“Slither” is an edgy blend of heart-stopping terror, wry humor and surprising humanity from genre-bending screenwriter James Gunn, whose “Dawn of the Dead” became one of 2004’s most surprising hits.
The sleepy town of Wheelsy could be any small town in America-somewhat quaint and gentle, peopled with friendly folks who mind their own business. But just beneath the surface charm, something unnamed and evil has arrived… and is growing.
No one seems to notice as telephone poles become clogged with missing pet flyers, or when one of the town’s richest citizens, Grant Grant (Michael Rooker), begins to act strangely. But when farmers’ livestock turn up horribly mutilated and a young woman goes missing, Sheriff Bill Pardy (Nathan Fillion) and his team, aided by Grant’s wife Starla (Elizabeth Banks), uncover the dark force laying siege to their town… and come face-to-face with an older-than-time organism intent on absorbing and devouring all life on Earth.
From the twisted mind of filmmaker James Gunn (writer, 2004’s Dawn of the Dead) comes the latest addition to the unique canon of horror comedy films – a story so deliciously heinous, hilariously base and unbelievably demented that its mere name brings to mind the sickening giant mollusks of the invertebrate underbelly world.
Huge slugs from outer space, bloodthirsty zombies and slime-ridden oozing bug overlords have finally come together in one cinematic creation: Slither. As Slither begins, we are introduced to one of the few leaders of Wheelsy’s pack — successful, albeit oafish, local businessman Grant Grant (Michael Rooker, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer). With beautiful young wife Starla (Elizabeth Banks, The 40-Year-Old Virgin), a large house and fat bank account, Grant truly relishes his “big fish-small pond” role in the town. Other than the fact that the passionate love he feels for his woman goes completely unrequited, he’s a man content. But things are about to change for Grant in ways no one could have ever imagined.
On a humdrum evening, Grant hits the local honky-tonk for an all-night bender. There he encounters Brenda Gutierrez (Brenda James), the younger sister of an old girlfriend, who’s more than willing to listen to Grant’s woes. Abandoning their drinks for a moonlight stroll, the pair discovers something slimy in the woods behind the bar. Near the remains of what appears to be a meteor, Grant and Brenda find a trail of glistening, noxious ooze and a pulsating, unidentifiable mass. Suddenly, the glob comes to life and overtakes Grant, penetrating his body with a pustule-covered tentacle. An alien parasite has found and infected its unlucky human host, an unwilling transporter who now must continue to infect others in order to survive.
Signs of Grant’s transformation are instantly apparent: the extended periods of time he spends in his basement amassing meat products; the strange sounds and odors Starla notices emanating from the bowels of their home; his erratic behavior towards his wife — sometimes loving and tender, then suddenly ferocious and aggressive. And most gruesomely, the denizens begin to suspect Grant’s involvement in an unusual number of missing pets and farm animals around town.
With each day that passes, Grant becomes less and less human, evolving into a bloodthirsty creature driven by a primal need to kill and destroy the uninfected. Unfortunately, Grant’s not the only problem. He has begun spawning scores of giant slugs that are out to inoculate any redneck into whom they can get their siphons.
Now joining Starla on her quest to stop Grant and the infected is her former high school beau, local Chief of Police Bill Pardy (Nathan Fillion, Serenity). A handsome everyman with a burning love for Starla, Pardy gets suspicious of his old rival and leads the charge to take him down. The pair gathers a makeshift crew of uninfected, including foul-mouthed Mayor Jack MacReady (Gregg Henry, Star Trek: Insurrection) and smart-ass teen beauty Kylie Strutemyer (Tania Saulnier) to help stop the evil plague laying siege to Wheelsy.
As the rebels attempt to avoid both the slippery slugs that just want to worm inside of them and their former neighbors-turned-meat-eating zombies, it’s anyone’s guess as to who will stay slug-free. But when the ragtag team comes face-to-face with an ancient, vengeful entity beyond all human comprehension, fierce alliances will be forged, former friends will be destroyed and a hilariously gruesome showdown will take place — hillbilly style.
These production notes provided by Universal Pictures.
Slither
Starring: Nathan Fillion, Gregg Henry, Michael Rooker, Elizabeth Banks, Rheagan Wallace, Tania Saulnier
Directed by: James Gunn
Screenplay by: James Gunn
Release Date: March 31th, 2006
Running Time: 96 minutes
MPAA Rating: R for strong horror violence and gore, and language.
Studio: Universal Pictures
Box Office Totals
Domestic: $7,802,450 (60.8%)
Foreign: $5,032,486 (39.2%)
Total: $12,834,936 (Worldwide)