SPLINTER
Directed by Toby Wilkins
Produced by Kai Barry & Ted Kroeber
Written by Ian Shorr & Kai Barry
Released by Magnet Releasing
USA. 82 min. Rated R
With Shea Whigham, Paulo Costanzo, Jill Wagner & Rachel Kerbs
 

A young couple, Seth and Polly, out camping stops along the side of a rural Oklahoman back road, unknowingly picking up a wanted felon and his junkie girlfriend, whose neurotic quirks and quite unsettling instability diverts the viewer’s attention, setting up the film’s first shock.  A flat tire quickly lands the group at a secluded gas station, where a vicious parasite has already been feasting on the pump operator. It’s not long before the monster, which commandeers human bodies as vessels, has trapped them in the locked convenience store. 

Seth, played by a solid Paulo Costanzo (why haven’t we heard much from this charismatic actor since 2000’s Road Trip?), is not much in terms of brawn. This cautious, PhD-type is in direct contrast to Shea Whigham’s (All the Real Girls) burly, wisecracking convict. Seth can’t change a tire, drive a standard transmission, or control his firecracker girlfriend, Polly (Jill Wagner). But “survival of the fittest,” in evolutionary terms, more appropriately refers to the specific merits Seth, not his bullish antagonist, displays. His caution keeps him out of the monster’s way, his mettle maintains his sanity throughout the ordeal, and his brains lead to a thrilling (and original) escape—you’ll have to see it for yourself. For a B monster movie, director Toby Wilkins brings a broad set of new, original ideas that keep it fresh. Seth’s escape plan, however far-fetched, is, to say the least, a new idea in the horror world.

The monster itself is terrifying, and not just for its titular spiky looks. First, it moves quickly. Second, its parasitic abilities allow it to turn victims into doppelgangers that move (and attack) independently. They are undead, but unlike zombies, they are completely functional as either pieces of humans or multiple humans actually fused together. Imagine two half-people, each ripped apart at the waist, but attached, dripping with blood, and lumbering toward you.

Splinter isn’t without its share of demerits. Visually, the monster isn’t very interesting. The best effects are the blood and gore, and not the creature itself. It’s the image of human body parts in attack mode that truly generates shivers. (It’s no wonder why this film swept the awards ceremony at Screamfest 2008.) Ms. Wagner’s fine performance is overshadowed by the masculine rivalry, so that an otherwise interesting female character is once again relegated to the supporting role. But in the end, though, the movie holds up. Audiences looking for a good scare will certainly not be disappointed, and even the more intuitive of horror buffs will find something to sink their teeth into. Don’t expect this one to defy the genre, though. It’s a well-made horror film, nothing more and nothing less. Michael Lee
October 31, 2008