Review by Peter Syslo
SPLINTER (2008) is a Sci-Fi Channel original movie, which premiered this past Saturday (2/14). Everyone (myself included) busts Sci-Fi's chops for some of the movies that they show, but I am now going to put a stop to my chop-busting. Here's why: 1) SPLINTER wasn't bad at all and 2) the Sci-Fi channel is one of the only (if not the only) channel which does give these horror/sci-fi films a chance – and I do respect that. Ladies and Gentlemen, we have only a few channels dedicated to horror/sci-fi and I think that the Sci-Fi channel (also G4tv) has really “stepped up to the plate”, lately. At the very least, you have to admit that Sci-Fi does put out an interesting mix of films; some are better than others, but there is a lot of variety and the films kind of bring me back to my childhood. You know, back to the days when you could actually see a movie on the weekend (instead of the current weekend repertoire of reality show repeats, banal coverage of every sport in existence, and humanity-degrading infomercials). My point is that I am going to defend the Sci-Fi channel and I am going to talk about the fact that SPLINTER is a decent film.
SPLINTER is directed by Toby Wilkins and it is written by Kai Berry, Ian Shorr, and Wilkins. The film stars Shea Whigham, Paulo Costanzo, Jill Wagner, and Rachel Kerbs.
The premise of the film is pretty straightforward. A couple, Seth and Polly (Costanzo and Wagner), are vacationing in the woods and they decide to stay in a motel, rather than camp out in a tent. On their way to a motel, they are stopped by two criminals, Dennis and Lacey (Whigham and Kerbs), who are “on the run”. After Seth and Polly are taken captive by Dennis and Lacey, the four arrive at a nearby gas station. At first glance, it appears deserted... but it is not. They are surprised by a dead gas station attendant who appears to have some sort of infection which has animated his corpse and has caused numerous “splinters” to protrude from his skin. Plans rapidly change after Lacey is attacked by the infected corpse; Seth, Polly, and Dennis become trapped inside of the gas station. As they try to figure a way out of their predicament, the “infection” rages through anyone who comes into contact with it, and the “infection” starts to become its own deadly, monstrous entity.
SPLINTER surpassed my expectations; it is a well-made film with an interesting story and I liked the scientific explanation of it all. I won't exactly give it away, but it deals with fungus and trees that are hundreds of years old. I always like that scientific angle and I especially enjoy the character who is knowledgeable and who explains things. Seth was that character and he was well-portrayed by Constanzo. In fact, all of the characters were well-portrayed and the three who were trapped in the gas station, complimented each other very well. This is an example of good writing because each character had his/her unique skillset and identity, yet they worked even better as a team - much like Capt. Kirk, Spock, and Bones. Seth was the book-smart intellectual; Polly was the nurturing, practical, yet strong female; and Dennis was the street-wise, physical guy who happened to have a good heart. I felt that these characters were integral to the story and that is why I thought that the movie worked so well. Each character was multi-dimensional, like real people are, and they changed and adapted to the events that were occurring. Plus, you have to recognize that the film is basically a single-set, single-event film – most of it takes place inside the gas station; the good performances by the cast and the well-written characters kept the movie interesting and drove the film forward.
On the other hand, my main criticism of the film happens to be that it was mainly a single-event, single-set film. The film was good, overall, but I just wanted to see the three make it to a car and travel to a different area of town, where they would encounter more or different “infection” creatures. I really wanted to see that happen; that would have been a great addition to the story. It wasn't that the film became boring, but it was such a familiar situation (being trapped in one place by a creature, killer, etc.) that I wanted to see some change of scenery. I thought that the “splinter” infection was very unique, but the basic mechanics of the story were pretty familiar. This sounds contradictory. What I mean, is that this film did put a fresh spin on the familiar predicament, but the foundation of it was a situation that I have seen many times before. The scenario is very reminiscent of John Carpenter's THE THING or CABIN FEVER but thankfully, it was the fresh and well-written characters which drove it and gave the scenario “new life”.
Before I wrap things up, I want to take a moment to talk about the effects and the creature. The effects were very well-done and actually were pretty gory (you have a woman torn in half, in full-view, at one point). Also, I liked the fact that they used the creature sparingly, in that less-is-more fashion; it worked extremely well. But, it looked so good that I would have liked to have seen more of the creature – it was a very original look, with the splinters and the way that it moved (an odd sort of uncoordinated movement). At one point, the creature became a combination of various body parts from several victims (also reminiscent of THE THING – there is a severed hand scene which is almost a tribute to the film); it was a very cool idea for the creature and the design looked great.
Gnawing through the flesh: SPLINTER was a good film, courtesy of the Sci-Fi channel. I would like to see it on DVD, because it was edited due to language and I think that some of the gore may have been cut a little. There are familiar elements of the film and the single-event aspect of it, (which were drawbacks for me), but the overall film was well-done and it was very effective. The writing was great and the characters were well-played by all of the actors; Shea Whigham was the highlight as the complex and conflicted Dennis. The effects were great and the look of the creature was excellent. The core idea of the film (the infection) was pretty unique and it is pretty plausible. In a way, I can almost see a sequel or a franchise in this – there is a lot of “available material” in the story. If you like infection films, creature films, or if you like the films I mentioned above, then you might like it. It is pretty easy to watch, it is entertaining, it is intelligent, and the production quality is very high. Good job Sci-Fi and I give SPLINTER a 7/10.