The sleepy town of Wheelsy could be any small town in America--somewhat quaint and gentle, peopled with friendly folks who mind their own business. But just beneath the surface charm, something unnamed and evil has arrived and is growing. No one seems to notice as telephone poles become clogged with missing pet flyers, or when one of the town's richest citizens, Grant Grant, begins to act strangely. But when farmers livestock turn up horribly mutilated and a young woman goes missing, Sheriff Bill Pardy and his team, aided by Grant's wife Starla, uncover the dark force laying siege to their town and come face-to-face with an older-than-time organism intent on absorbing and devouring all life on Earth.

I was left with one major question after seeing Slither and it was what kind of movie were they trying to make. Because as a comedy the movie is brilliant and hilarious, I laughed uproariously from a lot of the playback between the characters and the ridiculous situations they were put in. But as a horror movie, the kind of movie I thought they were trying to make, the movie was terrible. It was cheesy, it was clichéd, it borrowed from every known horror movie ever in a scatter brained montage kind of way, yet it was funny, yet it was fun, yet it was entertaining. I was so confused by the paradox this movie introduces to my way of thinking that I went back and watched the trailer all over again trying to figure out if they were truly trying to make a comedy, a montage of sorts that is fun and silly and takes a step back from what the horror genre has become. And after watching the trailer I am still not sure if they meant the movie to be funny or if they just got lucky and realized it was more comedic than scary and ran with it.

I mean does this affect the movie going experience, the problem is it can. Had I not seen the movie with several other movie buffs, one a horror film buff, I might not have seen the comedy in the movie without them wise cracking ever other line and scene. Or if my significant other wasn’t so terrified of creepy crawly things that she turned to be half way through the movie and told me she hated me, I don’t think I would have laughed so hard. I mean I really got into the comedy of the movie because of those whom I saw the movie with and had I listened to the marketing for the movie I would have been vastly disappointed. Marketing is so important to a movie, if your in the mood for an action film and they market it as an action and it’s a drama you won’t be as entertained. Had I been in the mood for a horror flick and got a comedy/montage like Slither again I would have been angered. But luckily I saw the movie with the right people, at the right time and in the right mood and the movie made me laugh so very hard. So urge you to forget the marketing of this film, forget the trailer and realize the movie is more a creepy-crawly comedy that will make you laugh harder than shrink in fear.

Gregg Henry hasn’t done much but he stole the show for me as the classic comedic mayor who’s city has gone to hell in a hand basket. I finally figured out what he had been in after the movie as he played Val in Payback but he definitely had all the best lines and one lines in Slither. If your not familiar with Nathan Fillion its because you don’t watch much TV as he has spent the last few years delivering his fair share of one liners for Joss Whedon in Buffy and Firefly. He’s what almost makes me think the movie really truly was meant to be a comedy because he is that kind of dry one line delivering kind of actor you would want in a movie that is making fun of, mocking and borrowing heavily from the horror genre. Elizabeth Banks is fun, Michael Rooker is a blast as the villain and the movie just has a great chemistry about it from its cast that seemed to mesh perfectly. I am not sure if I will like the movie if I watch it a second time but it entertained me enough for me to like it the first time around.

Grade: C+