If you’re like me, you would look at a movie like Splice and not expect too much. All the previews seem to indicate a sci-fi horror flick that’s very generic. After seeing the movie I can safely say that nothing could be further from the truth. As a horror movie it doesn’t contain a whole lot of scares but it is intriguing and difficult to look away. The special effects add to the realism thanks to Guillermo del Toro’s involvement in the movie. Overall the movie is very well done with a story that not only keeps you on the edge of your seat but is disturbing on many levels. If you want to avoid spoilers I suggest you stop reading right now.
The movie starts off with Sarah Polly and Adrian Brody playing two genetic scientists named Clive and Elisa. The two are working on creating a protein which they can use to make drugs that can cure all sorts of diseases. To perform this miracle they create two creatures which are a hybrid of about 5 other animals, and getting them to mate. They are soon told that they will be shut down long before they can enter the human DNA testing phase. Not to be deterred, they decide to go ahead and use the human DNA anyway. The result is cute little creature that looks something like a cross between a baby and a rabbit with a tale. Seeing as how the thing was born with a vicious stinger and attacks the first person it sees, you’d think killing it would be the smart choice, but due to the fact they have desires to raise a baby, they decide to watch the creature and see where the experiment goes. Elisa begins to get close to the creature and names her DERN (NERD spelled backwards). Clive seems to go back and forth between wanting to keep the creature alive and not but in the end does more to hide DERN than anyone else.
Eventually they learn the facility they work in is about to be remodeled. As a result they need to move DERN and decide the best place is an old farm Elisa grew up on. In the process we learn that Elisa didn’t have an ideal upbringing which would explain her desire to be a mother to DERN. Clive and Elisa being distracted with their new pet, see their original DNA project fall apart in what is a pretty vicious scene where their first set of mutants attack each other after one abruptly changed its sex ( I know but it gets weirder). Realizing that DERN contained similar DNA they secretly focus all their attention on DERN in the hope that she will be able to save the project.
DERN is starting to grow up and in the process, develops a crush on Clive. This wouldn’t be too bad if Clive wasn’t beginning to feel ignored by his wife and starts to look at DERN as something other than a daughter. This comes to a head when the two get caught having sex in the barn by none other than Elisa. When Elisa and Clive return to the barn they find that DERN has become very sick. She soon dies and is buried in the back yard.
It is at this time that the higher ups deicide to make an appearance at the barn to confront the two on the fact that the protein they have been working on now contains human DNA. They confess about the existence of DERN but tell their bosses not too worry and that DERN is dead and buried. In typical horror movie fashion, they speak to soon and are attacked by DERN who now seems to have turned male, just like her mutant cousins at the lab. He proceeds to pick them off one by one until he reaches Elisa and then proceeds to rape her so he can procreate. Clive manages to stop DERN for a moment but not long enough to get killed in the process. Elisa finishes off DERN and the audience is treated to a bit of a shocking ending that I won’t spoil for you.
Overall the movie is very good. It sets up the tension well and the special effects are incredibly well done. I highly recommend it to any horror or sci-fi fan.
