Splinter

Chewing the horror movie nail down to the quick has been the remit of most directors in the genre recently, with very few transcending the clichés and conventions. Brit director Toby Wilkins, however, has managed to find a fresh spin on proceedings with this crispy shocker. In under eighty minutes, we get the story of a holidaying couple carjacked by a dangerous felon, forced to hole up in all night garage when a parasitic beastie (not unlike The Thing) starts acting on impulse. Which is exactly what the characters do, and where the film succeeds. The cast are given more to play with than usual, and get the chance to respond logically and exactly as the audience would, utilising all available resources to escape their dilemma. Some brutalistic editing hides the budgetary constraints and in the end it doesn't have much to say, but cutting his teeth on a nifty flick like this should serve Wilkins well in future.