Slither | 2006

 

"Slither" is a science fiction comedy horror film released in 2006, directed and written by James Gunn. Produced by Paul Brooks and Eric Newman, it stars Nathan Fillion, Elizabeth Banks, Tania Raymonde, Gregg Henry, and Michael Rooker. The film is set in a small town in South Carolina and revolves around the invasion of a malevolent alien parasite.

"Slither" was released in theaters in the United States and Canada on March 31, 2006, by Universal Pictures and TVA Films, respectively. However, it was a box office failure, grossing $12 million against a production budget of $15 million.

A meteor brings a malevolent, sentient alien parasite to Earth. The parasite enters the town of Wheelsey, South Carolina, infecting wealthy resident Grant, taking over his body and absorbing his mind. As the alien takes control, Grant begins to transform into a grotesque tentacled monster. He also kidnaps and infects local woman Brenda, using her as a breeding vessel for his alien larvae. His wife Starla becomes suspicious of his appearance and behavior, leading Grant to attack her. When the police come to rescue Starla, Grant escapes.

While searching for Grant, a group led by Sheriff Bill Pardy discovers Brenda. Her body grotesquely swells as the larvae grow inside her. The larvae burst from her body, infecting everyone in town except for Starla, Bill, Mayor Jack MacReady, and teenage girl Kylie Strutmeier. Those infected become part of a hive mind controlled by Grant, who plans to consume all living beings until only his consciousness remains. However, Grant retains his love for his wife and wishes to reunite with her. The survivors deduce that killing Grant will eliminate the remaining aliens, and they decide to confront him before being attacked by the infected townspeople. Bill and Kylie manage to escape, but Starla and Jack are captured.

To kill the monster, Bill and Kylie head to Grant's house armed with grenades. There, the infected townspeople are increasingly absorbed by the ever-mutating Grant. Jack and the others are turning into more breeding vessels for the larvae, while Grant tries to keep Starla uninfected to win back her love. Starla awakens armed with a sharp brush and goes downstairs to find Grant. She tricks him into believing he still loves her and stabs him with the brush. Enraged, Grant throws her across the room. After shooting some of the alien townspeople, Bill and Kylie enter the house and euthanize the infected Jack. Bill attempts to use a grenade, but Grant swats it into the pool, and he tries to infect Bill with his tentacles. When one of the tentacles pierces Bill's abdomen, he connects another tentacle to a propane tank. Starla shoots Grant, and the gas-filled Grant explodes, killing the remaining aliens. After all the townspeople in Wheelsey are dead, the three survivors leave to seek help.

In a post-credits scene, a cat approaches Grant's remains and becomes infected with the alien parasite.

"Slither" has been controversial due to its similarities and plot elements with Fred Dekker's 1986 horror comedy "Night of the Creeps." Journalist Steve Palopoli noted:

When the trailer for "Slither" was released, internet message boards were ablaze with complaints from fans of the 1986 film "Night of the Creeps." They shouted, "Alien snails turning people into zombies!" and "It's a blatant rip-off!" I mention this because "Slither" can be seen as a humorous parody of at least a dozen 80s horror films.

Palopoli directly compared "Slither" to "Night of the Creeps" and the 1975 film "Shivers." James Gunn has stated that "Shivers" and the 1979 film "The Brood" were the two works that most influenced the story of "Slither," and Junji Ito's 2000 manga "Uzumaki" also had an impact. In an interview with Jeff Schubert, Gunn said that "Slither" was inspired by 1980s horror comedies and was created as a tribute to them.

The film also pays homage to other horror films, such as the farm being owned by the Castevets, the satanic neighbors in "Rosemary's Baby." The mayor of Wheelsey, Jack MacReady, is named after Kurt Russell's characters Jack Burton from John Carpenter's films "Big Trouble in Little China" and "The Thing."