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Written and Directed by Starring Presented by 84 minutes |
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SPLINTER Review
It’s a common adage in the guidebook of any aspiring filmmaker: if you want to make something successful, take a group of people in a setting and chop them up. The formula has met with such success but there have been some cases where something unexpected can come. That’s just what happened with SPLINTER, which while clichéd in spots, the film features some of the more impressive special effects seen on film in quite some time, which is fitting considering it is the directorial debut of special effects artist Toby Wilkins. A young couple, Polly (Jill Wagner) and Seth (Paulo Costanzo) have decided to spend a weekend in the woods by camping and enjoying the great outdoors, something Seth has no experience in. After the inexperience causes a mishap, they settle for a motel. At the same time, escaped convict Dennis Farell (Shea Whigham) and his drug addicted girlfriend Lacey (Rachel Kerbs) are trying to head to Mexico but their car overheats. They flag down Polly and Seth and take them hostage, where they all eventually become targeted by a strange parasitic creature that spores little spikes that look like splinters, and infect their victims’ bodies to the point where it controls its movements, in some twisted fashion (and I mean that literally). Storywise, there’s nothing in SPLINTER that we haven’t seen already, but it is one of the better constructed horror films this year, and despite the (spoiler alert) low death count, the film is extremely bloody. The creatures are very interesting, as they move the host bodies in ways not manageable, which calls for some freaky moments. It’s hard to describe the movements but I guess if you are a SILENT HILL fan (the videogame, not the movie) than you’ll like the look of the creature. The way it kills and feeds is very unique and doesn’t look fake. The film’s most unpleasant moment involves an amputation with a most unlikely weapon. SPLINTER is mainly shot on one location, a gas station here our human characters are trapped. The station is your typical convenience store/general store as everything that’s, well, convenient for them to survive the night is there for them. That felt a little farfetched. While the performances are above average for a film of this magnitude, the character arcs throughout aren’t, with a notable exception being Dennis admitting his main crime and his attempt at righting a wrong as well as Wagner’s strength throughout the course of the film. Paulo Costanzo is slightly miscast as Seth, slowly turning into a hero with his handy knowledge of biology though he and Wagner display good chemistry. Shea Whigham is very good as Dennis, as immediately we see in his caring for Lacey that he isn’t the bad ass he seems to be. All escaped convicts really have a heart of gold inside, don’t they? That all really doesn’t matter, as the real question posed on SPLINTER is does it deliver for horror fans? The answer is simple; yes it does and does it well. The editing gets a little lost in translation as the creatures, while moving uniquely, move in such a force that you’ll miss an impalement here and a slicing there. There are also moments of motion sickness but in this case it helps with the story, not just because it looks cool. The fact that they are done mainly with practical effects only makes it all the more effective. In all, SPLINTER is a good, dependable horror film that will appeal to fans of the genre. At an 82 minute running time, it’s short and paced well, but some will be turned off by the low cast and body count. The look of the parasites themselves with satisfy horror fans and are unique enough to launch a franchise. SPLINTER: 7 Out Of 10 Maggots
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