A horrifying monster movie had no chance against Toy Story 3, especially not this monster movie
Here's why Splice was never going to be the next big horror franchise
Director Vincenzo Natale has shown a knack for being tuned into the zeitgeist when it comes to
horror and sci-fi. His 1997 feature film debut, Cube, preceded the Saw franchise by pitting
strangers against sadistic traps meant to test their wits and will to live. His second film
2002's Cypher features the same paranoid atmosphere and cyberpunk noir aesthetics as The Matrix
and other sci-fi thrillers from the same time. Even when he shifted to working in TV
Natali found himself directing trailblazing genre series like Hannibal and Westworld. However, Natali's 2010 film Splice didn't fare quite so well. The movie was picked up by The
Matrix producer Joel Silver and Warner Bros. at the Sundance Film Festival in 2010
The pair had high hopes for Natali's mid-budget sci-fi horror movie, with reports at the time claiming they thought they found the next paranormal activity But in spite of its positive reviews and heavy marketing push Splice failed to make much of an impression on the movie masses
Adrian Brody and Sarah Pauly star in Splice as a pair of geneticists who decide to throw
caution to the wind and splice together different types of animal DNA to create a human-animal hybrid
Their creation, Dren, is a rapidly developing human-like creature that has gills, retractable
wings, a large tail with a stinger, and other traits that make it very dangerous
Things take a turn for the twisted as the movie blends disturbing acts of sex and violence
while exploring the deeper themes of creator-creation relationships and humankind's arrogance. Human cloning is illegal. This won't be human
Unsurprisingly, Guillermo del Toro was attracted to this Frankenstein-style tale early on and
served as an executive producer. In fact, the relevancy of Splice wasn't lost on anyone
one, with Roger Ebert writing in his review, "...well-timed to open soon after genome pioneer Craig Venter's announcement of a self-replicating
cell here a halfway serious science fiction movie about two researchers who slipped some human DNA into a cloning experiment Comparisons to David Cronenberg body horror work were also unavoidable
as were those likening the film to a more self-serious riff on Roger Donaldson's 1995
sci-fi thriller Species. However, the dour tone and nasty plot twists and splice made it divisive
among critics, with some slamming the film as being little more than a lewd B-movie hiding
beneath a slick surface. Audiences weren't exactly wowed by Splice, giving it a D-cinema
score when it opened in theaters on June 4, 2010. The film went on to gross $28.5 million
at the box office against a $30 million budget. Joel Silver's Dark Castle Entertainment label
perhaps took the biggest hit after it committed upwards of $35 million to purchase and promote the
movie following its run on the festival circuit. It seems that Splice simply couldn't live up to
its expectations. Where paranormal activity has an accessible premise and ample jump scares, lending itself
to box office success Natali tale of parentage and playing God is far too twisted and grisly to appeal to mainstream tastes The movie was never intended to launch a franchise either As Natali explained around the time of its release the film ominous open final scene was meant to encourage people to think deeper
about the themes at the heart of Splice, not launch a franchise. It's also worth noting that Warner Bros.' decision to release Splice
in the middle of the 2010 summer movie season likely impacted its success
Unfortunately, Splice was forced to go head-to-head with the biggest blockbusters of the Year, and was quickly pushed aside to make room for crowd-pleasers like Toy Story 3
and Despicable Me. As for Natali, spliced bombing wasn't necessarily bad for the director's career
Near the time of the film's release, Natali was linked to some major studio projects
He ended up moving on with Netflix's successful adaptation of Stephen King and Joe Hill's
In the Tall Grass, as well as Lock and Key. Essentially, the streaming revolution has
afforded Natali more freedom to continue telling the creepy and unsettling stories
he's always been most drawn to. Which can only be a good thing