Synopsis

A young couple's camping trip turns into a nightmare when an escaped convict hijacks their car and a flat tire forces them into an abandoned gas station. There, the three strangers discover a parasitic organism that infects living creatures, violently reshapes their bodies, and animates their remains. Trapped inside the station, they must cooperate, improvise weapons, and find a way to survive the relentless creature.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film was made on a tight schedule, with approximately 21 principal shooting days. Some major action sequences had to be completed in half a day because the damaged gas station set required hours to rebuild between takes.

• The gas station was an abandoned concrete structure outside Oklahoma City. Production designer Jennifer Spence and her husband, Tom Spence, transformed it into the brightly lit, glass-fronted location seen in the film.

• The creature was developed from an idea that Toby Wilkins and creature designer George Cawood had discussed before Wilkins became involved with the screenplay. Its ability to manipulate a host's skeleton was intended to be more disturbing than a monster that simply kills its victims.

• The parasite's physical behavior was built largely through practical effects and live performers. The infected movements used several specialists, including a gymnast, a mime, and a stunt performer.

• Wilkins deliberately made the creature an instinct-driven entity rather than an intelligent villain. Its movements and attacks are based on physical impulse, giving it an unfamiliar and unpredictable quality.

• The creature's human form was designed to work with the film's limited budget. Instead of requiring a large animatronic monster, the production used infected human bodies as the basis for its distorted shapes.

• The film was shot near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and had a limited U.S. theatrical release on October 31, 2008.

• Before its theatrical release, the film aired on HDNet Movies on October 29, 2008.

• Splinter won six awards at the 2008 Screamfest Horror Film Festival: Best Picture, Best Directing, Best Editing, Best Special Effects, Best Make-Up, and Best Musical Score.

• The arm-amputation sequence received a nomination for Most Memorable Mutilation at the 2009 Scream Awards.