Splice: Why The Sci-Fi Horror Movie Took So Long To Make
In total, Splice took a decade to make and release due to the outstanding creature effects required to make Dren (Delphine Chanèac)—the 2009 sci-fi/horror movie's creature—come to life.
Directed by Vincenzo Natali, a name already familiar to horror fans due to his 1997 sci-fi/horror movie, Cube, the movie serves as a sort of cautionary tale about the potential perils that coincide with genetic experimentation and the subsequent creation of animal/human hybrids. In 2019, Japan approved the first human-animal embryo experiments, a decade after Splice was released; the technology does exist, but many scientists have tread cautiously for several reasons. Not only is there a concern with the unknown—something that has been explored in numerous films within the sub-genre—but the questions of morality surrounding such experiments.
In Splice, Clive (Adrian Brody) and Elsa (Sarah Polley) conduct their experiment to create Dren (Chanéac) in secret and intend to euthanize the creature, but are unable to as she starts to develop and grow; her human traits develop like a small, curious child, and she becomes particularly dear to Elsa, who nurtures her with a maternal instinct.Because it was important for the creature to be shocking, but also human-like, the task of creating Dren through every stage of her evolution fell to incredible VFX and practical FX masters. Bob Munroe, who worked with Natali before handled the primary wave of VFX and Amro Attia worked on creature design.
In a 2010 interview with Animation World Network, Bob Munroe talked about creating the different stages of Dren and how it all came together. According to Munroe, Delphine Chanéac played a major role in how every stage of the creature worked in tandem; her performance inspired some of the creature's expressions, movements, to keep symmetry in every stage. Since Natali was inspired by an actual scientific experiment for Splice, it became even more important to show the gradual development and evolution of Dren from the smallest of stages to a fully-grown, mature adult female. Said Munroe, "Dren is complex and evolves very quickly from a little, hairless, bird-like, lizard creature to a very attractive, young female in almost no time."
Since it was so important to Natali to make Dren a sympathetic creature—her character development and the plot rested heavily on this translating well to audiences—the younger forms of the creature were even endearing. In one scene, a young, childlike Dren is playing with blocks and spells out her own name, prompting surprise and delight from Elsa, as this is a clear sign of her intelligence. Dren is "nerd" spelled backwards, and "nerd" directly translates to the program that Elsa and Clive work for, Nucleic Exchange Research and Development, or N.E.R.D. This also proves that the growing specimen is aware of her surroundings, able to pick up subtle clues and relate them to something as simple as letter blocks.
Apparently, the primary reason for the production taking so long was finding the right actor for the role. Once Chanéac was cast in the role, she became a muse for Munroe and his team, allowing for the perfect Dren. Everything from her movements to her eyes became integrated in the different elements of the creature design, though there were still a few stumbling blocks along the way. During what is arguably Dren's biggest transformation in Splice, when she develops wings and changes her sex from female to male, it took some creative maneuvering to figure out the "natural ribbing" in the movement that caused the retraction and slow reveal. All in all, 18 months was dedicated to VFX and creature design work for a stunning final product.