Grade: B+
The horror genre goes back to its campy roots with the release of Slither, a movie constructed as an ode to the great horror movies of decades past. These movies, with their touch of campy humour, have quickly made their way into horror aficionados’ hearts.after making a stop in their stomachs.
Horror and comedy has always been a match made in heaven. But to have audiences writhe from disgust and laughter at once is a subtle art that is not given to everyone to master. Some horror movies succeed in provoking laughter, but most of the times it is not expected. To have audiences laughing at pathetic characters or cheap special effects is definitely the opposite of what your typical horror director strives for. Slither succeeds in making audiences laugh exactly where they should, and shiver exactly when they least expect it.
Slither does this by maintaining the perfect balance between dark humour and graphic elements that will have even the most reckless ones grunting. With hillbilly characters and a gritty, retro feel to it, the movie will bring back memories of the most pleasantly unpleasant images the genre has brought us.
Audiences are whisked into the sleepy little suburban town of Wheelsy, where the townsfolk’s lives are about to take an unexpected turn. With a local businessman, Grant, infected by a tentacle-wagging, out-of-this-world entity, what was once a quiet town turns into a playground for an evil beyond their wildest nightmares. Reproducing in the form of grotesque slugs with the sole goal of taking over the townspeople as a whole, these creatures will not stop until every one of the villagers is turned into a raw-meat munching, brainless zombie.
The entire cast delivers performances that will not necessarily be remembered a few years from now, but they all succeed in making the movie fun and entertaining by seeming genuinely interested and amused by the project they are working on.
Coming directly from the twisted mind of James Gunn, Slither is the obvious work of a horror movie fanatic. Gunn penned the 2004 remake of George A Romero’s Dawn of the Dead, as well as the second movie inspired from the Scooby-Doo cartoons. He puts his love and thorough knowledge of the genre to good use by bringing horror fans exactly what they had long stopped hoping for.
Slither is a true return to the sources of a genre that has gone in every possible direction, except for the one it was originally heading to. It is refreshing to have a horror movie that doesn’t take itself seriously at all, and offers pure fun. Slither made me sick to my stomach. and I loved it!
Slither opens everywhere Friday, March 31.
