Frightfest 2022: ‘Splinter’ Review
Stars: Jim Thalman, Kristin Muri, Quincy Saadeh, Tom Martin | Written by Tom Ryan, Todd Staruch | Directed by Tom Ryan
Splinter sees Scott Wills return to his childhood home, inherited from his now-deceased mother, with his own family – to start fresh and rekindle his roots. Roots being the operative word… You see Scott’s mother gave him up as a child, handing him over to relatives who raised him far away from his ancestral home… Though not HIS ancestral home… Whilst renovating the property Scott gets a small splinter in his foot. That’s nothing right? Well for Scott that minor inconvenience turns into an infection and infection that comes with visions, fever dreams and a rather nasty look side-effect…
Running less than an hour, Splinter starts off simple enough. Yes, we know this is a genre film and if, like me, you’ve seen a myriad of these films before, you know returning to your childhood home in a horror film is never a good idea. As is certainly the case here. Also in horror there are certain themes that are omnipresent: victims can come back to haunt their perpetrator; never mess with Mother Nature; parents will avenge the death of their children; never ignore infections; and you know NEVER to piss off indigenous people. Well, guess what? There’s a reason Scott was sent away from his family home. His dad did just that!
Splinter actually takes a handful of those ideas and blends them into a tale that feels very familiar yet never derivative. The consequences of the titular splinter are far and wide. It taps into the idea that nature never forgets, in this case the actions of Scott’s father come back to haunt his son through the very wood that penetrates Scott’s skin – unlocking memories of not only Scott but also the very land his house is built on. For the forest was sacred to the indigenous people who were forced off the land that Scott’s father helped turn into the town Scott grew up in…
If you’ve seen a number of similar horror films you know where Splinter is headed and it does it with aplomb. Mainly thanks to the performance of Jim Thalman as Scott. As the film progresses he has to run the gamut of emotions and then has to add a strained physicality to his performance as the infection takes hold of his body and his mind. For Scott starts to have weird visions of a forest, then said forest starts to be cut down, then Scott’s infection spreads from his foot to his leg, to eventually his entire torso. An infection that is Mother Nature AND the indigenous people’s – who thought the forest sacred; a forest that used to build the homes the townsfolk live in, including Scott’s home – revenge. And it’s all told through Thalman’s performance.
Ultimately Splinter is a case of a son paying for the sins of the father, the younger generation paying the price for the older generations crimes against the indigenous people and the land they called sacred. And it’s a theme that is STILL relevant in modern America!
**** 4/5
Splinter screened as part of this year’s Arrow Video London Frightfest.
