'Splice' is the scream of the crop

When a movie calls itself "Splice," certain expectations are raised. Certainly there will be blood and soft tissue and much screaming. But guess what? That's the tame stuff.

A sneaky horror-thriller whose gory moments are setups for the real freak-outs to come, "Splice" may disappoint the torture-porn crowd but will delight fans of David Cronenberg, Roman Polanski and Guillermo del Toro (an executive producer here). Director and co-writer Vincenzo Natali borrows heavily from all three but repays his debt with interest.

Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley star as Clive and Elsa, a couple of genetic engineering superstars (they're on the cover of Wired) whose goal is to develop lifesaving drugs. Behind closed doors, however, they're pushing the ethical envelope, working to create a new life-form using human cells.

As their gurgling newborn grows from a caged specimen to a sentient being named Dren (try it backward), a family dynamic emerges - and not a healthy one. Only a mother could love this kid, who initially looks like a Cornish game human. But in her later stage, played by French actress Delphine Chanéac, Dren begins to, ahem, blossom. Before you know it, "Splice" has taken a left turn down a very twisted road.

The horror here is psychological and emotional, but the film is also wickedly funny. There are custody battles, betrayals, physical fights and, in the end, casualties. It's all slightly uneven, made with bits of DNA from Sigmund Freud, Mary Shelley and David Lynch, but "Splice" stands as its own weirdly compelling creature.