What could possibly be better than a movie about a small southern town that is overtaken by alien slug monsters that turn the people into zombies? The answer is nothing. “Slither” embodies all the elements of the classic cheesy horror film. Writer and director James Gunn should know, seeing as how he is a product of Troma, the studio that brought us such characteristically bad “B” horror films as “Toxic Avenger” and “Tromeo and Juliet.” “Slither,” like all good camp horror films, tells the tale of a couple living in a small town. Scarla Grant (Elizabeth Banks, better known as Beth from “The 40 Year Old Virgin”) is a gorgeous woman who marries the town jerk Grant Grant (Michael Rooker). The couple finds itself having some marital difficulties when Grant stumbles upon an alien pod and takes over as the leader of the aliens. What happens next can be easily predicted, as the aliens begin to take over the town leaving even the dorky town sheriff Billy Pardy (Nathan Fillion) powerless to stop the takeover. The film is made even more amusing by the a** of a mayor (Gregg Henry) who wants to blame the whole situation on lime disease and move on so hunting season can continue as planned. Since the plot is pretty predictable, the filmmakers use funny one-liners and weird sexual innuendos to keeps us entertained, including some fellatio with an alien slug. The alien slugs enter people through their mouths and cause the zombie to crave endless amounts of meat, which proves to be a good allegory for the obesity epidemic in America. “Slither” may just be the cure to the epidemic because it will make you lose your appetite. “Slither” also seems to mock the old family value of standing by one’s spouse no matter what when Scarla refuses to abandon her marriage even though he has transformed into an ugly alien slug who is devouring most of the town. The film also mocks the good old Southern stereotypes. For example, when the police officers discover the zombie breeder, she asks if they can pass her a possum to eat. Not to mention naming the main character Scarla, which is horribly close to Scarlet. Or the brainless sheriff’s office, which might as well be run by Barney Fife from “The Andy Griffith Show,” since it was almost completely incapable of making decisions. The Southern town is conquered and destroyed by a character named Grant, invoking the memory of Ulysses S. Grant, the famous general who burned the South and won the Civil War for the North. Add in the massive amount of fake blood and alien slime, and you have the perfect bad, scary film. “Slither” will slide right into your heart…or should I say your mouth?
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