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Long One, also known with its host name Grant Grant is the main antagonist of the 2006 horror comedy film Slither.
It is an extraterrestrial parasitic lifeform who fatally infested Grant Grant, the husband of the film's protagonist Starla, and proceeded to feast on and destroy all life on Earth starting from the town of Wheelsy, South Carolina.
Through its host, it was portrayed by Michael Rooker, who also portrayed Terry Cruger in Sea of Love, Henry in Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, The Bone Collector in the film of the same name, Merle Dixon in The Walking Dead, Jamie Yost in Law & Order, Vikke in Lollipop Chainsaw, Yondu Udonta in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, Lutador in Vivo and Savant in The Suicide Squad.
Description[]
The Long One's biology is not detailed, but it is clear that it has a complex life cycle and structure, enabling it to travel through space and change into different physical forms. What is known is that it is a parasitic entity that can control hundreds, or perhaps even more, hosts simultaneously across its various forms. The Long One can take over any living creature, not just humans, but may favor humans because of their advanced cognitive and physical capabilities.
Needle[]
As described by Kylie Strutemyer, the Needle is the original form of the Long One and the form it takes when arriving on a new planet. It is named the Needle because it resembles a needle, though it is thicker and has a hairy tail. The Needle is encased in a sentient, gelatinous sac that opens when the Long One is ready to launch itself into a nearby host. Once it enters a host, the Needle merges with the host's brain, transforming the host into the Primary Host, from which it develops its hive mind.
Primary Host[]
The Primary Host is the constantly evolving form of the Long One. It initially looks like its original species but becomes increasingly deformed, eventually resembling a giant squid-like creature. This form is marked by whip-like tentacles that sprout from various parts of the Primary Host's body once it has fully mutated. When the Needle implanted itself into Grant, his appearance was a mix between a squid and John Carpenter's version of the Thing.
Womb[]
The Womb is the reproductive form of the Long One, created when the Primary Host implants genetic material into another host. The Womb continually feeds and grows, retaining some features of its host but expanding to an enormous size, eventually becoming a massive sphere of flesh. When it reaches its maximum size and can no longer grow, the Womb's body tears apart, releasing hundreds of Slugs.
Slugs[]
The Slugs are small, red, worm-like forms that move by slithering or swimming. Like the Needle, they also implant themselves into hosts, but they do so by being swallowed. The changes they cause are mostly behavioral rather than physical, although a physical symptom is bleeding from the mouth due to their forced entry.
Biography[]
Grant Grant was originally married to Starla Grant, but after a fight with her, he met up with his high school lover Brenda Gutierrez.
While exploring the woods, Grant comes across an alien egg, which had come from a meteor. This egg injected him with a strange substance, which began to mutate him into a host for the parasitic worms. As time past, he created a nest and obtained an unquenchable hunger for meat. As his body continued to mutate, he would eventually take over the body of local resident Brenda, whom he turned into a parasitic host. After infecting her, he locked her in a barn, where she slowly turned into a gigantic bloated blob. Also around this time, his body would continue to mutate into a grotesque tentacle mutant. His wife would eventually notice, and during a confrontation, he would assault her, but was stopped by a group of cops. The movie's protagonists eventually follow him into the woods, where they find Brenda, who explodes with thousands of tiny worms.
Although he was confronted in a field in his mutated state, he was eventually able to retreat home to his nest. Here, he telepathically commanded infected townspeople to become a part of his biomass. His human part of him still missed his wife, Starla, and so she used this to get up close to him. After she and Officer Bill made two unsuccessful attempts at killing him, they realized that they had to use propane to defeat him. His body was eventually blown up with propane, and he exploded from the inside.
Even so, it's later revealed Grant Grant's parasite survived and infected a cat at the end of the film.
Powers and Abilities[]
- Hivemind - Grant Grant has the ability to share his consciousness with all other parasites and infected hosts, as see when one of the infected individuals inherited the parasite's memories.
- Parasitic Infection - Grant Grant has the ability to infect other individuals and make them into breeders, as seen with Brenda.
- Mutant Physiology - Grant Grant's mutated body increased both his strength and size. This body created giant tentacles that he was able to use to throw others around the room.
- Superhuman Speed - Grant was seen being able to slither away from the officer at a superhuman speed.