Splice
"They created something new. They named her Dren. They called her their experiment. She had other ideas."
What Is Splice (2009) About?
Splice is a deeply uncomfortable film that earns its discomfort by being genuinely intelligent about the questions it raises. Two genetic engineers — Clive (Adrien Brody) and Elsa (Sarah Polley) — are engaged in legitimate pharmaceutical research splicing animal DNA to create organisms that produce medically useful proteins. Discreetly, they go further — splicing in human DNA to create a new hybrid creature they name Dren.
Dren develops at astonishing speed — physically, intellectually, and emotionally. The film explores the increasingly complicated ethics of her creation: was she made? Was she born? Is she their child? Their experiment? Their property? And what obligations, if any, do her creators owe her? These questions build to one of the most disturbing third acts in sci-fi horror.
Movie Recap — Splice (2009)
Splice (2009) — Complete Plot Recap & Explained
Clive and Elsa are celebrities in the genetic research world — young, brilliant, admired. Their employer wants to move directly to proteins. Elsa pushes for one more experiment. Against all ethical frameworks, all institutional approval, and Clive's better judgement, they splice human DNA into their organism and bring a new life into being.
Dren grows at extraordinary speed. What begins as an ambiguous blob becomes recognisably humanoid within weeks — a creature with a woman's face, bald head, bent backward legs, a barbed tail, and eventually wings. She is clearly intelligent. She shows curiosity, attachment, frustration, and desire. Elsa, despite her professed scientific detachment, treats Dren as a child — naming her, bonding with her, projecting onto her.
Moved to a remote farm for secrecy, Dren's development accelerates. She can communicate using letter tiles. She develops complex emotional states — including destructive ones. She kills the farm cat. She develops sexual attraction to Clive. When Elsa cuts off Dren's tail (in a scene that functions as a disturbing parenting metaphor), Dren's trust in her is destroyed.
Clive and Dren have a sexual encounter — something the film handles with clinical discomfort rather than titillation. When Elsa discovers this, the already fractured relationships collapse entirely. Elsa's response is to treat Dren with total cruelty — cutting her hair, restraining her, reducing her to a pure research subject.
Male Dren kills Clive and sexually assaults Elsa before being killed himself. The film ends with Elsa at a corporate meeting — she is pregnant with Dren's child, and the pharmaceutical company is fully aware and interested. They offer her a substantial payment to carry the child to term and allow the genetic material to be studied.
Elsa agrees. The film's final shot — her empty expression, the deal made — lands the thesis completely.
Characters & Cast Breakdown
Themes & What the Film Is Really Saying
Splice is the most intellectually serious film about genetic ethics in the horror genre — asking not "could we?" but "what are we owed by what we create?"
Verdict — Is Splice (2009) Worth Watching?
Challenging, Disturbing Sci-Fi Horror with Genuine Intellectual Courage
Splice is not an easy watch. It earns its discomfort with genuine thematic ambition and two performances at their career best. It holds a 74% on Rotten Tomatoes for critics who appreciated what it was attempting. The final act is deeply unpleasant — but the film is making points, not wallowing. Approach with appropriate expectations and you'll find something genuinely memorable.
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