Splinter

Toby Wilkins
2008

Another solid direct-to-Ondemand horror flick that boasts a pleasantly creepy premise, above average character development, and superb creature effects. What begins as a hostage story, in which a young couple is accosted by a wanted criminal and his junkie girlfriend, turns to Bedlam when a parasitic organism begins assimilating it's hosts to grisly ends. To the film's benefit, no effort is taken to explain the origin of the malevolent beastie, instead focusing on the dire life-or-death situation the two couples are thrust into. The parasite propagates itself through spines (or splinters) that protrude from the host's skin in search of fresh live meat. It's no surprise then that the obvious precedent for this film is John Carpenter's masterpiece "The Thing" (1982), and the real highlight here comes from the monster, essentially an amalgamated flesh beast, making a mockery of skin and bone in it's gruesome makeshift vehicle. The survival horror chops aren't quite cliche, but they're not exactly fresh either, same goes for the character development, but then again, that's not necessarily the point of this kind of picture. The practical effects are above reproach with some sickening bone snapping, blood spray, and macabre assimilation of meat. Because these effects are handled so well it's a shame that the director chose to mask them with obnoxiously quick cutting and an even more distasteful shaky-camera. It's clear that "Splinter's" monster could stand up on it's own before the cameras without resorting to such an unconfident approach.