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Splinter (2008 film)
Encyclopedia
Splinter is a 2008
horror film
directed by Toby Wilkins
. It had a limited theatrical release on October 31, 2008 and stars Shea Whigham
, Paulo Costanzo
, Jill Wagner
, and Rachel Kerbs. It was filmed near Oklahoma City
, Oklahoma
. HDNet Movies
aired the film two days prior to its theatrical release.
) and Polly Watt (Jill Wagner
) retreat to the wilderness for a romantic camping trip in the ancient forests of Oklahoma, but their plans are shattered when they are car-jacked by an escaped convict, Dennis Farell (Shea Whigham
), and his drug-addict girlfriend, Lacey Belisle (Rachel Kerbs). As the foursome travel the back roads together, they get a flat tire when they run over a small splinter infected animal on the road. Finding shelter at the now abandoned gas station, they fend off larger incarnations of a parasite as it infects more victims.
Soon after their arrival at the gas station, Lacey discovers the infected still-living body of the attendant from the opening scene. Lacey is attacked and dies instantly, but her corpse slowly reanimates and becomes a new creature which attacks the remaining survivors. While fighting this creature, the three remaining discover that severed pieces of the infected victims are capable of attacking on their own. Sheriff Terry Frankel (Laurel Whitsett) arrives on the scene and attempts to arrest Dennis, but she is ripped in half by Lacey's corpse. The creature takes the top half of the officer's body to the roof and slowly bonds with it, creating a larger creature. Seth formulates a plan to call for help using the cop's radio left behind when her body was ripped in half. However, during the execution of this plan, the newly rebuilt creature attacks and takes the lower half of the cop. The trio hides in the gas station's walk-in refrigerator when a section of its arm manages to get in and attack them. It is then discovered that Dennis has been infected as his left arm violently twists and twitches on its own. Seth and Polly amputate his arm to prevent the infection from spreading. Dennis later explains that he had been pricked by a splinter from a creature they encountered on the road. Seth also discovers that the creatures are actually just a mold or fungus taking control of the corpses they infect and consuming the blood and because it is a simple creature they hunt based on temperature, attacking the warmest thing they can find.
By lowering his body temperature with bags of ice, Seth is able to sneak past the creature to the police car, while Polly and Farell distract it with fireworks. Seth makes it to the police car but discovers that without the keys, the car, and the police radio inside are useless. Meanwhile, Seth's body temperature has risen. Dennis saves Seth from the creature when it attacks. The creature enters the gas station and Dennis and Polly are forced to hide in the freezer. Meanwhile, the discarded fireworks ignite the trail of flammable liquid left earlier and the gas station catches on fire. Seth is able to retrieve a shotgun from the police car and helps Polly and Dennis escape. Dennis offers to keep the creature at bay while Seth and Polly escape, and is infected in the process. He shoots one of the gas pumps with the shotgun and the creature is engulfed in flames. When the smoke clears, the creature is dead, but Dennis is still infected. Seth and Polly approach Dennis who gives them a key to a bank account, telling them to give it to the wife of a man he shot and paralyzed who later died. Dennis shoots directly into a stack of propane tanks, incinerating himself, the gas station and any remaining infected corpses.
Seth and Polly stumble off into the sunrise, but the final scene reveals that there are other infected creature corpses lying dormant in the woods.
: Best Editing, Best Score, Best Special Effects, Best Make-Up, Best Directing and Best Picture.
Splinter was a nominee for Best Horror Film at the 35th Annual Saturn Award
s, but it lost to Hellboy II: The Golden Army. It was also nominated in Spike TV
's 2009 Scream Awards
for Most Memorable Mutilation for the arm removal scene, but lost to Saw V
's Pendulum Trap.
2008 in film
This is a list of all major films made in 2008.-Highest-grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2008...
horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
directed by Toby Wilkins
Toby Wilkins
Toby Wilkins is the British-born director of two feature films, Splinter and The Grudge 3, and several award-winning short films.-Filmography:*The Grudge 3 *Splinter *Devil's Trade FEARnet web series...
. It had a limited theatrical release on October 31, 2008 and stars Shea Whigham
Shea Whigham
Franklin Shea Whigham, Jr. , best known as Shea Whigham, is an American actor notably starring as Elias "Eli" Thompson on the HBO dramatic series Boardwalk Empire.-Early life:...
, Paulo Costanzo
Paulo Costanzo
Paulo Costanzo is a Canadian actor, who is best known for his roles in the 2000 comedy Road Trip, the sitcom Joey, which ran from 2004 to 2006, and as Evan R. Lawson in the current USA Network series Royal Pains....
, Jill Wagner
Jill Wagner
Jillian Suzanne "Jill" Wagner is an American television actress, model, and game show personality.-Early life:Wagner was raised primarily by her father, David Wagner, a Marine, and her grandmother...
, and Rachel Kerbs. It was filmed near Oklahoma City
Oklahoma city
Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. HDNet Movies
HDNet Movies
HDNet Movies is a high definition-only cable and satellite television channel dedicated entirely to movies. It is the sister channel of HDNet. Films shown vary in age and category, but all were either transferred from 35mm film to 1080i high definition or shot in the latter format. Many films...
aired the film two days prior to its theatrical release.
Plot
The film opens on a sleepy gas station, where the slack-jawed pump attendant (Charles Baker) is attacked by a seemingly rabid animal. Through a series of glimpses the attendant's body begin to contort after the attack. Meanwhile, a young couple, Seth Belzer (Paulo CostanzoPaulo Costanzo
Paulo Costanzo is a Canadian actor, who is best known for his roles in the 2000 comedy Road Trip, the sitcom Joey, which ran from 2004 to 2006, and as Evan R. Lawson in the current USA Network series Royal Pains....
) and Polly Watt (Jill Wagner
Jill Wagner
Jillian Suzanne "Jill" Wagner is an American television actress, model, and game show personality.-Early life:Wagner was raised primarily by her father, David Wagner, a Marine, and her grandmother...
) retreat to the wilderness for a romantic camping trip in the ancient forests of Oklahoma, but their plans are shattered when they are car-jacked by an escaped convict, Dennis Farell (Shea Whigham
Shea Whigham
Franklin Shea Whigham, Jr. , best known as Shea Whigham, is an American actor notably starring as Elias "Eli" Thompson on the HBO dramatic series Boardwalk Empire.-Early life:...
), and his drug-addict girlfriend, Lacey Belisle (Rachel Kerbs). As the foursome travel the back roads together, they get a flat tire when they run over a small splinter infected animal on the road. Finding shelter at the now abandoned gas station, they fend off larger incarnations of a parasite as it infects more victims.
Soon after their arrival at the gas station, Lacey discovers the infected still-living body of the attendant from the opening scene. Lacey is attacked and dies instantly, but her corpse slowly reanimates and becomes a new creature which attacks the remaining survivors. While fighting this creature, the three remaining discover that severed pieces of the infected victims are capable of attacking on their own. Sheriff Terry Frankel (Laurel Whitsett) arrives on the scene and attempts to arrest Dennis, but she is ripped in half by Lacey's corpse. The creature takes the top half of the officer's body to the roof and slowly bonds with it, creating a larger creature. Seth formulates a plan to call for help using the cop's radio left behind when her body was ripped in half. However, during the execution of this plan, the newly rebuilt creature attacks and takes the lower half of the cop. The trio hides in the gas station's walk-in refrigerator when a section of its arm manages to get in and attack them. It is then discovered that Dennis has been infected as his left arm violently twists and twitches on its own. Seth and Polly amputate his arm to prevent the infection from spreading. Dennis later explains that he had been pricked by a splinter from a creature they encountered on the road. Seth also discovers that the creatures are actually just a mold or fungus taking control of the corpses they infect and consuming the blood and because it is a simple creature they hunt based on temperature, attacking the warmest thing they can find.
By lowering his body temperature with bags of ice, Seth is able to sneak past the creature to the police car, while Polly and Farell distract it with fireworks. Seth makes it to the police car but discovers that without the keys, the car, and the police radio inside are useless. Meanwhile, Seth's body temperature has risen. Dennis saves Seth from the creature when it attacks. The creature enters the gas station and Dennis and Polly are forced to hide in the freezer. Meanwhile, the discarded fireworks ignite the trail of flammable liquid left earlier and the gas station catches on fire. Seth is able to retrieve a shotgun from the police car and helps Polly and Dennis escape. Dennis offers to keep the creature at bay while Seth and Polly escape, and is infected in the process. He shoots one of the gas pumps with the shotgun and the creature is engulfed in flames. When the smoke clears, the creature is dead, but Dennis is still infected. Seth and Polly approach Dennis who gives them a key to a bank account, telling them to give it to the wife of a man he shot and paralyzed who later died. Dennis shoots directly into a stack of propane tanks, incinerating himself, the gas station and any remaining infected corpses.
Seth and Polly stumble off into the sunrise, but the final scene reveals that there are other infected creature corpses lying dormant in the woods.
Reception
Splinter won six awards at the Screamfest Horror Film FestivalScreamfest Horror Film Festival
Screamfest Horror Film Festival is the largest horror film festival in the United States. Some of the largest horror online publications have called it the "Sundance of Horror". Previously held at Loews Universal Studios Cinemas, Universal CityWalk, the festival is now held annually at the...
: Best Editing, Best Score, Best Special Effects, Best Make-Up, Best Directing and Best Picture.
Splinter was a nominee for Best Horror Film at the 35th Annual Saturn Award
Saturn Award
The Saturn Award is an award presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films to honor the top works in science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, television, and home video. The Saturn Awards were devised by Dr. Donald A. Reed in 1972, who felt that films within...
s, but it lost to Hellboy II: The Golden Army. It was also nominated in Spike TV
Spike TV
Spike is an American cable television channel. It launched on March 7, 1983 as The Nashville Network , a joint venture of WSM, Inc...
's 2009 Scream Awards
Scream Awards
The Scream Awards is an award show dedicated to the horror, sci-fi, and fantasy genres of feature films. Originally only having Scream Queen and Heroic Performance awards for actors, the personnel awards have expanded to include actors and actresses of all three recognized genres. In addition,...
for Most Memorable Mutilation for the arm removal scene, but lost to Saw V
Saw V
Saw V is a 2008 Canadian-American horror film directed by David Hackl and written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan and stars Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor and Scott Patterson...
's Pendulum Trap.
External links
- SplinterFilm.com official site.
- Splinter Blog from director Toby Wilkins