31 Scary Movies: ‘Slither’

“Slither” (2006) –  Alien wormlike parasites terrorize the folks from Wheelsy, a sleepy little town in the U.S. South, but a local named Grant Grant (Michael Rooker) is the most adversely impacted in this monster invasion-zombie-comedy mash-up. The film includes buckets of ghastly and twisted body horror that rivals “From Beyond” (1986), but also includes plenty of hilarious discourse and two appearances of Air Supply’s “Every Woman in the World” (1980). Not too many writer/directors could make this cinematic concoction work, but James Gunn (“Guardians of the Galaxy” (2014), “Guardians…

‘The Happytime Murders’ shoots itself in the foot

“The Happytime Murders” – “It ain’t a crime to be warm and fuzzy, but it might as well be.” – Private Investigator Phil Philips Yes, society treats puppets as second-class citizens in 2018 Los Angeles.  Puppets work, play and live with humans but are considered inferior or inherently subordinate, because their primary color fabric-exteriors and pillowy interiors make them different from people.  This overt racism is now coupled with a recent puppet-killing spree, and Phil Philips (Bill Barretta) – a scorned former police detective – is determined to find the…