Every decade has its ups and downs when it comes to cinema, no matter the genre. Horror fans love to loft on high the output of the ‘30s & ‘40s, the ‘70s & ‘80s, and the more recent decades. More often than not, however, the 1990s are labeled as the worst decade for the genre. Not only that, but ‘90s horror tends to be written off as a whole, beyond a handful of undisputed classics. The purpose of Exhumed & Exonerated: The ‘90s Horror Project, is to refute those accusations by highlighting numerous gems from the decade. Stone cold classics will be tackled in this column from time to time, but its main purpose will be to seek out lesser-known and/or less-loved titles that I think deserve more attention and respect from fans. Let the mayhem begin!

SPECIES

Directed by Roger Donaldson
Screenplay by Dennis Feldman
Produced by Frank Mancuso Jr. & Dennis Feldman
Starring Natasha Henstridge, Ben Kingsley, Michael Madsen, Marg Helgenberger, Forest Whitaker, Alfred Molina, and Michelle Williams.
Released on July 7, 1995

In 1974, S.E.T.I. (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) sent the Arecibo Message out into the cosmos. Among many other tidbits of information, it contained details on human DNA and the Earth’s population at the time. In 1993, they received a response. The first bit of information returned to us gave humanity the formula for creating a new renewable energy source. The second part of the response dished out plans to splice alien DNA with our own. S.E.T.I. jumped with delight, of course, and set about growing some embryos based on the latter. After all, these unknown pen pals gave us a rad new fuel source, so why not trust in them enough to create an alien/human hybrid?

We all know this was a big mistake, but it’d be no fun if the film’s scientists hadn’t rolled with it. Personally, we also kind of had it coming. After all, we were dumb enough to send our biological and population information into the stars. That’s like a termite walking out of the wall in your house and announcing how many of them there are and where this nest is. It’s basically like placing an intergalactic “kick me” sign on our own backs.

The film opens in media res, with all of the above already having occurred. We don’t find out the specifics until later on. Instead, the opening sequence relies more on emotion than information. We see a young girl residing in a quarantined environment, with some scientists looking on. Chief among them is Xavier Fitch (Ben Kingsley), who has a grim look upon his face. It soon becomes evident that they are terminating the girl, who is played by a young Michelle Williams for the first third of the film.

She looks confused and terrified at first, then downright sad once she realizes what is happening. Fitch himself begins to cry as well, as a team of technicians pumps cyanide gas into the girl’s chamber. Naturally this gaseous killshot has no effect on her and she escapes, necessitating the assemblage of a team of experts to track her down.

Our team is comprised of molecular biologist Dr. Laura Baker (Marg Helgenberger), anthropologist Dr. Stephen Arden (Alfred Molina), empath Dan Smithson (Forest Whitaker), and government assassin Preston Lennox (Michael Madsen). Fitch briefs them on the situation (where the above exposition comes in) and then joins them on their mission to take the girl, Sil, down.

They track her across the country as she leaves a few bodies in her wake, with most initial kills occurring out of fear or the need for survival. After gorging on food and cocooning herself, she emerges as a fully-formed adult woman, played by Natasha Henstridge in her debut role. From there on out, with her biological clock ticking, Sil is determined to find a suitable mate so that she can reproduce.

I’m a sucker for monster movies, particularly science fiction-tinged ones. There’s just something about the melding of both the horror and sci-fi genres that speaks to me. Species has elements of both genres in spades; playing like an early-‘80s Corman riff on Alien, but with an A-picture budget. It even has the requisite nudity that old school Corman exploitation films always contained, although the results are less sleazy here.

The plot here is pretty standard fare, albeit with a higher budget than usual. When threatened, she morphs into her alien form, which comes courtesy of some absolutely fantastic physical effects created by the great Steve Johnson. We’re also treated to the occasional CGI version. Those particular FX shots are obviously dated now, but on the whole, they still work. Sil’s design was created by none other than H.R. Giger and much like his unforgettable work in Alien, she’s a pretty iconic creation.

Species is well-directed and the script is pretty tight, but what really elevates this film above your standard DTV monster movie fare is the cast. Everyone here is on point, with none of the main cast members phoning it in. Michael Madsen is an actor I like, but he’s often not used well in films, particularly recently. Quentin Tarantino has always managed to pull some nice performances out of him, but that’s not always true of other directors. Lucky for us, New Zealand-filmmaker Roger Donaldson (No Way Out, Thirteen Days) hews closer to the former than the latter.

Preston Lennox easily could have been your standard government stooge tough guy role, but Madsen plays him far more subdued than most might have. If the need calls for it, Lennox will immediately spring to action, but on the whole he is rather laid back. Instead of launching to the forefront in every situation, he often tends to hang back and just observe his surroundings. There’s an air of loneliness about him that makes for an interesting juxtaposition when you factor in his matter-of-factness. Ever the professional, Lennox knows his role and his mind is almost always on the job, which is something to be admired in a character that would now probably be blandly portrayed by Charlie Hunnam.

Alongside Madsen, Forest Whitaker is the other standout here, which should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with him. As psychically-gifted “empathy” Dan, Whitaker gets loads of scenery to chew on, though never goes over-the-top in his mastication. His abilities weird out his cohorts, but in the face of them all being on a manhunt for an alien/human hybrid, no screentime is wasted on the other characters scoffing at his gifts. Thankfully, they all just roll with it, which is positively refreshing.

The remaining three team members are all scientists and approach things from an entirely different perspective. Fitch seems utterly conflicted throughout; wanting to stamp out the obvious threat to humanity, but also utterly remorseful for having to kill what pretty much amounts to his adopted child. Baker and Arden seem bummed about the prospect of killing such an interesting specimen and are at first fascinated by all around them, but that too gives way to the mission at hand. All too often we are given a team full of in-fighting in a film like Species, making the lack of such a narrative crush yet another breath of fresh air.

Lastly, of course, is Sil herself. Both Michelle Williams and Natasha Henstridge sell her constant fear, sadness, and confusion extremely well. Combined, the performances manage to gel into this weird, innocent, and occasionally creepy character. It’s telling that Sil could have busted out of her cell at any time before the start of the film, but chose not to until she was endangered. The same goes for her first three kills.

The homeless man and the train worker are both killed out of fear, not malice. Hell, even her first mating kill is done in self-defense. After being taken home for sex by a man she meets in a club, Sil decides that he isn’t a suitable mate for her after all. Her initial instinct is to simply leave his home and seek another mate, leaving him unharmed. It isn’t until after he attempts to force himself on her that she lashes out and takes his life.

This in turn informs her next sexual encounter, where Sil becomes more aggressive when it comes to making her desires known. Was Sil being rougher with her second suitor because she assumed the way her first suitor acted was how all human men were? It seems likely. Sil might be a sexually violent woman (something the film was criticized for upon release), but she was absolutely driven to it by male sexual aggression.

In a world where misogynists proclaim loudly that women are only here to look pretty and have babies, Sil has a counter-argument: men are only good for sperm and not all men are worthy of her sexual attention. This, along with her iconic look, makes her a rarity in the pantheon of memorable horror characters.

Species is not a perfect film, nor an underseen one (it did spawn 3 sequels, after all), but I do feel that it is an underrated one. It is well-directed, is tightly-paced, has stellar special FX, and contains good characters. It also has a great concept and monster design. That alone makes it worthy enough to be considered a good ‘90s horror film. Add in the fact that it is the inspiration for the “chupacabra” myth and there’s no denying Species‘ place in both film and cultural history.

Up Next: Mute Witness (1995)

Previously On…
Species | Mute Witness | Popcorn | Wishmaster | Alien 3 | Cast A Deadly Spell
Disturbing Behavior | The Sect | The Addams Family