Splice
Two rebellious genetic engineers create a human-animal hybrid whose rapidly changing nature turns scientific ambition into intimate biological horror.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- eerie
- disturbing
- sardonic
- late night horror
- science fiction double feature
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film intelligent, visually accomplished, and provocative in its treatment of bioethics, even while some considered its script uneven and its horror formulaic.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Clive and Elsa secretly splice human DNA into experimental organisms despite explicit orders to stop.
The researchers become guardians of Dren while repeatedly treating her development as an experiment to manage.
Dren's changing anatomy, including her tail, stinger, and wings, forms the film's central visual spectacle.
The laboratory experiment gradually invades the couple's private life and becomes a disturbing family dynamic.
Films like Splice, and why
The Fly
Shares bioethical anxiety, grotesque creature design, sexualized body horror, and scientific experimentation.
The Brood
Shares Canadian auteur science fiction horror, unsettling biological transformation, and Freudian family dynamics.
eXistenZ
Shares transgressive genetic experimentation, corporate science, and sleek, disturbing body horror.
Rosemary's Baby
Shares reproductive dread, secret experimentation, and escalating domestic horror centered on an unnatural child.
Movie Details
- Director
- Vincenzo Natali
- Release Date
- 2010-06-03
- Runtime
- 104 min
- Rating
- 5.9 / 10 (2532)
Cast
- Adrien Brody
- Sarah Polley
- Delphine Chanéac
- David Hewlett
- Abigail Chu
- Stephanie Baird
- Brandon McGibbon
- Amanda Brugel
- Simona Măicănescu
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Google Play Movies, YouTube
- Buy
- Google Play Movies, YouTube
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Splice about?
- Two rebellious genetic engineers create a human-animal hybrid whose rapidly changing nature turns scientific ambition into intimate biological horror.
- What is Splice like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Splice as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Splice violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Splice as graphic.
- What did critics think of Splice?
- Critics broadly found the film intelligent, visually accomplished, and provocative in its treatment of bioethics, even while some considered its script uneven and its horror formulaic.
- Which films are like Splice?
- Films with a similar feel include The Fly, The Brood, eXistenZ, and Rosemary's Baby.
- How long is Splice?
- Splice runs 104 minutes.
- Where can I watch Splice?
- In United States, Splice is available to rent or buy from Google Play Movies, YouTube.
