Species
Roger Donaldson
(1995)
In 1993, the Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence Project receives a transmission detailing an alien DNA structure, along with instructions on how to splice it with human DNA. The result is Sil, a sensual but deadly creature who can change from a beautiful woman to an armour-plated killing machine in the blink of an eye.
Cast
Crew
Overview and Horror Legacy
The ensemble assembled to play the pursuit team is notably strong for a genre production, including Ben Kingsley, Michael Madsen, Forest Whitaker, Alfred Molina, and Marg Helgenberger, each bringing a quality of professional credibility that grounds the film's more extravagant science fiction elements. Giger, the Swiss surrealist artist who had designed the xenomorph creature for Ridley Scott's Alien in 1979, was commissioned to design Sil's alien form, bringing his characteristic biomechanical aesthetic to a creature that needed to be simultaneously repellent and possessed of a terrible beauty.
Collector Market and Memorabilia
Giger's creature design — the alien Sil's biological aesthetic applied to a female humanoid form — is the film's defining collector element. The practical and CGI transition work and Henstridge's performance give the film a visual identity directly connected to the Alien franchise's design legacy.
Cult Status
Directed by Roger Donaldson, Species was produced on a budget of approximately $35 million, with the production offsetting its lean resources through craft and camera technique. The film more than proved its commercial viability at the box office, earning approximately $60 million.
