By Matthew Eppinette, CBC New Media Manager
Splice is a science fiction / horror film about genetic experimentation gone wrong. Clive and Elsa (Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley) are scientists working to combine strands of DNA from multiple animals to create a new organism that will generate proteins aimed at curing animal diseases. Achieving success in their animal experiments, Elsa is anxious to move on to working with human DNA. However, the pharmaceutical company for which they work is focused on generating quick profits on animal cures, and announces they are retooling the lab for protein research rather than DNA research.
Elsa convinces Clive to initiate a human DNA experiment, simply to see if they can get the genes to combine. Away from everyone else in the lab, they start the experiment, then move it to the next step, then to the next — each time promising one another they will stop the experiment before the step is complete — until a full-term creature is born (via an artificial womb).