FILMS THAT DESERVED BETTER is an ongoing feature here on The Movie Blog of movies that failed to attract an audience at the theaters and failed to perform well at the boxoffice, yet were exceptional films. We just want to give out a hardy slap on the back and say “We love ya anyway”.
In talking about Slither on one episode of The Movie Blog Uncut a few months back, Bruxy Cavey made a great observation about why some people may have not bothered with checking it out. This is what Bruxy said:
“It’s a hard movie to explain. I mean, how to you explain Slither to someone? It’s a horror movie about zombie making slugs from outter space. On it’s surface that doesn’t sound all that appealing does it?”
And Bruxy is right… Slither is a difficult one to explain, and the trailers and marketing for the film showed that. But man, I am soooo glad I decided to check it out anyway when it hit the theaters. The film sort of fits in the same category of a Shaun of the Dead. A legitimately scary (in parts anyway), yet hilarious quasi spoof of a genre film… that also just happened to work on every level imaginable.
Nathan Fillion (how often do I hype this guy up?) is the lead in the film as the police chief of a small town… but when his community is invaded by an alien being who devours and zombifies the citizen after impregnating a local girl who gives birth to thousands of his worm spwan (sseeeeee… I told you it was a tough film to describe) mayhem ensues.
This movie clicks and fires on every level. I’ve shown this movie to at least 20 people, and most of them found it very scary, and yet we also laughed the whole way through it. Just a brilliant, yet simple movie that Fillion really carries well with strong performances by his supporting cast (especially Michael Rooker as Grant/Alien Being and Gregg Henry as the towns Mayor). Without exception, not one single person I’ve shown this movie to hasn’t loved it.
So if you haven’t already seen it (and since the movie only made a disgusting $7.8 million at the box office… yes… you read that right… under $8 million despite great word of mouth and an 85% on Rotten Tomatoes, that would be most of you), get yourself out and pick this absolute treat of a movie up on DVD tonight… then thank me later.
