James Gunn is one of the most influential and high-profile filmmakers in Hollywood today, but even he has a few surprising titles on his resume. Well before he entered his Marvel and DC eras, Gunn sat in the director’s chair for his first and only horror movie, and it just hit free streaming this December.
Fresh off the heels of writing Zack Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead remake and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, Gunn made his directorial debut with the 2006 horror comedy Slither, which he also wrote. The movie, about a small South Carolina town invaded by an alien organism determined to devour all life on Earth, joined Tubi’s free streaming lineup on December 1st. Slither stars Nathan Fillion, Elizabeth Banks, Tania Saulnier, Gregg Henry, and Michael Rooker.
Slither Is One of James Gunn’s Best Movies
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Gunn has released plenty of great movies over the years, but Slither remains one of his best. An homage to classic ’80s creature features like Night of the Creeps and The Thing, the movie effectively sowed the seeds of Gunn’s signature style and showcased his deep love for genre filmmaking. The film is gross-out fun at its best, featuring genuinely unsettling and disgusting body horror, like alien slugs trying to infect hosts and gnarly transformations all brought to life with impressive practical effects, but also features plenty of sharp humor and witty dialogue to keep viewers laughing. The movie is a must-watch for horror fans and absolutely delivers on its promise to provide all of the gory blood and guts of monster mayhem without taking itself too seriously.
Despite flopping at the box office with just a $12 million worldwide gross against a $15 million budget and remaining an underrated gem, Slither did become a critical hit. The film’s “Certified Fresh” 87% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes even delivered Gunn his fifth-highest-rated movie of all time after The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, Avengers: Endgame, Guardians of the Galaxy, and The Suicide Squad. Slither’s audience rating is a bit lower at 63%, which puts it in the top 15 of Gunn’s films with the highest audience approval, but the movie has gained a dedicated cult following in the nearly two decades since its release and has landed a spot on lists of the best horror movies of the 2000s and of all time.
Other Horror Movies Now on Tubi
Tubi has an impressive horror catalog of titles all streaming completely free, and it grows every month with new additions. In addition to Slither, December brought horror hits like House At The End Of The Street, The Menu, Oculus, 2019’s Pet Sematary remake, and Underworld. Other newly streaming horror additions include All Fun And Games, Climax, The Hole In The Ground, The Hitcher, Life After Beth, and Men.
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