Splinter

I've decided to blog about every film I watch, good, bad or indifferent. So here it is, a mildly indifferent review of Splinter. I'm not using 'indifferent' with any negative connotations. It's just that the strengths and weaknesses of this film met in the middle and struck a balance, hence 'indifference'.

The problem is my inability to view any film with casual indifference. I am like a vulture, an annoying, talkative vulture. I just perch and wait for something to rub me the wrong way. Then, I swoop down and peck it to death. Most films aren't perfect, so I usually have some grievance. Any issues I have with this film are pulled from the carnivorous bird part and not the casual viewer. If I was capable of just letting myself sit down and enjoy a movie, I would give this an A. Alas...

This is a good flick. It is fun, creepy and very fast moving. It presented me with some truly interesting and disturbing visuals. In that sense, it was successful. I jumped, flinched, shrieked and thoroughly enjoyed myself. On the flip side, I cringed at the performance of Rachel Kerbs as Lacey. If the character was supposed to be unbearably annoying and totally unsympathetic, then they did an amazing job. I found the plot simplistic and predictable. There was also a handful of dialogue that came across totally laughable. In short, it's full of stereotypical characters and not super original. At the end of the day, it works.

Splinter wasn't trying to reinvent the wheel. It's a low budget horror film that avoids many of the pitfalls that others in it's genre get devoured by. It isn't clunky or silly. It delivers unsettling visuals and effectively exploits it's strengths. I just wish the story could have been meatier. Either way, it's a solid little film that I recommend. Plus, my mom really likes it.