Slither (2006): To me, James Gunn’s first film remains his best. Starring Nathan Fillion, Elizabeth Banks, Michael Rooker and a host of fine supporting actors, it’s a sci-fi body horror-comedy that actually does a good job both on the body horror and the comedy. It even leaves some room for metaphorical interpretations. When Grant, Starla’s mis-matched husband, gets bitten by a spacebug, he becomes an all consuming entity, i.e. like what you’d expect happens in a loveless marriage. The local sheriff, Bill, who has always had a crush on Starla, swoops in to save the day and make things right in the universe once more. It’s really a very fun genre film, that’s dated in terms of visual effects, but otherwise tells a creative story with several memorable scenes and a banging soundtrack. Well paced and with a healthy escalation of events, it’s all a very tidy adventure. 7
Together (2025): Another debut film, Michael Shanks has the benefit of relying on a reputable pair of leads and cool effects to make the most out of a ho-hum story. Tim (Dave Franco) and Millie (Alison Brie) move to the country to reset their lives, but soon get the strength of their relationship tested. Both by the usual transitional things, but also by a suspicious experience in an underground cave. It is an interesting commentary on the way lives and personalities tend to merge in certain relationship, where the partners become inseparable and some loss of individuality occurs. Some might think this is the goal of a modern relationship, but presumably most people don’t. Right? Riiight? Of course, this can happen for many reasons and be less literal, e.g. due to some form of financial, emotional, even physical dependence on the other. The film has some shocking scenes, but interestingly not related to the body horror aspects of it, which were tame for my tastes. While it’s entertaining, I think it suffers in pacing and doesn’t really have a powerful pay-off. An interesting one, but not that remarkable. 7
Hellraiser (1987): As often, I am torn when reviewing some of these classics. I only knew of Hellraiser that it had spawned a series of lacklustre sequels, as well as a recent reboot. So I didn’t know what I was getting into, but I immediately felt influences of many horror classics, including The Exorcist or Alien(s). It’s an interesting and unusual setup, featuring morally compromised characters, which is presumably why many people praise its template breaking. If I had to say what it’s really about, I guess I would say addiction. And as we follow the hellraising affair take place, some moments look really good and gory, with effects that stand tall even today. But then in others, time has been less generous. It really plays like a B-movie, with some typically uninspired performances surrounding the more successful, sombre ones. But the main problem with it, is that it’s in no way frightening. Sure, the cenobites look swell and pinhead is iconic, but they are too demure to inspire terror. So all in all, an average affair, that has somehow had impressive staying power. 6
Tusk (2014): I didn’t know what to expect seeing as this was a Kevin Smith genre bender, but in the end I think it’s the kind of hit and miss experience you get with his movies. It all starts out engagingly well, as a self-absorbed podcaster (boy, was that the time to make fun of podcasts) ends up listening to the tales of a mysterious adventurer. Justin Long really leans heavily into the unpleasantness of his role, but Michael Parks is the one who keeps you glued to your seat. For a while. Because once we’re all set-up, the movie starts to ramble, it’s diverted to an unfunny subplot of how the podcaster’s girlfriend and friend (cough, cough) find him through another mysterious adventurer. It becomes boring fast and never manages to catch up. What sounded good and funny when it was first laid out by Smith and Mosier in a podcast, never finds its rhythm and, sadly, plays out flat. 5
Grafted (2024): Sasha Rainbow’s debut film is a disjointed body-horror flick, and not in a good body-horror kind of way. The story revolves around a young girl with a birthmark on her neck who experiences the death of her scientist father, in a Matrix-esque face merge, after he fails to graft some skin over said (shared) birthmark. She takes on to continue her father’s research, moves to New Zealand with her aunt, sharing a huge house with her cousin and her annoying dog. Acceptance is hard to come by and this shy, unassuming young woman quickly turns into a monstrous killing machine, while grafting faces onto her own like it’s nothing. I won’t be bogged down by the impracticalities of this process, but the most troubling thing is that her distinctive (fake) front tooth stays there. And nobody seems to notice or care. Anyway, things really go nowhere in the second part of the movie, where all these killings take place, that aren’t even a good excuse for proper body horror moments. I guess this one can’t be taken too seriously, with its inconsistent tone making it hard to feel any kind of unease, but I just didn’t enjoy it. 4
tributary stu 
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