Splinter

I saw Splinter last night. What a brilliant little movie. The rules for a picture like this are: keep the number of locations down. (Check -- a couple exteriors, a road, and all the rest of a movie in a remote gas station.) Have no practical way for the characters to get out. (Check --monster moves faster than they do.) Make the characters interesting enough to last the whole show. (Double-check!) Make them die horrible gristly deaths. (Check. And mate).

The screenplay is terrific. The character of the convict is just brilliant. To me, a screenplay this good just says "This movie could direct itself." Sure sure, who knows what kind of input the director had? He is, after all, actually listed as a writer.

There's not much, oddly, in the way of visual or special effects. They keep the movie rockin' primarily with (egads) character development along with plot development (so you aren't hit over the head with any "I think we've learned our lessons here" moments.)

But dude -- their boxoffice gross is less than we've ever netted for North American (I'm sure their DVD sales are much sweeter though.) I wonder why they had to get an art-house release for the picture? Four screens, really?

Splinter Trailer (2008) from Toby Wilkins on Vimeo.
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Combat ear plugs (earplugs).