Slither (film)
Slither aka SLiTHER is a
Universal horror/
comedy film, written and directed by
James Gunn. The film stars
Nathan Fillion,
Elizabeth Banks,
Michael Rooker,
Gregg Henry,
Tania Saulnier, and
Jenna Fischer. It is produced by
Paul Brooks and
Eric Newman.
When Grant Grant (
Michael Rooker), the wealthiest citizen of small town Wheelsy,
South Carolina contracts a strange illness, things start acting out of place. Pets go missing, then livestock and people and all of it somehow leads back to Grant. However, Grant isn't feeling too well, given his unusually massive appetite for meat and he's shacked up in the basement of his home, away from his wife (
Elizabeth Banks), who is starting to notice her husband's unusual behavior and
body changes. As Grant slowly transforms into a hideous creature capable of much grislier tasks at hand, the town of Wheelsy faces a threat against humanity. As its citizens seem to be overcome by an alien plague from outer space, they'll only transform into bloodthirsty monsters like Grant. It's only the survivors who can prevent this seemingly peaceful town from being completely overrun by something far more capable than just transforming people into hungry monsters, but destroying life as we know it.
The film received overwhelmingly positive critical reviews, especially for a film of its genre (scoring 86% on
Rotten Tomatoes, and 69% on
Metacritic), but only grossed $4 million on its first weekend.
The film earned high praise from several prominent horror film directors (including
Eli Roth,
Tobe Hooper,
Joss Whedon,
Rob Zombie, and
John Landis), with several saying it was the best horror film that they had seen in years.
As of
April 24,
2006, the film has grossed a total of 7.7 million dollars in the
United States box office, $8 million dollars less than it's budget.
SLiTHER will be released on regular
DVD and on
HD DVD/DVD hybrid disc on
October 24th,
2006.
. The HD version will be presented in 1.85:1
widescreen encoded at
1080p and Dolby Digital-Plus 5.1 surround.
In addition to the film, the DVDs will contain two making-of documentaries, one solely dedicated to the visual effects. The DVD will also have deleted scenes, a blooper reel, VFX progressions, a set tour with Nathan Fillion, and audio commentary by James Gunn and Nathan Fillion. Also featured will be Lloyd Kaufman's documentary about his day on the movie, shooting his one line, which was eventually cut from the film. Finally, there will also be a featurette entilted "Who Is Bill Pardy?" which was a joke feature Gunn made roasting Nathan Fillion, that was shown at the wrap party.
* Slither was said to be inspired by the
body horror films of the 1970's and 1980's, largely created by such directors as
John Carpenter and
David Cronenberg.
* The most obvious inspiration is
David Cronenberg's
Shivers (1975). "Killer parasitic worm" stories like
Slither and
Shivers can be considered part of a particular subgenre of horror, which includes other works such as
Robert A. Heinlein's novella
The Puppet Masters and the film
Night of the Creeps.
* One of the department stores at the beginning of film is named R.J. MacReady. This is a reference to
Kurt Russell's character in
John Carpenter's
The Thing.
* The music that is playing as the group arms themselves with confiscated weapons at the police station is from the movie
Predator, starring
Arnold Schwarzenegger.
* This is the directorial debut of
screenwriter/
actor James Gunn who previously wrote the
2004 remake of
Dawn of the Dead and the
Scooby Doo films. Gunn was also writer of
Tromeo and Juliet, a
Troma production directed by famed schlockmeister
Lloyd Kaufman. Kaufman makes a cameo appearance in Gunn's directorial debut alongside Gunn's wife
Jenna Fischer who co-stars. Fischer also directed Kaufman and her husband in
LolliLove.
* The film Brenda is seen watching before discovering Grant's transformation is
The Toxic Avenger.
*Actors
Nathan Fillion and
Gregg Henry were both on the TV show
Firefly. Nathan Fillion was the main star Malcolm Reynolds, and Gregg Henry guest starred as Sheriff Bourne in "The Train Job".
* The film in Canada was released by
TVA Films, an independent company who released
Good Night, and Good Luck. in Canada.
* The local high school featured is named Earl Bassett High School, named after the lead character in the movie
Tremors played by
Fred Ward.
* There is a mention of neighbors named "the Castevets". The Castevets were Rosemary's neighbors in
Rosemary's Baby.
*
Nathan Fillion ... as Bill Pardy
*
Elizabeth Banks ... as Starla Grant
*
Michael Rooker ... as Grant Grant
*
Gregg Henry ... as Jack MacReady
*
Tania Saulnier ... as Kylie Strutemyer
*
Jenna Fischer ... as Shelby Cunningham
* Brenda James ... as Brenda Gutierrez
* Don Thompson ... as Wally Whale
* Haig Sutherland ... as Trevor
* Jennifer Copping ... as Margaret Hooper
*
Lloyd Kaufman ... as Sad Drunk
*
Official site*
Movie Trailer at iFilm*Review for
Slither at
Dread Central*
MoviesForGuys.com Review*
Behind-the-Scenes Footage
