‘Splinter’ – This Practical Effects Creature Feature Has Only Gotten Better With Age

By the time Toby Wilkins’ 2008 film Splinter first arrived on the scene — a limited theatrical premiere on Halloween — zombies were everywhere. Yet the first-time director managed to rework the already overused concept into something fresh, not to mention plain creepy. And with its preference for practical effects wizardry, Splinter stood out from its fellow high-concept horrors made on a low budget.

Splinter references the grandfather of cinematic zombies, George A. Romero’s iconic Night of the Living Dead, in a number of ways, apart from the most obvious. Indeed the characters are holed up and fighting for their lives against the walking dead, although in this case, an isolated gas station rather than a farmhouse serves as their refuge. Other films tend to use these pitstops as we do in real life; they are temporary detours before heading off for a proper destination. Instead the director and screenwriters (Kai Barry, Ian Shorr) bring the journey to a screeching halt, causing their story to have an even more considerable purgatory quality to it. And bit by bit, Death is making its way inside.

One of the more gratifying film situations comes from those interactions between characters who have never met before, but they are now forced to endure one another’s company. Splinter, again, is inspired by from the past here — and not just from Romero. The two protagonists, couple Polly and Seth (Jill Wagner, Paulo Costanzo), are being lovey-dovey out in the woods before a tent snafu requires indoor lodging. And before they can reach a motel — final destinations are hard to come by in this film — they cross paths with another couple: outlaws Dennis and Lacey (Shea Whigham, Rachel Kerbs).