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In Wheelsy, South Carolina, it's time for the annual "Deer Cheer" celebration. This kick-off to deer season is one of those "only in the movies" events that everyone in town gets all excited about. Starla (Elizabeth Banks) was supposed to meet her much-older husband Grant Grant (Michael Rooker) at the party, but he hasn't shown up. He's been side-tracked by his discovery of a small meteorite in the woods outside of town. The meteorite has brought a parasite that has burrowed into Grant's brain. Suddenly, he's developed a taste for the local pet population. The infecton that's resulted from his contact with the parasite is making it harder to keep things under wraps and, finally, he attacks Starla. Bill (Nathan Fillion), the local police chief, chases him into the woods where he escapes. Bill goes back to town and rounds up a posse to go after him. The confrontation in the woods -- the details of which I'll leave out -- results in a large number of meat-eating slugs that attack the residents of Wheelsy. What I really enjoyed about Slither is that it was very much in the mold of 1980s sci-fi/horror films but with a modern comedy twist, ala Shaun of the Dead. It never devolved into the sarcastic-type of humor that pervades so many modern horror movies. James Gunn, who wrote 2004's remake of Dawn of the Dead, directed Slither and also wrote the screenplay. Coming from a background that includes time in the Troma studio camp, it's clear that he has a love for the horror genre. If you like your horror on the slightly humorous side and also enjoy a healthy helping of gore, Slither will definitely appeal to you. Trivia: As a in-reference to past genre movies, the Mayor and his store is named R.J. MacReady, the same name as Kurt Russell's character in John Carpenter's The Thing and the local high school featured is named after Earl Bassett, the lead character in the movie Tremors played by Fred Ward. (Source: The Internet Movie Database) |
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