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I saw this movie around the time that it first came out and I remember thinking that it was fairly good, but nothing I'd watch again. In the interim, I keep seeing this movie popping up on my favorite horror sites as an underrated movie, so I figured I'd give it another whirl.

First, the necessary prerequisite is that you have to like low budget movies. If you are going into this expecting the effects level of your summer blockbuster, or top notch acting, you're going to be disappointed. I don't mind indie films, at all, and don't want to judge them on their limitations. Basically, did the movie entertain me? The other ingredient that seems necessary to mention in a review of this movie is the similarities to THE THING. How you judge that may depend on where you, personally, draw the line between "homage" and "blatant ripoff". I never felt it crossed that line into stealing an idea, but certainly lifted some ideas from that horror classic, especially in the way that the organism seems to take control of human bodies and essentially replicate them, as well as its ability for each part to exist separately from the whole.

The central plot revolves around 4 people trapped at a gas station by some sort of invading organism that is almost unstoppable. They are barricaded inside a small building with limited defenses against the invading threat, so we get a little bit of Night of The Living Dead, as well.

My second viewing seemed to pretty much re-instill what I thought the first time around. This is an entertaining movie that will keep you riveted for the short run time of its' story, but nothing here sticks with me as being a modern classic, or even one of the best indie horrors of the past few years. Shea Wigham is really good, as usual, in the cliché role of a criminal with a good heart. I thought that Jill Wagner does a serviceable job as a strong female lead. Her boyfriend is pretty much annoying and I found myself at times hoping he would die next.

The effects are very limited and most of the violence is shot in quick camera angles, which is a good way of hiding their limitations, but also sometimes leaves the viewer wondering what the heck just happened. This was especially true of the first female death in the movie, as you never got any sense of the violence that might lead to her demise. There are some good shots that do serve to show what the director probably really had hidden in his imagination but wasn't able to translate to screen.

The creature itself presents some interesting impetus to the movie. As mentioned, it's fairly unstoppable which lends to the feeling of helplessness in our main characters. A few of the infected hosts pull off a really good Silent Hill look with twitchy movements and not-quite-in-the-right-place body parts. Ultimately, to transcend the Thing comparisions, they needed to develop more the plot points they introduced early in the film, such as the oil testing site, or this idea of an old forest nearby. That depth might have helped the movie to elevate from popcorn passer to truly memorably movie.

So this movie is a kind of an independent horror film. It's working with a lower budget.

But first off the acting is not just adequate, it's great.

The characters are believable and well cast.

Splinter makes great use of it's low budget. With good acting, some gnarly gore and good creature design. It's the best it can be on a low budget. And it is good.

Is it amazing? No. But it doesn't have any glaring flaws. A nice movie for a friday night.

It's a great indie sci-fi/creature feature movie. With a solid script and no glaring flaws.

I thought about giving it a 6/10 because it's not earth-shattering but I think it deserves a 7/10 for how solid and well executed it is.

In the end it is a smart little creature feature that makes the most of it's budget.

This is a quick-moving well done little horror film. It has some similarities to John Carpenter's The Thing, but def isn't on that level. If you like Monster movies/Body horror this is one to check out.

The acting is solid. The FXs were really well done. The movie moves along at a great pace. This is a prime example of a film working because of a shorter runtime. I think any longer and this might have started to bog down some. Instead, it kicks into high gear early and doesn't slow down until the end.

I really didn't have any major issues with anything in the film. Some of it did feel familiar, and there were a few annoying character moments. Overall, that's all very minor and nothing that hurts the film in any sort of way.

If you haven't checked it out, it's worth a watch!

My Rating: 6/10

"Splinter" was really a rather nice surprise for a horror movie. There haven't been that many horror movies in recent years that have managed to actually impress me, as most have seemingly been cast from the same mould. "Splinter", however, took me right back to the late 1990's where horror movies were great.

The story is somewhat of a mix between Carpenter's "The Thing" and "Cabin Fever". There is this unknown strange mutated creature prowling the woods, where people are isolated and miles from help. The story's two main characters are out camping when suddenly taken hostage by two fugitives and from thereon things take a turn for the worse. When you are struck with the splinters from the creature, you become infected yourself, and it is just a matter of time when you will turn.

Pretty simple and straight forward storyline that was easy to follow. There weren't any huge surprises or plot twists in the movie, but "Splinter" didn't' suffer from lacking that, the movie worked out quite well at its plot course and the progress the movie made. Predictable, sure, but entertaining.

Despite the cast being held at a relative small number, mainly four characters, with the occasional supporting character thrown into the midst, the movie did work out quite well. Because it is building heavily on fear, paranoia and thrills.

The creature effects were actually quite good, and when you saw body parts twisting in unnatural directions, accompanied by bones breaking, you can't help but curl your toes, or enjoy the whole scene (if you are a gorehound like I am).

"Splinter" is pretty good entertainment and will take you back to the good old horror movies of the 1990's. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, and I am sure that you will too if you are a fan of horror movies in general. Just don't expect any inventive new-thinking or radical plot twists, because they just ain't there.

The premise has been done many times before, but this film does it right. Apparently "Splinter" is an independent film, but it doesn't deserve to be lumped in the same category as the hundreds of "low budget" horror movies out there that are hardly more than a few friends with a camcorder and some ketchup packets. The production value here looks as good as many Hollywood movies, and the "monster" is done particularly well. The three main actors are great, and the characters are likable.

This movie isn't going to change the genre or make anyone's Top 10 list, but it's definitely one of the more entertaining horror films I've seen in the last couple of years. It's a fun way to spend 80 minutes. My 8 out of 10 rating is a bit over-inflated simply because there have been so many terrible horror movies put out recently that it was refreshing to genuinely enjoy one from start to finish. A more realistic rating would be 6 or 6.5. Totally worth the price of admission, and I look forward to seeing more from this director in the future.