Celibate Cinema: 'Slither' Superb

Firstly, one must have an appreciation for the genre. If you do not enjoy movies dripping with fake blood and engorged entrails, then you should probably miss this one. But, even the occasional B-movie viewer, and definitely the aficionado, should see this film. "Slither" is a superb example of B-movies at their finest. It manages to please by sticking to the formula we know and love: monster infects dude, who transforms into carnivorous worm beast(zombie) and impregnates local girl as they attempt to take over the earth(turning everyone to zombies). However, it is not formulaic. The plot surprised me throughout. I didn't know who was going to win until the last 10 minutes, which is a good thing.

Another surprise is that the creators obviously wanted to have characters that broke the usual stereotypes. The teenage girl was not a slut but wasn't totally virginal either. The same goes for the main heroine, she oozes sex and every man in town lusts after her but she has madonnalike virtues as well. Her husband, the infectee, is in fact an obnoxious jerk who is faithful to his wife! Those twists alone break several rules for zombie movies. The other surprise is that these monsters share a single consciousness, they are all in love with the heroine. How creepy is that? As far as I know that has never been done before. Any zombie movie innovation is always cause for celebration!

I really loved the opening scene because we see teenage boys gazing at their sexy teacher. I have seen that look before and it made me laugh. When the opening makes you laugh it portends more to come. Which indeed did. It was funny without trying too hard, the pacing was perfect, the dialogue was good and authentic (unusual for B movies) and the gore wasn't overwhelming. There was just enough goo to make you squirm in your seat without getting boring.

Lastly, this picture was a love letter to classic horror and b-movies. The movie is replete with references: Toxic Avenger is playing on the TV, the name of the local honky tonk, and more. Play how many references can you find with your buddy. My only complaint is with the deer fighting scene. Our hero gets in a fight with a monster deer but you don't actually see the deer aside from some quick shots of the head. It looks like someone took a deer trophy, wiped it with fake blood and shook it over the guy being attacked. I suspect this was supposed to be a reference to another film, but it comes across like they ran out of money and was frustrating. I want to see the freaky deer.

Tip: Stay for the end of the credits. A bonus scene sets up the sequel.

Yes, I'm a megadork. My sister has already told me. Before you throw stones at me, ask yourself how you got to the end of this post, you're the one who is still reading.