Customer Reviews

Splinter

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(37)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Admittedly, my expectations when it comes to modern independent horror are pretty limited. For the most part, films go for cheese and splatter with loads of lame humor. I called these films lazy in a recent review, as they trade genuine suspense for a quick chuckle every time. Making an intentionally bad movie must be much easier than attempting something that genuinely draws the audience in. So when I checked out Toby Wilkins' "Splinter" on a lark, I was pleasantly surprised. "Splinter" is a taut, fast-paced and nasty little thriller that works as solid entertainment.

A jolty, kinetic little creature feature--the tone and pacing of "Splinter" recalls other (perhaps more sophisticated films) with its quick and jagged editing, but it works well here. The creature in question is a spiky parasite that kills its prey and then uses the bodies to maneuver around in a grisly spectacle of attack. It's an interesting and unsettling visual to see the carcasses bent, broken, altered, and taken over. The violence and settings are played for "real," with characters you come to know and respect. That, to me, was the real selling point of "Splinter." It set up character types at the beginning, but through nice performances and an attention to dialogue in the script--these individuals break through as real protagonists that you want to see succeed.

This genuine respect for the characters (and thankfully, they're not just idiots) is what brings the suspense to life. The film is short, brutal, sometimes unexpected and it works brilliantly on its own terms. In a world where independent horror can be painful--I felt that this little film was a nice diversion. I may not remember the film several months down the line, but I enjoyed the nasty ride now. With reasonable expectations, "Splinter" just might surprise you too. KGHarris, 11/08.

I was able to check this out as a sneak peak in my own home tonight and I will say 'Splinter' is a pretty solid interesting horror film! The film is a cross breed with touches of The Thing(remake), The Blob and 28 days! Gorehounds will like this film as it pulls no punches when it comes to graphic deaths and dismemberment, but the story will keep old fashioned horror fans interested too!

The film is short and fast paced, but the characters are fairly believable and you care about them....so important to any horror film! The film begins with an attack on a gas station attendant by an unknown "critter" with a lot of spikes(or "Splinters"..if you will)sticking out of it. I don't usually like to tell a whole lot about a film and prefer to let the viewer see things unfold on their own. The best part of the movie is finding out what these critters are or who?! I don't know if you want to spend your money seeing this in the theater as it is only around an hour and 15 minutes long, but I know I will be looking to buy this film when it becomes available on DVD.....when the price in right! ;-b

I seldom expect much from an indie horror movie so I'm not usually disappointed when it turns out to be so bad it's bad. "Splinter" is one of those very rare exceptions: a good story and even better script, good direction, and excellent acting by people I had never heard of. Shea Wigham is the real standout, as the escaped con with some real humanity and courage. You will actually care about these characters, and what this parasite does to its victims is genuinely horrifying. Too bad it's so short, but until the DVD comes out, I'm settling for watching it on the Sci-Fi Channel every time it runs.

I have to say I was surprised at how entertained I was by "Splinter". I was expecting a goofy CGI creature fest, but actually found "Splinter" to be a cut above the usual B-Movie found in the Blockbuster bargain bin.

The basic storyline is that a vacationing couple is taken hostage by a man and woman on the run. Unfortunately, they decide to stop off and get gas where a murderous "thing" has taken up residence.

What really drives "Splinter" are the characters, particularly Jill Wagner's performance as the female hostage Polly. Her character is strong and likable in a way not usually found in this type of film. Instead of over-the-top, she has a realistic toughness that you can't help but cheer for. Shea Whigham's con-on-the-run Dennis Farell is another great character. As the story plays out, you actually see both characters evolve and grow without being forced or played out in a cartoonish manner.

"Splinter" also features some great special effects. The CGI is present, but it's not overwhelming, and the basic effects are still old school latex and red goop, which is a nice change of pace in this day and age.

If you are looking for something a little different, but still want the chills and thrills associated with a good B-Movie creature feature, then give "Splinter" a shot.

You always have to go the independent route it seems to find the more interesting horror films. If you were to judge from the opening moments of Splinter you might not make it through the film. The opening as it is involves visually what looks like a man being violated by a badger. Then you get into the main character story of actors that fall straight into their cliches from the nerdy scientist boyfriend played by Paulo Costanzo, his tough wilderness oriented girlfriend, and the hardened criminal who takes them hostage with his drug addled girlfriend. The cons spend too much time dropping the f-bomb and the film doesn't work.
Until everyone gets to the gas station and gets trapped inside the tight little set of a rural gas station with a creature outside fighting them to get in. The director Toby Wilkins in my opinion has made an amazingly tense little creature feature with an interesting monster in the form of parasitic splinters that take over the bodies of creatures they inhabit. The film as it is is intense survival horror with characters fighting to survive compounded by things like bodies that might not be dead and a lack of help. I liked the idea of a single set which is used to great effect by Wilkins and all the actors do good at never becoming annoying, especially Shea Whigam, a character actor who makes a good hero in the escaped convict. If theres one complaint against the movie it would be in the use of shaky combat cam. I can understand why its used here and thankfully its done better than in the recent Pandorum hiding problems with visual effects but the jerky editing and images still aren't a favorite film aspect of mine as I like to sometimes see what I'm supposed to be afraid of.
Still the movies a lot of fun for those who enter with the right expectations. Theres some gore, some violence but a lot of suspense that should have it. For the DVD Magnolia again steps forward and delivers a good disc with featurettes on aspects of the film, a making of that is disappointingly short and an engaging commentary from the director and cast.
I liked the film quiet a bit and recommend it for those seeking out something differnt than the normal studio horror film.

This movie deserves any praise it gets and certainly deserves more recognition than it has received. The characters are well developed and you find yourself actually giving a damn about them which is a rare thing for movies these days let alone horror movies which are usually just blood and guts torture porn with little plot other than the blood splattering the camera lens. The monster was very well done especially considering the budget this movie had to work with which just goes to show that sometimes a little creativity and imagination can meet and even surpass those films with much higher budgets to work with. Also, when it comes to the victims of the monster in this movie the effects were bone chilling.. or actually.. bone snapping and brutal and again surpassed expectations considering the budget. This film is a must have for any fan of horror as so much of it was just done right.

Usually do not get to horror that often, but this title was given such a miserable release slate, no one got to see it around here. But Magnet titles are almost a must see for customers now (Let the Right One In and Timecrimes especially) and once again they provided a nice little (and overlooked) independent.

A simple enough story of good and bad souls unwittingly brought together in a remote region, then subjected to some nasty creatures while taking refuge in a gas station. There are the flurry of moments where the characters drivel on and plan dumb things, but Shea Wigham (from all the way back in Tigerland) has a great screen presence and really holds this together. A few guys asking about this new hot gal (most recognized from the Blade series) in Jill Wagner, who manages not to be the irritating-useless-screaming victim. Jittery cameras, fun looking critters/zombies (very reminiscent of the Thing creatures) , and plenty of blood to go around make this a fun title.

The picture and sound were great. The 5.1 DTS gets used mostly when the critters do their little cricket sounds. The picture clarity was outstanding for an independent film and came across superbly for Blu. There were lots of chances for this to go bad with all of the moving spikes/spines and night footage, but they did well. There were plenty of prop flubs and unanswered questions but once you watch the plethora of short supplements, one realizes what a challenge it can be to make a film like this. The featurettes include material on the special effects, creatures, weather, props, and even a how to on making a Splinter pumpkin (courtesy of the extrovert Ms. Wagner).

A worthwhile purchase for the creature fans out there, and the lower list price doesn't hurt either.

I happened to hear about this movie through word of mouth. As a horror movie buff I try to keep up with everything new and worthwhile. Because I hadn't heard of this film before, I reluctantly rented it thinking it would be a real stinkeroo. I was pleasantly surprised. It was good, very good for a small budget horror flick. It was original, suspenseful, and harrowing, but, released in 2008, why had I never heard of this film before?

I did a little investigating and discovered this film won 6 awards at the SCREAMFEST HORROR FILM FESTIVAL, and was nominated for BEST HORROR FILM at the 35th annual SATURN AWARDS. So, why hadn't I heard of this film before?

I did a little more investigating. Whats most scary about this movie is that according to BOX OFFICE MOGO, SPLINTER's widest theatrical release was 4 theaters domestically. 4 THEATERS. F O U R, with virtually no advertising. Clearly SLINTER's distributors (MAGNOLIA PICTURES and MAGNET RELEASING)blew it.

Writer/Director Toby Wilkins has created a great original horror film on the order of QUARANTINE, THE DESCENT, or THE RUINS. Unfortunately this taut independent horror film only earned about $124,191 worldwide, probably because NOBODY KNEW ABOUT IT. WTF?

To give you an idea of how bad this film got screwed, THE UNBORN, another horror movie released this year(though not as good as SPLINTER), was released into 2,359 theaters domestically and earned about 75 million worldwide. I say again; Clearly SLINTER's distributors (MAGNOLIA PICTURES and MAGNET RELEASING)blew it.

This is a great object lesson for all you fledgling filmmakers out there; always secure disribution, and make sure the distributor will advertise and give your film a fair release, AND GET IT IN WRITING.

I have to say that Splinter was quite a good film. Could have done with being 10-20 mins longer, but it was a very good and fairly original premise. When I say 'original' I mean it gets away from what is the new 'torture' genre that seems to be flooding the film industry. It has a nice story that is character driven and despite some really minor flaws I thought it was terrific. Some superb gore scenes and having the majority set in a petrol station added to the tension, similarly to Night of the Living Dead. Some elements of The Thing are thrown in too and it makes for a thoroughly satisfying movie. When a young couple is carjacked by an escaped inmate and his lover on the highway road, they eventually end up in a gas station where they get attacked by a parasite. A parasite that infects a host and controls their body. It is very much like a combination of The Thing and The Mist on a smaller scale. Plus, Splinter is quite a little B-movie gem because of it's terrific actors that are believable and it has a very character driven story. You actually care about these people and want them to find a way to survive. Most of the effects were great and have a gritty rawness that isn't so apparent nowadays. I would have liked to see the creatures in a bit more detail but that is part of the movie magic and mystery. Toby Wilkins, who won awards for his short film Staring At The Sun makes his feature directorial debut with Splinter and in my opinion he has done a terrific job, he's definitely a director to watch out for. The setting was nice and claustrophobic and had an intense atmosphere, there were also some jump out moments and the ending was okay, highly recommended for horror fans out there.

SPLINTER is an exciting new take on the NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD scenario, where a group of strangers are forced to defend themselves from an onslaught of deadly creatures by holing up in a remote gas station. The offender this round is a carnivorous fungus that spreads by forming deadly barbs that infect living hosts, bonding with them and turning them into bloodthirsty killers! These infected creatures are truly terrifying, retaining their human form but in twisted and mangled forms that use their broken and contorted limbs as weapons. In the spirit of John Carpenter's THE THING, Toby Wilkins infuses the film with adrenaline-pumping thrills and impressive creature designs to keep audiences on the edge of their seats. In addition to the painful bone-snapping and bloody special effects, SPLINTER also includes a nauseating amputation sequence that can't help but get a reaction. This is one of the few recent creature-features to put a unique twist on familiar genre conventions, with bloody results!

-Carl Manes
I Like Horror Movies