“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 of the Galaxy Vol. 2” (2017)) certainly did!
“Slither” has an “Arachnophobia” (1990) invasion-and-comedy-feel (also co-starring Elizabeth Banks and Nathan Fillion) but does not spare the audience with its unapologetic and blood-curdling gore. Certainly Gunn’s 2006 creation ruined lots of first dates for unsuspecting pairs not exactly ready for tentacles protruding from Grant’s chest and armies of seven inch slugs looking to slither and then jump into their victims’ mouths.
This critic was not either, but hey, here’s hoping that Gunn will make “Slither 2” someday. Maybe “Eye in the Sky” (1982) by The Alan Parsons Project will make an appearance?
Image credits: Universal Studios; Trailer credits: ScreamFactoryTV
