Splinter
Short description
Splinter is a 2008 horror thriller set largely at an isolated gas station. A young couple, Polly and Seth, set out on a camping trip, but their plans are derailed when they are taken hostage by a pair of criminals on the run. Stranded together at the station, the captors and their captives face a far greater danger than each other: a parasitic organism that attacks living creatures, takes over their bodies and turns them into hostile, spiny things. To survive, the unlikely group must work together against a threat that keeps spreading.
The film was directed by Toby Wilkins, his first feature, followed by The Grudge 3. The screenplay is by Kai Barry and Ian Shorr, with Barry producing alongside Ted Kroeber. The cast includes Jill Wagner, Paulo Costanzo, Shea Whigham, Rachel Kerbs and Charles Baker.
Released on 31 October 2008, Splinter runs 82 minutes across the crime, horror, science fiction and thriller genres. Reception was modest but generally favourable: a critics' rating of 6.3/10 from 39 reviews sits slightly above the audience scores of 6.2/10 on TMDB and 6.1/10 on IMDb, with the IMDb figure drawn from roughly 44,000 votes. The small scale and tight runtime suit a low-budget creature feature built around a confined setting.
What's left behind the scenes
- Shea Whigham, who played the role of Dennis, improvised almost all of his character's lines.
- The goods offered for sale at the gas station were provided by local entrepreneurs.
- A few minutes after the female police officer is murdered, a wide shot shows the roof of the building where the body was dragged, but neither the body nor any bloodstains remain.
- Visually and in terms of musical accompaniment, the opening of the film with its credits is reminiscent of the beginning of Jonathan Mostow's action movie 'Breakdown' (1997).
- The filmmakers used practical effects (i.e., those created physically on set or on location).
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
