Slither (2006)
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A small town in South Carolina faces a terrifying threat when a malevolent alien parasite begins to infect and transform its residents.
The story
A meteorite brings a malevolent, sentient extraterrestrial parasite to Earth. The parasite enters the town of Wheelsy, South Carolina, where it infects wealthy resident Grant by taking over his body and absorbing his mind. With the alien in control of him, Grant begins to transform into a grotesque, tentacled monstrosity. He also abducts and infects a local woman, Brenda, to serve as a breeder for his alien larvae. His wife Starla becomes suspicious over the changes in his appearance and behavior, leading to a confrontation. When the police arrive to rescue her, Grant flees, leaving the town in peril as the infection begins to spread.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
A meteorite brings a malevolent, sentient extraterrestrial parasite to Earth. The parasite enters the town of Wheelsy, South Carolina, where it infects wealthy resident Grant, who transforms into a tentacled monstrosity. Grant abducts a woman named Brenda to serve as a breeder for his larvae. When his wife Starla notices his alarming changes, she is attacked by him. During a police search, a posse led by Bill Pardy finds Brenda; her body is bloated with larvae that burst out, infecting nearly everyone in town except for Starla, Bill, Mayor Jack MacReady, and teenager Kylie Strutemyer. The infected become part of a hive mind controlled by Grant. The survivors realize that killing Grant will break the hive mind's control. Bill and Kylie head to Grant's home while Starla and Jack are captured. Inside the house, Starla tricks Grant into believing she loves him before stabbing him. Bill and Kylie enter, and Bill euthanizes an infected Jack. During a final confrontation, Bill attaches a tentacle to a propane tank. Starla shoots Grant, who explodes, killing the remaining aliens. The three survivors flee the decimated town. In a post-credits scene, a cat becomes infected by the parasite.
- First release year
- 2006
- Runtime (minutes)
- 95
- Production countries
- Canada; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- James Gunn
- Writers
- James Gunn · writer
- Cast and characters
- Nathan Fillion · Police Chief Bill Pardy; Elizabeth Banks · Starla Grant; Tania Saulnier · Kylie Strutemyer; Gregg Henry · Mayor Jack MacReady; Michael Rooker · Grant Grant; Brenda James · Brenda Gutierrez; Don Thompson · Wally; Jennifer Copping · Margaret
- Genres
- science fiction; comedy; horror
- Themes
- alien invasion; body horror; hive mind
- Tone and mood
- horror-comedy; slimy
- Setting
- Wheelsy, South Carolina
- Premise and plot tags
- parasite; mutation; zombie-like outbreak
- Content notes
- body horror
- Reception
- The film was a box office failure but received positive reviews from critics and has gained a cult following.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 87% · scale: percentage · review count: 141; Metacritic · score: 69 · scale: 100 · review count: 27
- Awards and nominations
- Chainsaw Award · Highest Body Count · 2006 · win; Best Feature Film of the Year · Rue Morgue · 2006 · win
- Production trivia
- The character Jack MacReady is named after characters from 'Big Trouble in Little China' and 'The Thing'.; The film's production budget was $15 million, but it failed to recoup its total costs.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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