecting community. Grant (Michael Rooker), a wealthy local man, is the first to encounter the egg, and the slimy alien capsule takes him as a host.

Pets begin disappearing, cattle turns up horribly mutilated and Grant’s wife, Starla (Elizabeth Banks), notices some strange behavior from her husband. It isn’t long until Grant is mutated into a slippery squid monster with a taste for human flesh, and it’s up to Pardy and his deputies, along with sleazy Mayor MacReady (Gregg Henry), to track down the creature before he turns the whole town into alien-possessed, acid-spitting zombies.

“Slither” takes a note from every aspect of horror cinema. Like “Tremors” and 2002’s “Eight Legged Freaks,” the film harkens back to the drive-in creature-features of yesteryear. Its B-movie roots add a sprinkle of unique, wittingly subdued humor that stirs in nicely with the gross-out gore, writhing tentacles and flying slime.

Though the film is ridiculous at times – no, more like through its entirety – it’s all in good fun, and you can’t help but snuggle into the theater seat and enjoy. “Slither” isn’t about jump-out scares; its intention is not to terrify the viewer. “Slither” is just a good time, a great flick to see with a bunch of friends on a Saturday afternoon. It’s the kind of film that requires two hours of attention, and nothing more. No complicated sub-stories or plot twists – just good, old fashioned blowin’ up aliens.

The film is fantastically cast. Fillion is a Harrison Ford-esque leading man, with a stoic composure and perfect line delivery. Rooker gives a great performance (until he’s turned into a squid creature a quarter of the way through the film, of course), and Henry is absolutely hilarious as the self-absorbed, paranoid mayor of Wheesly.

However, I must warn you: some of the moments in the film are not for the faint of heart. In one disgustingly brilliant scene, the small band of police officers track the Grant creature to an old abandoned barn. Upon arriving, they find a young girl that the Grant mutant has injected with the alien eggs. The girl has stretched to massive proportions, and has ceased being human – she’s now a bloated, pulsating mass of flesh. I won’t spoil the surprise for you, but just when you think the scene has crossed the line, it goes one step further. The results are magnificently revolting.

“Slither” is a fun flick; a competently made festival of gore and monsters, tailored for the collective disgust of the entire theater. It’s not changing the horror genre so much as it’s paying homage to it, and it’ll delight creature-feature fans to no end. Grab a friend, some popcorn and give in to the nauseatingly wicked amusement of “Slither.”

The Final Verdict: 7/10