Day 5: Slither (2006)

A Month of Horror

I have always wanted to do a marathon of "HORROR" throughout the month of October, one where I would revisit a new horror movie every day from the first to the thirty-first.  I will revisit the classics as well as new entries into the canon.  There are many movies that define this time of year, and I hope to showcase 31 of them this month...

October 5: Slither (2006)

The "invaders from space" movie is one that has remained just as popular over the years as the slasher, vampire, werewolf and zombie genres.  Originally done as allegories for communism and the dangers of the nuclear age, the movies reamined popular throughout the '50s and '60s especially.

When I first heard of "Slither", I was intrigued: a space invaders zombie film from James Gunn, a guy who until that point had mostly operated under the shingle of Lloyd Kaufman's "Troma Pictures" shingle.  The fact that it starred Nathan Fillion (who at that point I was already a huge fan of thanks to his work in Joss Whedon's "Firefly" and "Serenity") as Sherrif Bill Pardy made it that much more tantalizing.

The movie is definitely an homage to those alien invasion movies from the past, but it is also a film that proudly replicates writer and director Gunn's roots in the "Troma" world.  It is comedic, and crass, and vulgarly disgusting, and it is that fusion of elements that makes this such a fun movie.

With a cast that also includes Elizabeth Banks, Gregg Henry, and Michael Rooker as Grant Grant, the first infected, the film delivers a surprisingly tight story and some excellent practical special effects (that are augmented by non-intrusive CGI).

This is a blast of a movie that is high on laughs, as well as a few chills.  Gunn had written the script for Zack Snyder's surprisingly effective "Dawn of the Dead" remake two years earlier, and this proved to be a more than suitable follow up.

Nathan Fillion's typical charisma and deadpan delivery are the real draws, but the story and effects help reinforce a surprisingly effective body-horror film.  Definintely worth a view.

Tomorrow, I plan to descend into a deep, dark, and terrifying place.