Spunky Polly (a perky and appealing portrayal by Jill Wagner) and her nerdy boyfriend Seth (a likeable performance by Paulo Costanzo) are taken hostage by escaped convict Dennis (well played by Shea Whigham) and his strung-out junkie girlfriend Lacey (a nicely antsy turn by Rachel Kerbs). Things go from bad to worse after the quartet find themselves being terrorized by a lethal parasitic organism at a remote gas station.
Director Toby Wilkins keeps the gripping story moving along at a quick pace, generates a good deal of nerve-wracking suspense, delivers a handy helping of in-your-face nasty gore, and brings a tough'n'gritty go-for-the-throat sensibility to the harsh premise. The practical makeup f/x are quite gruesome and convincing. Moreover, the tight 82 minute running time ensures that this film never becomes dull or overstays its welcome. Kudos are also in order for Elia Cmiral's rattling score and Nelson Cragg's sharp widescreen cinematography. A smack dab on the money fright flick.
Splinter
2008
Action / Crime / Horror / Sci-Fi / Thriller
Splinter
2008
Action / Crime / Horror / Sci-Fi / Thriller
Plot summary
When their plans for a nature trip go awry, Polly and boyfriend Seth decide to check into a motel. On their way, they're carjacked and kidnapped by low-rent crooks Dennis and Lacey, who take the victims and their SUV to a nearby gas station. Along the way, they encounter an increasingly terrifying horde of parasites, and if any of them intend to survive, they'll have to outsmart the deadly organisms.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
October 03, 2020 at 05:08 PM
Director
Top cast
Tech specs
720p.BLU 1080p.BLUMovie Reviews
Taut horror outing that means bloody business
What A Shame...More of the Same...The Old Shaky Camera
This will have you shaking your head as you follow the lead from the Filmmakers who can't stop shaking the Camera. Why oh why would you go through the effort to Create Creatures and then not let the Audience in on it. Anytime there is a Scene with elevated Suspense and Monster Mania, the Camera seems to have an epileptic fit. It zooms, swirls, shakes, bobs, and is absolutely out of control. The result, not counting nausea and headaches, is that you never ever get a sense, let alone a clear look at what is happening.
It almost makes this "Thing" unwatchable, or enjoyable on any level. It has some stuff going for it and there was no need for the Director to feel so insecure about His Creatures in a Creature Feature. The slim Story and some annoying Characters needed those Monsters to deliver anything more than another anemic amoeba split off from all parasites that came before.
If the Camera would have stood still long enough for some visual thrills and some, any, comprehension of what they were up against (the silly walking hand was not enough), this could have been better than Average. As it stands (there shaking), it becomes just more of the same.
What might of been
What might of been... If the cameraman wasn't having a seizure during every handheld shot, and the editor had any sense of timing, this could have been a reasonably good horror film. As it stands, if you suffer from motion sickness and get headaches easily then this isn't for you.