Splinter Movie Review

Yesterday I was traversing the horror collection on Netflix and came across an interesting film from 2008 named Splinter. After reading some very positive comments from horror fans I decided to check it out!


Splinter is a creature feature/SciFi horror, directed by Toby Wilkins, which unfortunately skipped a theatrical release, instead going straight to DVD. I know your probably rolling your eyes but stay with me on this as Splinter is a surprisingly entertaining little gem.

The film is primarily set in the single location of a small gas station in Oklahoma, US. A young romantic couple (Seth, Polly) are trying to find a motel after their unsuccessful camping attempt. Meanwhile an escaped convict and his partner (Dennis, Lacey) are on the run needing a vehicle. Seth and Polly are soon hijacked and kept hostage by Dennis and his drugged girlfriend. Before long the couples are forced to stop at a seemingly empty gas station. To her horror, Lacey finds a half dead man in the restrooms, begging to to killed. The man's limbs grossly distorted and strange "spines" protruding from his skin. Dennis, believing its the drugs talking, dismisses her before Lacey is viciously attacked by the now feral man (if you can call him human). Just minutes after, Lacey's corpse begins to move, eventually splicing itself with the other creature. Now with the remaining three trapped inside the gas station, the group must figure out what the hell the thing is and most importantly, how to escape!

Considering this is a low budget release, the effects are great, with plenty of gore to keep those gorehounds happy! The cast also do a fantastic job, with good character development early in the film and some interesting character dynamics amongst the group. There are clearly some nods to John Carpenter's The Thing and even the Re-animator, with themes of assimilation and resurrecting corpses. The origins of the creature, (first seen in the opening of the film), are never explained, this may frustrate some viewers, though personally I much prefer it that way. My only complaints with the film are that it doesn't really deliver when it comes to outright scares, though some of the more gruesome scenes did force me to look away! Also some of the more action focused scenes revealing the creature, relied a little too heavily on "Shaky cam", making it a little hard to distinguish what was happening at times.

Overall though, I found Splinter a thoroughly entertaining film. If you like your creature features and gore, then this is definitely for you!

4/5