Nerdly » ‘Splinter’ Review (Amazon Prime)

03rd Nov2023

‘Splinter’ Review (Amazon Prime)

by Alain Elliott

Stars: Bill Fellows, Jane Asher, Michael McKell, Lucy-Jane Quinlan, Dylan Reeves-Fellows, Sharon Lawrence, Caleb J. Burton | Written and Directed by David Bryant

It’s never too early to review Christmas movies is it?! In fact, this isn’t the first Christmas horror movie I’ve reviewed for Nerdly this year, but now it’s November expect a few more. Splinter shows a man whose wife and son were murdered over Christmas, and he has now become a recluse. Despite Christmas now being long gone, the decorations and tree are still up, and he believes something or someone is watching him. Is it the ghosts of his wife and son, or something much worse?

Director David Bryant does a good job of making you forget about the movie’s low budget. He keeps the film character-driven, with plenty of dialogue and a strong story. It’s a brave move in low-budget horror because it is sometimes wise to hide the budget with gore, or jump scares but Splinter isn’t that type of movie and it’s better for it. It aims to go down the route of films such as Us, or Hereditary, where the main character or characters are dealing with some sort of trauma. In Splinter it is obviously the murder of the main character’s family.

Without a bigger budget, the cast has to be good here, and Bill Fellows in the lead role is just that. An experienced actor who has become best known for his recent roles in Coronation Street and Ted Lasso. But, as good as he is in those shows, his role on Splinter is much different and he excels because of it. Much of the time,he is on screen on his own, or with lesser experienced actors but he is great in both scenarios. The other stand-out is Michael McKell. I remembered him from Emmerdale (Splinter is a good promotional tool for UK soap operas apparently), and the scenes in which he and Fellows share are the best in the movie. McKell comes across as really charismatic, and I really enjoyed him in Splinter.

This is not the most Christmassy of Christmas horror movies though. There is good reason to use that kind of setting though, and it helps as a visual of what the main characters is going through. The tree and lights are put to good use too, and we get Christmas jumpers seen, so I’d include it on my Christmas movie list.

I was impressed with the score too. It kept up the intensity, and the almost depressing feeling that a lot of the movie has. The writer and director does well to convey the mental health of the lead character. We understand what he is going through and why, and the OCD, and the agoraphobia. These are all covered in a sensitive way.

Despite Splinter covering a more psychological side of horror, it doesn’t forget that some horror fans like something a bit more in your face. And the movie produces a couple of genuinely shocking moments. Unfortunately, David Bryant’s film will probably go a little under the radar. But if horror fans are looking for something less mainstream and more original, you could do much worse than checking out Splinter.