What is Dren from ‘Splice’ and how were they created?

In 2010, the sci-fi horror movie Splice hit theaters to a wide range of opinions, splitting critics and audiences almost directly down the middle. 

Starring Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley as genetic engineers Clive and Elsa, the movie is a good example of the saying, “be careful what you wish for.” Clive and Elsa thought they knew what they were doing when they started splicing different DNA together to create a new hybrid species. But as we all know, playing God never goes as planned. The resulting creature is dangerous and deadly and causes irrefutable havoc for the pair. 

Mixing in psychosexual elements that leave the viewer feeling both perturbed and disturbed, Splice unsurprisingly was met with mixed reviews and as a result, fell short of earning back the $30 million the studio put into the film. However, thanks in part to Guillermo del Toro’s executive producing credits on the film and his presence in the movie industry to this day, including his recent anthology series Cabinet of Curiosities, the movie has seen a resurgence on streaming. Now more than ever, horror and sci-fi lovers have set their sights on Splice, and because the movie can be a little tough to wrap your head around, we’ve gone ahead and done it for you.

What exactly is Dren and how and how were they created?

The movie starts out with Clive and Elsa — two genetic engineers at a medical company called Newstead — helping deliver the birth of a worm-like creature named Fred, who they created by splicing together different animal DNA. They place Fred in a tank with another worm-like creature named Ginger. Fred and Ginger end up mating, and Clive and Elsa use their embryo to splice together with human DNA to create Hitch-50, aka Dren.

At first, Clive and Elsa had no intention of keeping Dren, but after Elsa experiences an emotional connection to the hybrid creature they decide to keep Dren alive. What results is a rollercoaster ride of twists and turns, a few fatalities, and more than enough uncomfortable scenes to give you the heebie-jeebies.

If you’re curious as to why we refer to Dren as they and not she, well, you’ll just have to watch the movie. Here’s more information on how you can stream the film.