Splinter is a fairly entertaining B-movie horror flick. The premise is fairly simple, a young couple is heading on a camping trip when they are carjacked in the middle of nowhere by a fugitive and his sick girlfriend.  The carjackers take them to a gas station, not knowing that the station has been infected by a parasitic, blob like creature covered in mysterious splinters.  the rest of the film involves them trying to survive and outmaneuver the creature, who has them trapped in the confines of the gas station.

For a B-movie, the special effects are quite decent. The creature/parasite itself is pretty unique in that I can’t remember seeing anything like it in any other movie of this type. The story is also fairly well written. However, people who watch a lot of these types of movies will recognize some borrowed elements from other similar creature/parasite type flicks. Many of the occurrences in this film seem quite tame when compared to those in “The Ruins.” Still, the movie is pretty good and if you don’t watch many movies of this type, this one will definitely keep you on your toes.

The acting is actually pretty decent for a movie of this genre. The camping couple, Seth (Paulo Costanzo best known as Joey Tribbiani’s brother on the show “Joey”) and Polly (the ultra hot Jill Wagner who I have only seen before in ‘Blade:The Series‘) are both likable and intelligent.  This is very refreshing for a movie of this type compared to your usual “I’m going to walk in that dark alley and see what’s in there” dimwits that usually populate these types of films. The carjacking couple are far less memorable and its quite hard to even care about them once they are introduced in the film.

Overall, the film is decently entertaining, even if it’s not the most original or innovative flick out there.  The film has its share of gory moments, however they are relatively tame compared to the recent rash of torture porn films that are so popular nowadays. If you’re looking for a good rental with some creepy and tense moments, this is a good choice.