Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

Splinter is a fine example of how you can still make a decent monster movie without CGI. Had the creature in this been done with computer animation, I probably would not have sat through the whole thing. Instead, it uses old school techniques to create a taut thriller that never let up on the relentless tension. Definitely check this one out.

The story begins with a sort of mismatched young couple going to a camping trip. He's a bit nerdy and seems obsessed with trees, and she's drop-dead supermodel ‘what the hell is she doing with him?' kind of gorgeous. When they end up ripping a hole in their tent, the nerd talks his girlfriend into getting a motel room. Things seem to be going well for them until they get carjacked on a back country road by a couple of druggies on the run for the border. It gets really weird when they pull into a gas station and find a monster waiting for them.

What happens is people get infected with some kind of organic substance that causes long splinters to grow out of their flesh and basically animate the dead. The victims aren't really zombies, but move like mutated ones. When the people get held up at the gas station, they must use whatever is available in the story in order to fend off their attacker. Luckily, one guy has a PhD in Biology and was able to figure out some things about the creature that might help them live through the night.

Since there aren't but five actors in the whole movie, the body count isn't very high. That doesn't mean this movie is without gore, because there is one incredibly graphic dismemberment scene. You'll also get to see a severed hand with long splinters that crawls about on the floor like a spider. The visual effects here are awesome. What makes this movie work so well is that it takes simple horror themes and uses them to full effect, like the idea that their salvation is just twenty feet away, but they could never reach it without being killed.

The nerdy biology guy is played by Paulo Costanzo, who you might remember as being the pothead in Old School. He was sort of meant to be the comic relief of the story, though he never seemed all that scared of what was going on. His girlfriend is played by the flawless brunette named Jill Wagner. You might recognize her from a series of Mercury commercials as well as from being the host on Wipeout. She played up the part of the horror movie scream queen pretty well. Shea Whigham is great as the thug who gets them into the mess and then tries to help them out of it.

This was directed by Toby Wilkins, who went on to direct The Grudge 3. Most of his movie experience comes from making title sequences for a variety of movies, including Rush Hour 2 and Bulletproof Monk. I think he did a good job of keeping the pace tight, although the movie is just under 90 minutes long. The screenplay was written by Ian Shorr and Kai Barry, but they only have a few other credits to their name and it's nothing I'd ever heard of before.

In the end, I think most horror fans will find something to like about Splinter. I was so happy to see it using makeup and prosthetics instead of CGI for the monster, and that really made the movie.

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age