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Life & Arts

'Slither' reminds us of old horror flicks

by JASON GAGNON
The Daily Cougar

Horror movies in the 1980s weren't just about slashers, promiscuous and partially nude teens and really lame mullets. Amid the Jason and Freddy flicks were loads of bloody, fun and off-kilter movies (Re-Animator, Night of the Creeps, Basket Case) that brought as much yuks as yucks. With every other filmmaker on Earth trying to recreate the brutality of the '70s classics it's excellent to find somebody who wants to give the audiences a good time while making them lose their lunch. James Gunn's Slither is the most fun you'll have watching a horror movie since Shaun of the Dead.

Grant (Michael Rooker) and Starla (Elizabeth Banks) Grant (and no that is not a typo) live in the small town of Wheelsy with loads of gun happy hicks and scrutiny about their May-December relationship. Experiencing coital difficulties because of his wife's indifference, Grant heads out to the local bar, hooks up with a straight out of Cops skank named Brenda and heads off into the woods for some privacy, which is when Grant gets infected with some horrible disease by an alien meteorite. He begins to murder and devour local pets, impregnates Brenda with a litter of nasty slugs that turn the townsfolk into flesh hungry zombies while Grant becomes a nasty squid-like creature. It's up to Starla's former lover Chief Bill Pardy (Nathan Fillion) and Wheelsy's sleazy, foul-mouthed mayor to try and stop the terrible plague from spreading.

Yes, the plot is utterly silly but you would have to expect that from Gunn, who cut his teeth in the movie business scribing for the outrageous Troma (The Toxic Avenger) studio. 

But the absurdity of the goings -on is part of what makes Slither such a blast. It's a sick, clever and often gooey monster movie that leaves you howling for more. If you can't get a kick out of zombie deer attacking cops or a literally blimp-sized woman bursting with slimy slugs then there is something wrong with you.

The performances are all pretty top notch with Fillion stealing the show with superb comic-timing. 

His dry one-liners and ironic asides are delivered so effortlessly that his character doesn't become cartoonish. 

Unfortunately the brilliant Michael Rooker (star of the notorious Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer) doesn't get much to do before he becomes a squid but even beneath all the makeup and prosthetics he still is able to exude some sympathy.

And thankfully the special effects lead more toward the old school prosthetic side than CGI which makes the film feel like on of those '80s splatterfests that Gunn so relentlessly loves to reference (horror geeks will go nuts with all the in-jokes and homage).

Slither

Rated: R for strong horror, violence and gore
Starring: Michael Rooker, Elizabeth Banks
Universal Pictures

Verdict: Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new cult classic on our hands.

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