Splinter

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Splinter

R

2008

1h 22m

Horror

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

74%

Tomatometer

39 Reviews

49%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

When their plans for a nature trip go awry, Polly Watt (Jill Wagner) and boyfriend Seth Belzer (Paulo Costanzo) decide to check into a motel. On their way, they're carjacked and kidnapped by low-rent crooks Dennis Farell (Shea Whigham) and Lacey Belisle (Rachel Krebs), who take the victims and their SUV to a nearby gas station. Along the way, they encounter an increasingly terrifying horde of parasites, and if any of them intend to survive, they'll have to outsmart the deadly organisms.

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Critics Consensus

Never taking itself too seriously, Splinter scores as a fast-paced, fun thriller with more than enough scares.

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Elizabeth Weitzman

New York Daily News

[Director] Wilkins understands that what we don't see is often more unsettling than what we do. But he also throws in plenty of well-earned gore, making this an ideal option if you're looking for a few new Halloween scares.

Rated: 3/5

Oct 31, 2008

Full Review

Kyle Smith

New York Post

There have been worse horror flicks, but although this one offers a few scares, it doesn't have a lot of imagination.

Rated: 2/4

Oct 31, 2008

Full Review

Joe Morgenstern

Wall Street Journal

It's short, taut, nicely shot, well-acted, astutely directed, specific where it might have been generic, original enough to be engrossing and derivative enough to be amusing.

Oct 31, 2008

Full Review

Patrick Cavanaugh

The Wolfman Cometh

Borrows just enough from Tremors to make for a successful storytelling formula without ever feeling like a complete imitator.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 12, 2025

Full Review

Kat Hughes

THN

An interesting example of film-making at the lowest end of budgets, Splinter has some good ideas, just not the time, budget, nor construction to pull them all off.

Rated: 2/5

Mar 12, 2025

Full Review

Trace Thurman

Bloody Disgusting

Wilkins makes up for his low budget with some truly impressive practical effects and stellar character work.

Rated: 4/5

Mar 28, 2023

Full Review

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C B

"It's okay. We're just going to cut off your arm..." The first thing I noticed is that the non-criminal couple seemed to be an unlikely match; a shapely model with the nutty professor. Also, she prefers action while he is a thinker. However, later on, his intellectual approach ends up being useful. None are very good actors except for Shea Whigham. Being surrounded while in a gas station (or supermarket) is kind of a trope. I guess this type of setting is often used because of the different stuff you can improvise as a weapon.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/12/25

Full Review

Audience Member

Panalo. Unexpectedly satisfying horror.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/01/25

Full Review

Udin G

The monster is pretty cool and unique but the camera shaking is kinda annoying.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/31/25

Full Review

Matt V

Nice little indy horror movie. It makes use of short, tight, angled shots to make up for lower budget practical effects. Give this one a try if you like zombie movies but you've seen all of them before and/or body horror (a la The Thing).

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/28/24

Full Review

Thom G

Splinter is an enjoyable creature-feature horror film that provides the kind of entertainment you'd expect from such a movie, suited for a good Friday movie night.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

05/15/24

Full Review

Joshua m

This "movie" gets an F minus.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

04/15/24

Full Review

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Toby Wilkins

Director

Shea Whigham

Dennis

Paulo Costanzo

Seth

Jill Wagner

Polly

Rachel Krebs

Lacey

Laurel Whitsett

Sheriff Frankel

Splinter: Official Clip - Reaching the Radio

2:06

Splinter: Official Clip - Flat Tire

2:28

Splinter: Official Clip - Get Out of Here

2:03

Splinter: Official Clip - There's Something Out There!

2:10

Splinter: Official Clip - It's Not Her Anymore

2:36

Splinter: Official Clip - Get Out of the Car!

2:07

Splinter: Official Clip - I'm Going to Have to Cut It

2:58

Splinter: Official Clip - The Fire!

2:13

Splinter: Official Clip - A Man With Spikes

2:12

Splinter: Official Clip - A Severed Hand

2:21

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Synopsis

When their plans for a nature trip go awry, Polly Watt (Jill Wagner) and boyfriend Seth Belzer (Paulo Costanzo) decide to check into a motel. On their way, they're carjacked and kidnapped by low-rent crooks Dennis Farell (Shea Whigham) and Lacey Belisle (Rachel Krebs), who take the victims and their SUV to a nearby gas station. Along the way, they encounter an increasingly terrifying horde of parasites, and if any of them intend to survive, they'll have to outsmart the deadly organisms.

Director: Toby Wilkins
Producer: Kai Barry, Ted Kroeber
Screenwriter: Kai Barry, Ian Shorr
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
Production Co: Kish Prods.
Rating: R (Language|Gore|Violence)
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 31, 2008, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 19, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $12.9K
Runtime: 1h 22m

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