Slither (2006)
What’s Gotten Into You?
A small town is taken over by an alien plague, turning residents into zombies and all forms of mutant monsters.
Slither is a 2006 American science-fiction black comedy horror film written and directed by James Gunn in his directorial debut. Produced by Paul Brooks and Eric Newman, the film stars Nathan Fillion, Elizabeth Banks, Tania Saulnier, Gregg Henry, and Michael Rooker. The film is set in a small town in South Carolina that becomes invaded by a malevolent alien parasite.
Slither was a box office failure, but received generally positive reviews from critics and has since become a cult film.
Why It Matters
Slither combines alien-invasion science fiction, body horror and small-town comedy. Its parasite does not simply kill people; it changes bodies, spreads through a community and creates a shared biological threat, making the outbreak itself the central monster.
Worldbuilding Inspiration
- A parasite that changes hosts differently as its life cycle develops.
- A familiar town becoming progressively less trustworthy as infection spreads.
- A monster whose individual victims form parts of a larger organism.
Related Screen Archive
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