Before he earned his fame by directing super hero franchise movies, James Gunn was building a long resume’ in the indie and low-budget horror world. He cut his teeth in the 1990’s at Troma Studios, working on films like Tromeo and Juliet and Terror Firmer. It wasn’t long before he was writing screenplays like Thir13en Ghosts and Dawn of the Dead. In 2006, Gunn wrote and directed a delightful comedic creep fest titled Slither.
Wheelsy, South Carolina is a sleepy little town. The residents all know one another and everyone knows the local lawman, Bill Pardy (Castle’s Nathan Fillion.) A flaming meteor crash lands in the woods just outside of town, unleashing an alien infestation of creepy crawly worms.
One of the town’s business owners is an abrasive personality named Grant Grant (The Walking Dead’s Michael Rooker.) Grant’s disposition begins to get ever more sour, leading his devoted wife, Starla (The Hunger Games’ Elisabeth Banks) to raise her concerns. Many of the other townspeople get infected as the movie progresses, but Grant’s transformation is the most signature visual of the film.
Many of the movie’s stars have continued to work Gunn in his later projects. His approach to writing and filming, and even to casting, is something that has been well received over the years. He originally wrote Starla as the typical Hitchcock blonde, but loved Banks’ “old time grace” that she brought to the role. Gunn also stated that he wanted the film to pay tribute to his favorite 80’s horror movies like Basket Case, The Fly, and The Thing. (Mayor Jack MacReady is named after two signature Kurt Russell roles, Jack Burton (Big Trouble in Little China) and R.J. MacReady (The Thing.)
Slither has one of the best blooper reels ever featured on a DVD. Given Gunn’s relaxed approach to filmmaking and the big personalities of Fillion, Rooker, and Banks, it’s no surprise that the film featured a ton of laughs on set.
Gunn has proven what he can do with a big budget. The Guardians of the Galaxy franchise owes a ton of its charm and personality to his unique approach to writing. He’ll have additional opportunities with the upcoming The Suicide Squad and the Starsky & Hutch reboot. Readers who need something to watch while they wait should pick up Slither.