Slither is regarded as something of a cult classic. Horror was in something of a rough patch when Slither was first released, and if we're looking at all time great horror films there aren't a huge number of them coming from the early 2000's, especially in comparison to the 1980s, or even the resurgence in truly well crafted horror that we've seen in the last several years. However, Slither managed to make a mark for itself despite a first-time director, one lead best known for a cancelled TV series and another who was still on the rise, and being a commercial failure. Now, 20 years later it's become a beloved horror film, and is receiving a new Limited Edition 4K UHD release.
Slither tells the story of Wheelsy, a small South Carolina town where residents live quite lives, where the chief of police naps in his car and helps school kids cross the road outside of school. This peace is shattered, however, when a meteorite crashes in the forest outside of town, bringing with it a malevolent parasitic alien lifeform. The parasite soon infects wealthy local resident Grant (Michael Rooker), who begins a terrifying metamorphosis, devouring raw meat as his body changes from the inside out.
When Grant abducts a woman in town it launches a manhunt for him that sees his wife, Starla (Elizabeth Banks) helping police chief Bill (Nathan Fillion) to track down her mutated husband. However, when Grant unleashes hundreds of parasitic slugs upon the town that infect the residents, turning them into monstrous zombie-like creatures, Bill and Starla must find a way of stopping the infection before it leaves Wheelsy and takes over the entire world.
I haven't watched Slither since it first came out, but always remembers it fondly, liking the way the film combined the horror genre with comedy, and managing to deliver a film that felt somewhat original and interesting at a time when the genre was failing to do so. Re-watching Slither for this release, I realised that whilst I remembered the core story and the flavour of the film I'd forgotten a great deal of it, and it was almost like watching it for the first time all over again.
I was somewhat surprised with how short the film is, and it's a movie that uses it's runtime well, moving from plot point to plot point with little waste. The downside to this, however, is that the film felt like it came to a conclusion pretty fast, and I'd have been happy with another half hour of runtime if it meant a slightly slower pace, more chance to get to know the characters, and a few more set pieces once the alien slugs entered the story.
Despite the brevity of the film it managed to still be very entertaining, and I feel that it's aged pretty well for a film of the era. The effects work is mostly practical, and the CGI that's used is done so in a way that it doesn't stand out at particularly bad; I've seen much more recent films that have worse effects work than this. I also don't remember it including any particularly awful early 2000's 'humour' that would be considered badly aged by todays standards, such as including ableist or homophobic slurs. This might seem like a strange detail to mention, but going back and watching older film and television today does on occasion end up with particularly awful moments like that.
When I first watched Slither I was only really aware of the work of Nathan Fillion out of the main cast, and whilst I was a fan of his work my appreciation of his acting has definitely increased over the years, and it was lovely to go back and see an earlier starring role of his. Since first seeing the film I've also come to enjoy Elizabeth Banks' work, really like Michael Rooker, and now recognise Jenna Fischer from her time on The Office and got excited to see her in a small role here.
Unfortunately, I wasn't given access to the full release version, and was only able to watch the new HD version of the film, and as such cannot speak to the quality of the extra features that are included. The new release comes with brand new interviews with Director of Photography Gregory Middleton, Editor John Axelrad, Special Make-up Effects Designer Todd Masters, and Composer Tyler. There's also an older interview with Director James Gunn, some behind the scenes featurettes, a blooper reel, a set tour with Nathan Fillion, and deleted scenes.
Despite my hazy memory of Slither it was fun to get the chance to see it again. I found it to be a pretty short but sweet movie, one that manages to combine body horror and comedy in such a way that you never know what's coming next, and whether you should laugh or be frightened. Having followed the careers of the cast and director over the years and coming to like their work it does feel strange to go back and see an early project with them, but you can definitely see how they would go on to become hugely popular names. Whether you're rediscovering Slither like me, have been a long time fan, or are experiencing it for the first time, this new release is a great watch.
Slither 20th Anniversary Limited Edition 4K UHD Steelbook is available now.
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