Why James Gunn’s Slither Was The Last Great B-Horror Movie – Screen Rant

Many B-horror movies have fizzled out in terms of popularity, but James Gunn's Slither was one of the last good examples of how it can be done right.

James Gunn's 2006 sci-fi/horror movie,Slither, might not have done well at the box office, but its enduring charm has won over fans, establishing it as both a cult classic and one of the last great B-horror movies to be made.

Slitherseemsprimarily inspired byNight of the Creepsat first glance, another B-horror movie and horror/comedy mash-up that released in 1986. Gunn was directly inspired by several other movies to makeSlither, and paid homage to genre classics such asJohn Carpenter'sThe Thingand David Cronenberg movies ShiversandThe Brood. At its core,Slitheris wholly unique because of its B-horror roots, which have fallen under the radar and have developed something of an unsavory reputation. Instead, "elevated" horror movies such asHereditaryandMidsommardominate the modern narrative as to what is "good" within the genre.Slitherfeatured a talented cast, with actors like Nathan Fillion, Elizabeth Banks, and Michael Rooker stepping into leading roles. This was part of why the movie did end up becoming a cult classic, and still has a devoted fanbase over a decade after its release, but wasn't the only reason.

Related: Slither: The Odd Reason James Gunn Cast The Office's Jenna Fischer

B-horror movies, such asThe StuffandThe Blob,aren't often tackled by modern genre filmmakers. Smaller, independent studios like Lloyd Kaufman's Troma Entertainment have dabbled to varying degrees of success throughout the past decades, but traditionally, B-horror is relegated to mere references and nostalgia. They're often not the first choices to be remade, although Troma'sThe Toxic Avenger was announcedto be getting a remake. Likewise, there's also not a lot of directors who approach B-horror as a viable property to add original stories into. Given their reputation as being "B-grade", or of lesser quality, B-horror movies capitalize on the "so bad, it's good" aspects of the horror genre, and have a built-in audience. As proven bySlither, they can even feature quality storytelling, phenomenal effects, and great acting when approached correctly. So why isSlitherone of the last good examples, and why is B-horror seemingly a dying breed?

Slitheris a love letter to numerous B-horror movies, and was likely Gunn's attempt to show how they can not only be well crafted and "good"which is always relativebut also possible as a modern horror sub-genre. B-horror movies represent a wealth of untapped potential. Where many movie audiences and horror fans tire of supernatural horror movies, hauntings, and slasher movies with un-killable villains, B-horror highlights an area that's not fully realized. Because it has a reputation for being schlocky, humorous in non-politically correct ways, and often features narratives that are entirely disconnected from reality, B-horror is a great area for further exploration simply because it hasn't been done to death. Other popular horror sub-genres are often profitable, but can be tedious and boring there's only so many times the wheel can be reinvented. Originality, in that sense, is a hallmark of B-horror; the stories are fantastical, often feature wild alien lifeforms, body horror, and elements that aren't often seen in modern horror movies from major studios.

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Why James Gunn's Slither Was The Last Great B-Horror Movie - Screen Rant

Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero