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 Farrell (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.

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

10/31/2008

3/5

[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.

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Kyle Smith

New York Post

10/31/2008

2/4

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

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Joe Morgenstern

Wall Street Journal

10/31/2008

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.

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Patrick Cavanaugh

The Wolfman Cometh

Sep 12

4/5

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

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Kat Hughes

THN

03/12/2025

2/5

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.

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Trace Thurman

Bloody Disgusting

03/28/2023

4/5

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

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Scott B

@sburke802 Mar 5

Good Flick for a Quick Watch

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Rich C.

@Cordu0702 Feb 8

Very solid 4. A must watch. Blew me away from start to finish.

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Calvin T

@Calvin504 Jan 28

That shit was nothing more than a B Grade Tubi movie

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Craig B

@Boundsy Nov 12

Very unique and entertaining (and grotesque!) Horror flick. Very worthwhile watch, not least with the lovely Jill Wagner in the lead role.

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Gabriel T

@GabrielFagundes Nov 9

It's quite cool. An interesting creature feature, a bit unique. Good story, good characters, expected photography for a 2000s, some shaken camera...

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C B

@RT03025588 02/12/2025

"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.

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Toby Wilkins

Director

Shea Whigham

Dennis

Paulo Costanzo

Seth

Jill Wagner

Polly

Rachel Krebs

Lacey

Laurel Whitsett

Sheriff Frankel

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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 Farrell (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