Slither - DVD review - Pocket-lint

27 October 2006 12:00 GMT / By Dan Hall

Fed up with his nubile young wife (Banks) always claiming she’s “got a headache”, Grant (Rooker) heads off to the local karaoke bar and picks up the first old slapper he can find for a bit of late night action.

For some inane reason the dopey duo decide to seal the deal in the local woods but - in a rather short-sighted piece of planning on their part - don’t consider the possibility of an extraterrestrial parasite crash-landing in the same spot moments later.

Stumbling upon the alien invader Grant then does the only sensible thing and sticks his gormless face about 2 inches away from the beast, begging it to attack him.

Infected by the alien seed he slowly turns into a giant squid monster, giving birth to thousands of slime-covered foot-long slugs that threaten to take over the planet.

First time director James Gunn (best known for writing the recent Dawn of the Dead remake) has created a loving tribute to B-Movie horrors of the early-80s like The Evil Dead and The Thing. With intentionally tacky special effects mainly using latex, silicone and dodgy prosthetics, there is a self-aware stupidity to the film that proves endlessly amusing.

The majority of this light-hearted special features package is dedicated to the techniques used to create the gruesome visual effects on a shoestring budget. Director James Gunn is particularly vocal on this topic, explaining how his effects team exhausted the US national supply of silicone in their pursuit of the perfect monster, and explaining how to make movie blood in the entertaining "Recipe For Blood" featurette. There’s also plenty of behind the scenes footage (Firefly fans will no doubt enjoy a personal tour of the set from Fillion), a decent gag reel, and a typically enthusiastic commentary from Gunn.

Verdict

Slapstick violence such as sheriff Pardy’s (Fillion) fist fight with a rabid deer (a subtle dig at last year’s awful Ring 2), uproarious one-liners like “that looks like something that fell of my dick during the war” and a great tagline – “What’s gotten into you?” - make Slither the best Zom-Rom-Com since Shaun of the Dead. Watch out too for a brilliant Predator parody and a lively turn from Gregg Henry as the foul-mouthed local mayor.

Rating: 15
Staring: Nathan Fillion, Elizabeth Banks, Gregg Henry, Michael Rooker, Don Thompson, Xantha Radley, Tania Saulnier
Directed by: James Gunn
Extras: Audio commentary from director James Gunn, Deleted scenes with optional audio commentary from the writer and director, Extended scenes, Gag reel, Visual effects featurette, Visual effects progressions, 'Making Of' featurette, Video diary from Lloyud Kauffman, Tour of the set, Who is Bill Pardy?, 'Recipe For Blood' featurette

Score

Review Recap

Price as reviewed: £20
The good: Gregg Henry’s expletive-laden cameo as the local mayor, a host of tongue in check one-liners and quirky gallows humour, the alluring sight of Elizabeth Banks running around in her nightie
The bad: Sensitive viewers may find some of the more gruesome scenes hard to stomach, some of the homemade special effects look distinctly third rate
Quick verdict: Slither is one of the best Zom-Rom-Com since Shaun of the Dead
Score