Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Splinter Blu-ray Movie Review

Or, Night of the Living Porcu-Zombies

Reviewed by Casey Broadwater July 29, 2009

David Cronenberg’s grisly anatomical fascinations may have popularized “body horror,” but the sub- genre can be traced back to Tod Browning’s Freaks, if not further, and its influences can be seen in a number of creature features from the 1950’s, where radiation or some other devious force perversely alters organic tissue. There’s perhaps nothing more frightening than the prospect of our bodies in revolt. Cancer—that cellular mutineer—is the obvious analogy, but horror films have taken the idea of insidious, irrepressible mutation and used it to prey on our basest fears. Vampires and zombies were notably once human, and it’s curious that the process of transformation is spurred on in both cases by a bite—a transfer of bodily fluids, of bacteria, or a virus. Even though modern science has completely removed the mystery behind how diseases spread, we’re still terrified by how damnably uncontrollable germs can be. Splinter is the latest addition to the canon of biological horror movies, and though it’s outclassed by films like 28 Days Later, it manages to overcome its low-budget pedigree and deliver a short but memorable experience that might just get under your skin.

Jill "Blood Beard" Wagner

I’ll confess that before I saw the film, I was under the assumption that it was about some sort of rabid, virus-ridden porcupine. It’s a laughable premise, sure, but not outside the desperate realm of low-budget horror possibility. And the opening sequence—with a gas station attendant getting mauled by a vicious, prickly rodent—did little to assuage my fears. For the first fifteen minutes I was sure Splinter was going to be a Critters clone, and although the film does crib liberally from a pantheon of better horror movies—I’m not counting Critters among them—I was surprised and even a little impressed by director Toby Wilkins’ ultimate vision. In today’s CGI-dependant industry, Splinter is a bit of a horror throwback, a brisk and macabre creature feature that relies almost entirely on practical effects.

The film opens with Seth (Paulo Costanzo) and Polly (Jill Wagner), a happy couple, driving out into the countryside in their SUV, hoping for an anniversary weekend of lovemaking under the stars, and setting us up for what we think will be another “creature attacks campers” style horror film. Splinter overturns that convention quickly, however, when the two lovebirds are carjacked by a cowboy-ish ex-con named Dennis (Shea Whigham) and his meth-addled girlfriend Lacey (Rachel Kerbs). After hitting a strangely spiny and malformed animal, the SUV’s radiator springs a leak and the two couples stop at a gas station to buy some coolant. When Lacey goes to the bathroom to shoot up, she discovers the mangled gas station attendant, now bristling with long black needles and convulsing with herky-jerky, bone-cracking throes. The attendant attacks her, piercing her with his spiky appendages, and she goes down for the count before being revived as a prickly, zombified monstrosity. Seth, Polly, and Dennis hole up in the gas station while the thing hobbles around outside, trying desperately to find a way in.

In fact, Splinter owes much of its existence to John Carpenter’s The Thing, the progenitor that spawned the film’s species-hopping, human-puppeteering organism. Just substitute the wavy black tendrils of Carpenter’s alien with rigid spikes and you have the creature from Splinter. And just as The Thing represents the pinnacle of practical horror effects, Splinter carries on in that tradition by eschewing CGI for a rubber-suited baddie and in-camera trickery. While its concept is definitely derivative, Splinter makes it work. The fleshy creature staggers around jerkily like an undead denizen of Silent Hill and, unlike a CG creation, it has a physical, tangible presence that makes it all the more frightening. Unfortunately, director Toby Wilkin’s Paul Greengrass and Bourne Identity-influenced cinematography never lets us get a lingering look at the monster. Whether this is a stylistic choice, a way to hide make-up deficiencies, or a bit of both, the end effect is a little disappointing. While less is usually more when it comes to showing monsters in horror films, Splinter takes that dictum a hair too far, never giving us a full body shot, so to speak. Still, there’s gore-o- plenty for the discerning cinematic bloodhound, and Splinter features a nauseating arm severing sequence as well as one of the most brutal bone-breakings in recent memory.

Thankfully, the gore is backed up by a decent story arc that, while never reaching for original material, is at least more intelligent and intelligible than half of what passes for horror these days. In fact, the whole experience is rather streamlined and to-the-point. There are no pauses in the action for gratuitous sex, no teenage partying or drunken stupidity. These characters have their heads on strait—no one goes wandering out into the dark alone—and I appreciate the maturity that writers Kai Berry and Ian Shorr have brought to the script. There are a handful of ridiculous plot devices—the most inane involving a thermometer and bags of ice—but this is otherwise a tight, low-budget thriller with better-than-expected acting. Shea Whigham (Fast and Furious) gives the standout performance here, as a macho ex-con with a tender side. Throughout the story, his character peels onion-like, and the man we thought we had a grasp on at the beginning of the film is certainly different by the end. Paulo Costanzo’s (Road Trip) geeky PhD candidate Seth goes through a similar transformation, from a biologist who is basically afraid of the outdoors, to a fast and capable thinker. Female lead Jill Wagner—best known as the “Mercury Chick” after a series of commercials for Lincoln-Mercury cars—is nobody’s scream queen, and her Polly proves quite capable of taking care of herself.

While Splinter is no innovator—it even borrows Ash's skittering severed hand from Evil Dead II—it is a fairly well constructed bit of bodily horror that surpasses most of its low-budget brethren.

Splinter Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Splinter was shot on HD video and its 1080p, VC-1 encoded transfer consistently exhibits the best traits of the medium. When I say "HD video" I mean high-quality HD video, not the consumer-grade cameras that were used to film, say, Soderbergh's Bubble or David Lynch's Inland Empire. Splinter features a sharp, well-detailed image and an appreciable sense of depth for such a low-budget title. Colors aren't the strongest under the buzzing fluorescent lights in the gas station, but they are stable and rarely ever look washed-out or thin. Blood is particularly impressive, with a deep crimson tone that is perhaps more disgusting than it is realistic. Black levels could be a smidge darker at times, but for most of the film they're actually impressive, giving the film a strong, but never too hot sense of contrast. Most surprisingly, I was wowed by the lack of digital noise, not only during averagely lit scenes, but even in the darkest nighttime sequences. Compression issues like macroblocking and banding are also absent entirely. While most films of this ilk revel in a kind of gritty ugliness, I was actually pleased by Splinter's sharp and clean look.

Splinter Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Splinter's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is also better than its budget would seemingly dictate. Like most modern horror films, the surround channels are frequently active with menacing skitters, the nearly electric-sounding drone of insects, and the occasional LFE-accompanied stab to send you lurching out of your seat. The sense of ambience is great, and even the quieter stretches of the film feature small, tension-building sounds. While there aren't many discrete panning or tracking effects, the ones that are present move smoothly and convincingly. Elia Cmiral's score is appropriately tense, and the whole audio experience of the film quakes with a low-end heft that you wouldn't necessarily expect. Finally, dialogue is clear and well articulated, aside from a few mumbled and drawled lines by Shea Whigham. Overall, this track may lack the powerhouse dynamics and zip of bigger productions, but it more than adequately serves Splinter's cramped claustrophobia.

Splinter Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Commentary with Director Toby Wilkins and Actors Shea Whigham, Paulo Costanzo, and Jill Wagner
While the participants seem to get along well together, and while they talk near constantly, I just couldn't get into this commentary track, perhaps because they seem to be taking the film way too seriously at times. Otherwise, this is a fairly standard chat about working conditions, characterization, and the trials and tribulations of low-budget shoots.

Commentary with Director Toby Wilkins, Director of Photography Nelson Cragg, and Editor David Michael Maurer
Naturally, this track is the more technically oriented of the two, and it features lots of discussion about filming digitally, the shaky-cam cinematography, and plenty of procedural, nuts-and-bolts style details. There is some minor overlap between the two tracks, but honestly not much. Once again, though, this track never really held my attention, though your mileage may inevitably vary.

The Splinter Creature (SD, 4:07)
I'll get this out of the way up front. I'm not sure why the producers of the Blu-ray disc didn't just edit all of these small featurettes into one "Making Of" style supplement. Is it because the back of the case looks more impressive with so many features listed? Perhaps. Anyway, rant over. In this segment, director Toby Wilkins talks about his initial conceptions for the creature's design and there's some behind-the-scenes footage of the practical effects crew at work and man-in-the- monster gymnast Jamie Henderson practicing for his role.

Creature Concept Art Gallery (SD, 1:28)
A free-playing look at some of the pre-production sketches and CGI renders for the film.

The Wizard (SD, 1:10)
Former Green Beret and Gandalf-wannabe Pat Henderson likes to blow stuff up real good. Here we get some brief looks at the film's pyrotechnics.

Building the Gas Station (SD, 1:54)
This one's fairly self-explanatory, and the only real insight is that the crew stocked their mock gas station with items bought from 99 cent stores.

Shooting Digitally (SD, 2:25)
The director talks about how digital technology has finally caught up to the look of film, and briefly discusses the benefits of shooting on digital.

Oklahoma weather (SD, 1:57)
The director mentions the torrential rains and thunderstorms that plagued the build-up to production.

How to Make a Splinter Pumpkin (SD, 2:21)
Jill Wagner gives a little instructional presentation on, yes, how to make a Splinter pumpkin. I will admit the final results look kind of cool.

HDNet: A Look at Splinter (SD, 4:35)
The director talks about the actors and details the core concepts of the film in this EPK fluff piece.

Splinter Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Toby Wilkin handles Splinter with a workmanlike directorial style, never going for glitz and simply telling the story that he set out to make. The results, I'd say, are slightly better than average. While it's certainly not an original tale, Splinter is at least entertaining, and with a decent AV line-up, it's a solid rental for genre fans.