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Happy 10th Anniversary to James Gunn’s ‘Slither!’

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Slither Anniversary

10 years ago today, James Gunn (co-writer and director of Guardians of the Galaxy) unleashed his horror-comedy masterpiece Slither upon the world, and nobody went to go see it. Sitting at a mighty comfortable 86% on Rotten Tomatoes (based on 136 reviews) and a 69 Metacritic score (based on 27 reviews), Slither should have been at least a modest success for Universal Pictures, but audiences were either turned off by the comedic aspects of the film or the grossness of it (and it is plenty gross). The film would only gross $7.8 million domestically on a $15 million budget (the worldwide gross was a measly $5 million), making it a flop for the studio. Since then, it has become a fairly popular cult film that remains as one of the best horror films of the 2000s.

From Slither’s Wikipedia page:

Paul Brooks, president of the film’s production company, Gold Circle Films, said the company was “crushingly disappointed” by the gross. Universal distanced itself from Slithers poor box office performance, citing their distribution of the film as merely part of a deal with Gold Circle. The Hollywood Reporter speculated that Slithers performance “might have killed off the horror-comedy genre for the near future.” Producer Paul Brooks offered this explanation about why Slither failed to catch on with filmgoers:

I think that because it was comedy-horror instead of pure horror is where the problem lay. It’s the first comedy-horror in a long time, and maybe the marketplace just isn’t ready for comedy-horror yet. It’s difficult to think of other explanations.

That’s pretty harsh. Slither certainly didn’t kill the horror-comedy, but it proved that audiences had no desire to see something like that. It was hardly the first horror-comedy to come around in a long time though, since Shaun of the Dead came out just two years prior and it did alright. It wouldn’t be until Drag Me to Hell was released in 2009 that a horror-comedy would actually see decent box office numbers, and that was probably only because that film’s trailer marketed it as a straight horror film. This would end up hurting that film, since audience members probably didn’t appreciate the Looney Tunes humor, and the film saw steep declines in box office numbers in the coming weeks (though it still made a profit).

The first trailer for the Slither conveying exactly what the film was about and balanced the horror and the comedy fairly well, but it probably didn’t do much to entice audiences to come out in droves. It’s difficult to successfully pull off the comedic elements in a horror film in 90 seconds, and Slither is a prime example of this issue. The second trailer (below) used its humor a bit more effectively, but we’ve talked about how horror-comedy can be a hard sell with mainstream audiences before. Hell, this movie seemed to be a hard sell for horror fans too. Where were all of you when Slither was released? That’s not a rhetorical question. I’m legitimately asking. What turned you off of Slither?

It would be appropriate to call Slither ahead of its time. Had it been released today, it may have been more of a sleeper hit, though it is impossible to say. Boasting the talents of (at the time) relatively unknown stars like Nathan Fillion (Firefly, Castle) and Elizabeth Banks (whose most recognizable role at that point was her scene-stealing turn as Beth in The 40-Year-Old-Virgin), they would be able to give Slither the necessary star power it probably needed at the time. Michael Rooker, as the sympathetic villain Grant Grant, may have even pulled in some viewers because of his role as Merle Dixon on The Walking Dead, though that may be a bit of a reach.

Taking direct cues from David Cronenberg’s Shivers, 1986 horror-comedy Night of the Creeps (Gunn also states that Cronenberg’s The Brood was a big influence), and even a little bit of SocietySlither was essentially an homage to Troma Entertainment, which is where Gunn began his career as the writer of Tromeo and Juliet. Interestingly enough, Gunn also wrote the scripts for Scooby-Doo and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed for Universal Pictures before making his way over to Slither. It should be noted that he also wrote the script for Zack Snyder’s remake of Dawn of the Dead, so that probably had more to do with him get Slither off the ground than the Scooby-Doo movies (though I will admit that I enjoy those films too).

I was working at an AMC Theatres when Slither opened on March 31, 2006, so I dragged my sister and then-boyfriend to go see the film with me (for free, so its partially my fault that the film made no money). I immediately regretted taking them. I adored the film, but neither of my movie buddies were fans. It was “too gross” and I was told that I would “never be forgiven” for bringing them to it.  My sister has since come around on the film and even purchased it at some point down the road. I have no idea if the other one has similarly changed his opinion on the film, but I digress. I saw it and loved it, and that’s all that matters!

What are your thoughts on Slither? Were you one of the small few who managed to catch it in theaters during the four weeks it was available to see back in 2006? Or did you regrettably miss it only to catch it later that year (or years later)? If you were late to the game, Tweet an apology to Universal Pictures or even James Gunn, Elizabeth Banks or Nathan Fillion! Track down the production crew and apologize to them! Let them know that you are aware of your mistake and you’ll make it up to them somehow. I say this in jest, of course, but only slightly. Share your fond memories of the film in the comments below, and let us know your thoughts on Slither!

A journalist for Bloody Disgusting since 2015, Trace writes film reviews and editorials, as well as co-hosts Bloody Disgusting's Horror Queers podcast, which looks at horror films through a queer lens. He has since become dedicated to amplifying queer voices in the horror community, while also injecting his own personal flair into film discourse. Trace lives in Austin, TX with his husband and their two dogs. Find him on Twitter @TracedThurman

Editorials

‘Leprechaun Returns’ – The Charm of the Franchise’s Legacy Sequel

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leprechaun returns

The erratic Leprechaun franchise is not known for sticking with a single concept for too long. The namesake (originally played by Warwick Davis) has gone to L.A., Las Vegas, space, and the ‘hood (not once but twice). And after an eleven-year holiday since the Davis era ended, the character received a drastic makeover in a now-unmentionable reboot. The critical failure of said film would have implied it was time to pack away the green top hat and shillelagh, and say goodbye to the nefarious imp. Instead, the Leprechaun series tried its luck again.

The general consensus for the Leprechaun films was never positive, and the darker yet blander Leprechaun: Origins certainly did not sway opinions. Just because the 2014 installment took itself seriously did not mean viewers would. After all, creator Mark Jones conceived a gruesome horror-comedy back in the early nineties, and that format is what was expected of any future ventures. So as horror legacy sequels (“legacyquels”) became more common in the 2010s, Leprechaun Returns followed suit while also going back to what made the ‘93 film work. This eighth entry echoed Halloween (2018) by ignoring all the previous sequels as well as being a direct continuation of the original. Even ardent fans can surely understand the decision to wipe the slate clean, so to speak.

Leprechaun Returns “continued the [franchise’s] trend of not being consistent by deciding to be consistent.” The retconning of Steven Kostanski and Suzanne Keilly’s film was met with little to no pushback from the fandom, who had already become accustomed to seeing something new and different with every chapter. Only now the “new and different” was familiar. With the severe route of Origins a mere speck in the rearview mirror, director Kotanski implemented a “back to basics” approach that garnered better reception than Zach Lipovsky’s own undertaking. The one-two punch of preposterous humor and grisly horror was in full force again.

LEPRECHAUN

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

With Warwick Davis sitting this film out — his own choice — there was the foremost challenge of finding his replacement. Returns found Davis’ successor in Linden Porco, who admirably filled those blood-stained, buckled shoes. And what would a legacy sequel be without a returning character? Jennifer Aniston obviously did not reprise her final girl role of Tory Redding. So, the film did the next best thing and fetched another of Lubdan’s past victims: Ozzie, the likable oaf played by Mark Holton. Returns also created an extension of Tory’s character by giving her a teenage daughter, Lila (Taylor Spreitler).

It has been twenty-five years since the events of the ‘93 film. The incident is unknown to all but its survivors. Interested in her late mother’s history there in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, Lila transferred to the local university and pledged a sorority — really the only one on campus — whose few members now reside in Tory Redding’s old home. The farmhouse-turned-sorority-house is still a work in progress; Lila’s fellow Alpha Epsilon sisters were in the midst of renovating the place when a ghost of the past found its way into the present.

The Psycho Goreman and The Void director’s penchant for visceral special effects is noted early on as the Leprechaun tears not only into the modern age, but also through poor Ozzie’s abdomen. The portal from 1993 to 2018 is soaked with blood and guts as the Leprechaun forces his way into the story. Davis’ iconic depiction of the wee antagonist is missed, however, Linden Porco is not simply keeping the seat warm in case his predecessor ever resumes the part. His enthusiastic performance is accentuated by a rotten-looking mug that adds to his innate menace.

LEPRECHAUN RETURNS sequel

Pictured: Taylor Spreitler, Pepi Sonuga, and Sai Bennett as Lila, Katie and Rose in Leprechaun Returns.

The obligatory fodder is mostly young this time around. Apart from one luckless postman and Ozzie — the premature passing of the latter character removed the chance of caring about anyone in the film — the Leprechaun’s potential prey are all college aged. Lila is this story’s token trauma kid with caregiver baggage; her mother thought “monsters were always trying to get her.” Lila’s habit of mentioning Tory’s mental health problem does not make a good first impression with the resident mean girl and apparent alcoholic of the sorority, Meredith (Emily Reid). Then there are the nicer but no less cursorily written of the Alpha Epsilon gals: eco-conscious and ex-obsessive Katie (Pepi Sonuga), and uptight overachiever Rose (Sai Bennett). Rounding out the main cast are a pair of destined-to-die bros (Oliver Llewellyn Jenkins, Ben McGregor). Lila and her peers range from disposable to plain irritating, so rooting for any one of them is next to impossible. Even so, their overstated personalities make their inevitable fates more satisfying.

Where Returns excels is its death sequences. Unlike Jones’ film, this one is not afraid of killing off members of the main cast. Lila, admittedly, wears too much plot armor, yet with her mother’s spirit looming over her and the whole story — comedian Heather McDonald put her bang-on Aniston impersonation to good use as well as provided a surprisingly emotional moment in the film — her immunity can be overlooked. Still, the other characters’ brutal demises make up for Lila’s imperviousness. The Leprechaun’s killer set-pieces also happen to demonstrate the time period, seeing as he uses solar panels and a drone in several supporting characters’ executions. A premortem selfie and the antagonist’s snarky mention of global warming additionally add to this film’s particular timestamp.

Critics were quick to say Leprechaun Returns did not break new ground. Sure, there is no one jetting off to space, or the wacky notion of Lubdan becoming a record producer. This reset, however, is still quite charming and entertaining despite its lack of risk-taking. And with yet another reboot in the works, who knows where the most wicked Leprechaun ever to exist will end up next.


Horror contemplates in great detail how young people handle inordinate situations and all of life’s unexpected challenges. While the genre forces characters of every age to face their fears, it is especially interested in how youths might fare in life-or-death scenarios.

The column Young Blood is dedicated to horror stories for and about teenagers, as well as other young folks on the brink of terror.

Leprechaun Returns movie

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

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