Slither (15)

Apr 28 2006 By Graham Young, Birmingham Mail

THIS comedy-horror doesn't promise much considering writer-director James Gunn wrote the execrable Scooby Doo 2.

But it's a surprisingly well-made homage to various 50s B-movies and David Cronenberg's 70s shockers like Shivers and Rabid - as well as being the funniest film of its kind since Shaun of the Dead two years ago.

Slither's biggest problem is that it divides the laughs and the horror and runs out of dramatic steam by falling between two stools. It ain't no Tremors.

Still, for compensation try imagining that Grant (Michael Rooker) is actually Bullseye's Jim Bowen on steroids.

And there's also the shapely form of blonde wife Starla (Elizabeth Banks) and bath victim Kylie (Tania Saulnier).

Canadian star Nathan Fillion (Firefly) headlines the cast as cop Bill Pardy in a South Carolina town where slugs are slithering around looking for humans to bury their way into.

The effects are very impressive for a lower budget movie, but unlikely to give anyone real nightmares afterwards.