Splinter (2008)

Face it, for its budget and for the entire what? 6 people cast? it was a pretty decent movie. Original it was not, except maybe the creature concept, but it provided the entertainment one would expect from something like this.

The plot is simple enough: a fungus like entity is infecting anything alive and uses their bodies in very innovative ways to get to move bodies. It's a fungus zombie thingie! I liked that it dropped any pretense that a simple organism could use the human body as the original host did. It reminded me of The Thing, of course, only that it had no Kurt Russell and that it was placed in some old US forest where "logging sucks".

If it weren't for the really weak cast (the only one supporting the movie was Jill Wagner) and the fact that a fungus of this infectiousness would have quickly overrun the entire forest and continued until the world ended, it would have been a gem.

Bottom line: grab a beer, watch it when you feel like doing nothing, it won't disappoint.

Fmovies: A young couple Seth Belzer and Polly Watt retreat to the wilderness for a romantic camping weekend,but their idyll is shattered when they are car-jacked by an escaped convict and his drug-addicted girlfriend, Dennis Farell and Lacey Belisleon,on the run from the police.As the foursome travel the back roads together they find themselves in deeper trouble than any of them could have imagined-a blood-crazed,parasitic creature that absorbs the corpses of its victims has laid claim to the woods and the two couples are now in its sights.Finding shelter at an abandoned gas station,they must use their wits and every weapon at their disposal to stave off the onslaught,not only from the insatiable creature,but also each other.The premise of "Splinter" is very simple and quite suspenseful.The film is obviously influenced by John Carpenter's classic "The Thing" and offers plenty of gore.The special effects are pretty good:during most of the creature shots,it looks as if there's a real corpse on screen.The use of hand-held camera is the main drawback of the film.It is obnoxious and should be slightly toned down.Still "Splinter" is a competent indie horror flick with enough grue to satisfy genre fans.7 out of 10.

This film would be a 6, maybe a 7 for me. However the director somehow failed to notice that every time they called action their cameraman was in the middle of a fit.

The movie basically goes like this: Shake shake shake.

Oh someone died back there.

Shake shake shake plot shake shake shake.

It's a real shame as the creature looked quite cool but you never really see it for long enough to appreciate this. Even static scenes in the gas station have to wobble about just to punch home the peril of the situation to us.

The film gave me motion sickness.

M

Splinter fmovies. In comparison to some of the terrible creature features that the Sci-Fi Channel shows, Splinter is definitely better. It's characters are pretty well rounded and believable and they do sensible things in an attempt to survive the menace.

But, as with many recent productions - every time the action gets going and every time the creature attacks - the camera goes into such chaotic movement that you can't even tell what's going on. I understand in part this may have been necessary to hide some low budget special effects but in this film, it's just way too much. Spinning, zooming, panning shaky-cam and rapid editing just end up frustrating the viewer. The creature concept seems to have taken a inspiration from "The Thing" - in being an organic amalgamation of dead human bodyparts - but I honestly couldn't quite say for sure, because I never caught a glimpse of it that wasn't in blurred motion. Truly a sad way to spoil an otherwise creepy and fun flick.

A young couple and an ex-con are holed up in a gas station while strange monsters prowl outside.

This is a good example of what can be done with some good acting, a decent script and an idea for a horror film that won't cost too much to make. It's definitely watchable, even if the characters sometimes do some odd things.

There is a lot left unexplained, which seems OK within the context of the movie; the answers you don't get sort of enhance the story you watched. There is also an obvious sequel ending.

If you like horror and enjoy some good suspense, get this and watch it, you'll be glad you did. It's not awesome, but it's pretty good.

This movie is stuck somewhere between a theatrical release-quality film and a direct to DVD movie, but much better than your ordinary Sci-Fi channel special.

The acting is top quality. All characters, especially the one portrayed by Shea, are portrayed exceptionally well. The plot keeps you glued to your seat, and you can't wait to see what happens next or how they will think of a way out of their predicament.

The only problems lie in the filming of the "monster" and to a lesser degree, the sound. I'm not a personal fan of the "flicker" style of filming so it may work for others. I prefer a fluid style of filming throughout the entire film. It's hard to keep track of the events occurring when things "flash" around rapidly.

But if you can overlook it's extremely minor flaws, you're in for a treat with this one. The acting and the central theme of the plot are strong enough to overcome its shortcomings.

My final ratings: Quality: 7 Entertainment level: 7 Overall: 7 Consensus: This might be Toby Wilkins' break as a writer/director and is a standout performance for Shea Whigham