Splinter - Horror Movie Review

Just watched this film recently and thought it was great and rather gory too...excellent!

Now this film follows all the modern cliches of infected viruses and such, but it puts a great and unique spin on the splinter creature, as they look twisted and horrible looking things when people get infected.

Now the story starts and begins at a gas station were a gas employee bored out of his head eats a packet of crisps and you just know somethings going to happen to him and in true horror film style he has been bitten and infected by this splinter thing creature, which at this point, you hardly know anything about the creatures appearance, as it was an infected dog of some kind, suspiciously called Ginger.

Then the characters are introduced and quite refreshingly there are limited cast members as that would make it totally cliche to try and guess who was going to get killed all the way through the film and so there's a couple who are just going camping for the weekend, but the bloke couldn't get it up(er...the tent!) so they go in search of a motel, but are then flagged down by another couple who are on the run from the law and they hijack their car and take them hostage.

Along the way they run over Ginger(The infected mutt!) and stop to change a tyre, there's the usual stares at the infected dog saying "what is it?" and all that stuff and then they eventually arrive at the gas station were they are attacked by the gas man(yep...it's a gas!) and so they end up trapped in the shop in the gas station, trying to fend off this horrible beasty.

There are some very good moments of genuine horror here and one most notable when this guys arm becomes infected and his fingers and elbow snaps and contorts like some kind of happy contortionist at a circus and the two other survivors have to cut off his arm...nice!

The creature effects are really unique and a step up from that 80's classic The Thing, as the black splinter like spikes you just simple don't want to go near them and the movies director makes you have that fear.

But what horror film would be complete without a dopey police officer, there's like rotten looking blood all over the door of the gas station shop and the others telling her it's not safe outside, but will she listen? no...oh well bye bye stupid copper!

I liked the ending, because it makes a change from all the doom and gloom of other horror films that just want to scare the audience and leave them depressed with a mediocre finish and the main characters went through a change which was nice to see, like the nerdy guy becomes a hero and the on the run fugitive who starts off being a total dick becomes a hero too.

All in all this was a fun horror film that racked up some tension along the way and the best thing about it was my Mrs don't like horror films so I got over an hour and a half bit of time away from her...bonus!