Quietly but industriously, Troma graduate James Gunn has been carving out a career for himself as a genre specialist. After directing 2000's irreverent superhero romp The Specials and scripting the Dawn of the Dead remake, Gunn now takes another step up with Slither, an old-school monster movie that affords this creative a bigger effects budget while preserving the lo-fi craftsmanship that distinguished his earlier work. The small hunting town of Wheelsy, South Carolina is thrown into disarray after local bigshot Grant Grant (Michael Rooker) gets bitten by an alien-worm-type-thing, giving him a taste for raw meat while unleashing a plague of sentient slugs on the community; it's down to Grant's trophy wife Starla (Elizabeth Banks) and an out-of-his-depth sheriff (Nathan Fillion) to restore order. Gunn's screenplay builds nicely, playing witty riffs on the business of extraterrestrial penetration while providing plentiful opportunities for a game ensemble cast to shine: Banks, a hugely underrated comedienne, gets a long-deserved leading role, and there's a very funny turn from Gregg Henry as the town's pottymouthed mayor. Even Fillion, the lunkish hero of last year's Serenity, demonstrates a laidback charm that sits perfectly in tune with proceedings. Not quite in the Tremors league, but creditably icky fun nonetheless.
(April 2006)
Slither screens on Channel 4 this Friday at 11.40pm.
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