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.

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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

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