By the time Toby Wilkins’ 2008 film Splinter first arrived on the scene — a limited theatrical premiere on Halloween — zombies were everywhere. Yet the first-time director managed to rework the already overused concept into something fresh, not to mention plain creepy. And with its preference for practical effects wizardry, Splinter stood out from its fellow high-concept horrors made on a low budget.
Splinter references the grandfather of cinematic zombies, George A. Romero’s iconic Night of the Living Dead, in a number of ways, apart from the most obvious. Indeed the characters are holed up and fighting for their lives against the walking dead, although in this case, an isolated gas station rather than a farmhouse serves as their refuge. Other films tend to use these pitstops as we do in real life; they are temporary detours before heading off for a proper destination. Instead the director and screenwriters (Kai Barry, Ian Shorr) bring the journey to a screeching halt, causing their story to have an even more considerable purgatory quality to it. And bit by bit, Death is making its way inside.
One of the more gratifying film situations comes from those interactions between characters who have never met before, but they are now forced to endure one another’s company. Splinter, again, is inspired by from the past here — and not just from Romero. The two protagonists, couple Polly and Seth (Jill Wagner, Paulo Costanzo), are being lovey-dovey out in the woods before a tent snafu requires indoor lodging. And before they can reach a motel — final destinations are hard to come by in this film — they cross paths with another couple: outlaws Dennis and Lacey (Shea Whigham, Rachel Kerbs).
Image: Seth (Paulo Costanzo) holds a gun up to the monster in Splinter.
Splinter moves briskly, which inhibits any substantial downtime with the characters. That fast pace keeps us engaged and the story focused, but anyone wanting meatier heroes and villains may be left wanting. What we do have here in terms of character writing, however, is not entirely anemic. When contrasting these two couples, the film offers a curious glance at relationship dynamics in the genre.
Polly and Seth are not like the usual pairings in horror; Wagner is the impulsive outdoorsy type who comes across as certain of herself, whereas Costanzo is passive, bookwise, and a bit insecure. The latter is also less outwardly emotional, which makes Seth seem uncaring. Of course, that’s the incorrect reading, seeing as Seth shows plenty of concern for everyone. Even for the ex-con waving a gun in his face. That sensitivity doesn’t end with Seth either; like the contagion here, his compassion eventually spreads to his girlfriend and their captor.
The cast may be small in numbers, but it’s not small in quality. Costanzo, whose career up to that point was rooted more so in comedy, found himself in a darker role that benefited from his humorous and unassuming presence. Pleasingly, Splinter doesn’t change Seth into a macho type after enduring intimidation from Dennis and terror from the creature. The writing shows Seth to be the same as before, only now he’s aware of and confident in his abilities. Meanwhile, Wagner’s character is the most approachable of the two at first; she’s beautiful, friendly, and straightforward. Later though, Polly is even more accessible as a person once her vulnerability emerges in the face of death and horror, all without her taking a backseat to the men. As for the story’s antagonist turned antihero, Dennis enjoys the most seismic as well as grueling transformation in the film. His humanity starts to come out as his body breaks down.
Image: Jill Wagner Shea Whigham in Splinter (2008).
In an interview with Fangoria, Wilkins called Splinter another example of the “classic infection scenario.” He went on to say, “What films like Dawn of the Dead and 28 Days Later take one step toward is the idea that something’s going to get you but not necessarily kill you.” The director took things even further by having his infection be “worse than death.” It’s more of the bone-breaking and agonizing flavor of body horror we have seen before, especially from the 2000s era, yet now there is the additional aspect of characters being conscious of their affliction and trying to fight it off. That futile battle over complete control is usually brief, but on occasion, a host like Dennis doesn’t go down without a fight.
David Michael Maurer’s frenetic editing prevents the camera from ever lingering too long on the monster’s form or handiwork; this freak of nature is so hideous and rotten it can’t be seen in full view. You might even say the human mind could only handle seeing its image in fragments. Creature-feature fans understandably eat up this film’s fungal foe, which was unique for the time. As an imaginary anomaly from the real world, this spiny and chimeric curiosity is a new and more plausible spin on zombism. Quantum Creation FX turned Wilkins’ ghastly design into a flailing nightmare that still feels convincing all these years later.
Splinter has found an audience over the years thanks to home video and streaming, but it’s also slick-looking and crowd-pleasing enough for the big screen. The heavy use of grotesque practical effects, along with a tight and no-fluff script, makes revisits stressful yet satisfying. This crawly film has only gotten better with age, especially now when handmade movie monsters are becoming more and more rare to see.
Image: Polly (Jill Wagner) and Dennis (Shea Whigham) take a peek outside in Splinter.
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