Director: James Gunn
Writer: James Gunn
Starring: Nathan Fillion, Elizabeth Banks, Michael Rooker
Runtime: 92 mins.
2006
I've been watching a lot of "bad movies" recently. These include Troll 2, Mystery Men, Killer Klowns from Outer Space, Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight, 500 MPH Storm, and now Slither. I'm realizing more and more that there are a million different kinds of "bad movies". Two different "bad movies" can have varying degrees of self-awareness, budget, craftsmanship, homage, scorn for the audience, fun had by all, etc. etc. So it's damaging to reduce any movie to the distinction of "bad movie" except as some sort of vague genre marker that needs to be elaborated on.
Slither is a bad movie only in that it is a send-up of classic schlocky horror. Despite the structural similarities and nods to genre tropes and horror standbys, Gunn's film is a hilarious, intelligent commentary on gender roles and the culture of smalltown America, complete with deft acting, pacing, camerawork, and effects. I like it a lot.
