Slither (2006 film)
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| Slither | |
|---|---|
 Official Poster for Slither |
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| Directed by | James Gunn |
| Produced by | Paul Brooks Eric Newman |
| Written by | James Gunn |
| Starring | Nathan Fillion Elizabeth Banks Michael Rooker Gregg Henry Tania Saulnier Brenda James Don Thompson Jenna Fischer |
| Music by | Tyler Bates |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures Gold Circle Films TVA Films |
| Release date(s) | March 31, 2006 |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $29.5 million[1] |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Slither is a 2006 horror-comedy film by Universal, written and directed by James Gunn, and starring Nathan Fillion, Elizabeth Banks, Michael Rooker, Gregg Henry, Tania Saulnier and Jenna Fischer, and was produced by Paul Brooks and Eric Newman. Slither was James Gunn's directorial debut, and was influenced by classic alien invasion films such as The Thing and Night of the Creeps.[2][3][4]
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Grant Grant (Michael Rooker) is infected by a malevolent extraterrestrial creature that threatens to destroy the human race. Soon, unusual things begin to happen within the normally peaceful town of Wheelsy. Pets go missing, followed by livestock, and finally people, with all of it leading back to Grant. As Grant slowly mutates into a hideous creature, his wife Starla (Elizabeth Banks) begins to notice her husband's behavior and physical changes. Wheelsy's citizens are infected by the alien parasite plague, which is transforming them into zombies. The zombies are being controlled through a hive mind relationship with Grant. A small group of survivors led by the town's sheriff, Bill Pardy (Nathan Fillion), try to prevent the parasites from spreading. When the heroes discover the zombies can be traced back to Grant, they realize they need to kill him. In a desperate attack, the survivors manage to blow up the Grant monster, killing the zombies as well. An after-credit sequence shows Grant's remains infecting a cat.
[edit] Background and production
Gunn was said to be influenced by the wave of graphically violent horror B-movies of the 1970s and 1980s, largely created by such directors as John Carpenter, Lloyd Kaufman, David Cronenberg, Stuart Gordon and Fred Dekker.[citation needed] Among these is Fred Dekker's Night of the Creeps.[2][3][4] Both films feature plagues of small parasitic worms which come to Earth in a meteorite. In both films the worms enter people via their mouths and transform their hosts into zombies. During the climax of each film, the heroes use flammable gas as a weapon, creating an explosion which finally destroys the alien menace. At the end of both films, a small surviving piece of the alien attaches itself to a domestic pet.[citation needed] Slither also pays homage to the studio Troma Films, where Gunn began his career. Troma co-founder Lloyd Kaufman has a cameo as a "Sad Drunk", and one scene includes a clip from the Troma film The Toxic Avenger.
[edit] Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Elizabeth Banks | Starla Grant |
| Nathan Fillion | Bill Pardy |
| Michael Rooker | Grant Grant |
| Gregg Henry | Jack MacReady |
| Tania Saulnier | Kylie Strutemyer |
| Jenna Fischer | Shelby Cunningham |
| Brenda James | Brenda Gutierrez |
| Don Thompson | Wally Whale |
[edit] Distribution
Slither was released on regular DVD and on HD DVD / DVD hybrid disc on October 24, 2006.[5]. The HD version is presented in 1.85:1 widescreen encoded at 1080p and Dolby Digital-Plus 5.1 surround. Guest critic Michael Phillips named Slither his DVD pick of the week on the television show Ebert & Roeper. The DVD opened at #8 in sales and #15 in rentals, grossing $3,389,405[6](sales) and $2.08 million[7] (rentals) in its opening week. The DVD total Rental gross reached $11.1 million [8] and total DVD sales were $4,541,528[9] as of 11/05/2006. Slither was listed as one of the “Top 25 DVDs of the Year” by Peter Travers in Rolling Stone magazine.[10]
In addition to the film, the DVD contains two making-of documentaries, one being solely dedicated to the visual effects. The DVD also contains deleted and extended scenes, a blooper reel, visual effects progressions, a set tour with Nathan Fillion, and audio commentary by James Gunn and Nathan Fillion. Also included are featurettes outlining how to make edible blood, and Lloyd Kaufman's documentary discussing his day on set, and the shooting of his one line (which was eventually cut from the film). Finally, there is an added bonus entitled "Who Is Bill Pardy?" which is a joke feature made by Gunn with the sole purpose of roasting Nathan Fillion, and was shown at the film's wrap party.[11]
[edit] Reception
[edit] Box office performance
Slither debuted in the United States and Canada on March 31, 2006 in 1,945 theaters. In its opening weekend, the film grossed only $3,880,270 and ranked #8 at the U.S. and Canadian box office.[1] Slither grossed a low $7,802,450 in its theatrical run in the United States and Canada.[12] Slither also underperformed in France, grossing $236,261 from 150 screens.[13] The film grossed $5,032,486 as of February 6, 2008 in territories outside the United States and Canada for a worldwide gross of $12,834,936.[12] Its box office performance was substantially less than its total budget of $29.5 million, including marketing costs;[1] the production budget taking up about $15 million of the total.[14] Paul Brooks, president of Slither's production company, Gold Circle Films, said the company was "crushingly disappointed" by the haul.[1] Universal Pictures distanced itself from the Slither's poor box office performance, citing their distribution of the film as merely part of a deal with Gold Circle Films.[15] The Hollywood Reporter speculated that Slither's performance "might have killed off the horror-comedy genre for the near future."[1] Producer Paul Brooks offered this explanation about why Slither failed to catch on with movie-goers:
| “ | I think that because it was comedy-horror instead of pure horror is where the problem lay. It's the first comedy-horror in a long time, and maybe the marketplace just isn't ready for comedy-horror yet. It's difficult to think of other explanations.[1] | ” |
[edit] Critical reception
Film review website Rotten Tomatoes, which calculates the consensus of critics across the United States, found that "Slither" was generally embraced favorably by critics,[16] with a rating of "84% fresh".[17] The movie was also featured in the April 14, 2006 issue of Entertainment Weekly as #1 on "The Must List"; "Ten Things We Love This Week".[18] Slither picked up the 2006 Fangoria "Chainsaw Award" for the Highest Body Count, and garnered nominations in the categories of Relationship From Hell, Dude You Don't Wanna Mess With, and Looks That Kill.[19] Additionally, the horror magazine Rue Morgue named Slither the “Best Feature Film of the Year,” a title bestowed on the film by the magazine’s messageboard community as well.[20] Among the critics who did not like the film, Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper gave Slither a "two thumbs down" rating on their television show, with Richard Roeper saying he was "all zombied out" after reviewing a wave of zombie-themed movies from the year before.[21]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f Borys Kit. "'Slither' leaves gloomy trail", Hollywood Reporter, 2006-04-05. Retrieved on 2007-09-21.
- ^ a b Slither (2006) - Reviews - Movies.com
- ^ a b DVD Talk Review: Slither
- ^ a b Film Reviews & Movie Showtimes | 'Slither'
- ^ Slither oozes to HD DVD This October.
- ^ DVD sales as of 10/29/2006
- ^ USA DVD Rentals: 29 October 2006
- ^ USA DVD Rentals: 24 December 2006
- ^ DVD sales as of 11/05/2006
- ^ Travers, Peter. "Best 25 DVDs", ROLLING STONE, November 30, 2006.
- ^ jamesgunn.com.
- ^ a b Slither (2006). Box Office Mojo. Retrieved on 2008-02-23.
- ^ Conor Bresnan. "Around the World Roundup: 'Ice Age' Spans Four Weeks, Tops $300M", Box Office Mojo, 2006-04-24. Retrieved on 2007-09-21.
- ^ Slither (2006)
- ^ Brandon Gray. "'Ice Age 2' Hot, 'Basic Instinct 2' Not", Box Office Mojo, 2006-04-03. Retrieved on 2007-09-24.
- ^ ROTTEN TOMATOES: 8th Annual Golden Tomato Awards
- ^ Slither - Movie Reviews, Trailers, Pictures - Rotten Tomatoes
- ^ The Must List: April 14, 2006 | Must List | News + Notes | Entertainment Weekly
- ^ Chainsaw Awards - Nominees
- ^ "R.I.P. 2006 The Year in Review", RUE MORGUE, Jan/Feb 2007.
- ^ Reviews from the Weekend of April 1–April 2, 2006. Ebert & Roeper, from movies.com.
