Splinter (2008) (Blu Ray) - 5/10

I am always down for a scary monster movie with special fx and heard Splinter was pretty good so I decided to check it out this afternoon. The concept is trademark horror where a couple who go camping have their car break down only to be bullied by a pair of criminals who take them hostage at a gas station. I appreciated the smaller budget look of the film and outdoor locations but I could tell from the start that this wasn't going to live up to my high standards. What seems like a virus that's taking over small animals is actually this Splinter creature who takes control of the host and grows huge black spikes out of everywhere turning it into a killing machine. As there are basically only 4 characters in the movie, it was frustrating to think that would be the only body count I would see. As the pace quickens and a person gets infected, it turns into a survival story inside the gas station trying to outsmart this weird splinter person attacking them. For me though, it seemed that i'd seen this scenario before and really didn't care enough for these characters to get invested in the story. With barely any special fx and a little bit of gore, the movie doesn't push any boundaries or have enough scares to continues throughout it's runtime. Even the couple befriending the serial killer to help kill this monster seemed contrived and by the end, I was just ready for it to be over. In the end, this movie is being marketed as a monster movie but really is just a lame excuse to show this contagion of splinters that take over humans and animals. Splinter wasn't nearly as good as I'd hoped.