Film
Species II
- Alien contact
- Monster horror
- Very dark
Species II is a gloriously unhinged 1998 sci-fi action film where an astronaut returns from Mars infected with an alien virus that turns him into a creature obsessed with procreation. It's trashy, violent, and absolutely committed to its premise—a movie that knows exactly what it is and leans into the absurdity with genuine enthusiasm. Perfect for fans of late-90s creature features who want their thrills with a wink.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you enjoy lurid creature pulp with glossy late-nineties sci-fi polish, and you do not mind a sequel that is sillier and bloodier than the film before it.
Skip it if you were hoping for the original's slow-building dread, since this trades suspense for gore and winking camp.
What it asks of you: Ninety-three brisk minutes that move quickly and hurry past slow build-up, asking you to accept the premise fast and enjoy the escalation.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
Alien Resurrection1997
Jeunet's visual flair transforms the fourth Alien film into something weird and entertaining. Grotesque creatures, action beats that land, and a sensibility that embraces body horror as spectacle rather than mere shock value.
But It prioritizes style over coherence. The plot doesn't entirely hold together, and fans of the first two films find it a significant tonal departure.

The Fly1986
Cronenberg's masterpiece uses a body-horror premise as a genuine tragedy. A man's transformation into something inhuman is both viscerally grotesque and deeply sad—commitment to practical effects that still astound.
But It's slow-burn and contemplative where Species II is all surface. The ending is genuinely upsetting rather than entertaining.

Deep Blue Sea1999
Geneticists create super-intelligent sharks in an underwater facility. It's the perfect late-90s creature-feature blend of practical effects, memorable kills, and genuine suspense. Sam Jackson's monologue alone is cinema.
But The script is functional rather than clever, and creature films live or die on momentum—if the pacing drops, you notice.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Species II
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Slither2006
Both Species II and Slither are built around an infectious force that overwrites humanity and causes grotesque procreation. They share DNA—literally—but Slither commits fully to both the horror and the absurdist comedy, showing what the premise could be with a slightly different tonal hand.
James Gunn's first feature is a love letter to creature features that understands both the visual grotesqueness and the dark humor. Gross-out practical effects, likable characters, and a genuine sense of fun that never feels cynical.
But The humor lands hardest if you already love the genre. A viewer hostile to camp will find it insufferable rather than endearing.

More like this (8)
Event Horizon1997
Paul W.S. Anderson's space-horror masterpiece: a salvage crew investigates a ship that's crossed into another dimension. Visceral, atmospheric, and visually stunning. It genuinely earns its R rating.
But It's bleak and genuinely disturbing rather than fun. The horror elements might overshadow the spectacle depending on your mood.

Starship Troopers1997
Verhoeven's militaristic sci-fi satire is a blast: beautiful fascist propaganda aesthetics, giant bugs, big explosions, and a script that's smarter than it first appears. Endlessly rewatchable.
But The satire can be too broad. Some viewers miss it entirely and just see a straightforward action film, which feels emptier in retrospect.

Resident Evil2002
A commando team descends into an underground complex where a rogue AI has unleashed bioweapon creatures. It's stylish action-horror with real tension, practical creature effects, and a protagonist you actually root for.
But The sequels are terrible, which casts a shadow. The original film itself is solid but not exceptional—it's exactly what it promises and nothing more.

Anaconda1997
A documentary crew travels upriver hunting a massive snake. It's wonderfully dumb creature-feature fun with strong performances, a genuinely menacing antagonist, and that perfect late-90s mix of practical and early CGI.
But The CGI snake hasn't aged well. Moments meant to be terrifying now look silly, which changes the tone significantly.

Lifeforce1985
Tobe Hooper's delirious vampire-from-space epic is unrestrained weirdness: naked space creatures, possession, Matthew Modine looking confused, and ambition that vastly exceeds its budget in the best way.
But It's genuinely incoherent. The plot doesn't track, logic evaporates, and it requires genuine goodwill toward chaos to enjoy.

Tremors1990
A small Nevada town is terrorized by underground worm creatures. It's creature-feature filmmaking at its most confident: character-driven, funny, suspenseful, and genuinely clever in ways that feel effortless.
But It's a different animal entirely—more comedy than horror. If you want straightforward creature thrills, this plays lighter than you might expect.

Videodrome1983
Species II treats alien infection as spectacle; Videodrome treats media infection as metaphor. Both are about unwanted intrusion remaking the body, but Cronenberg uses the grotesque as philosophical argument rather than plot engine. Species II never asks *why*—Videodrome asks nothing else.
Cronenberg's hallucinatory body-horror nightmare about a man absorbed by violent video content. It's a fever dream that feels genuinely dangerous. The effects are practical, surreal, and utterly committed.
But It's deliberately disorienting and won't grant you the pleasure of a straightforward narrative. Some viewers find it pretentious where others find it prophetic.

Bad Taste1987
Both Species II and Bad Taste are low-budget creature features that throw everything at the screen with genuine enthusiasm. But Bad Taste is the ur-text: low-fi gore comedy made from nothing, whereas Species II is the same impulse with a big studio budget and actual actors. Watching them together shows what a difference resources—and restraint—can make.
Peter Jackson's feature debut, shot on a shoestring with friends and practical effects. A team of government agents fights cannibalistic aliens. It's aggressively committed to its own madness: gloriously gross, genuinely funny, and made with pure ingenuity.
But The budget shows in every frame—not as charm but as genuine limitations. Pacing is sluggish. It's a cult film precisely because mainstream audiences actively avoid it.

People
Cast

Michael MadsenPress Lenox
Marg HelgenbergerDr. Laura Baker
Mykelti WilliamsonDennis Gamble
Justin LazardPatrick Ross
James CromwellSenator Ross
George DzundzaColonel Burgess
Sarah WynterMelissa
Myriam CyrAnne Sampas- Baxter HarrisDr. Orinsky
Scott MorganHarry Sampas
Nancy La ScalaDebutante
Directing
- Peter MedakDirector
- Benjamin RosenbergFirst Assistant Director
- Shelly ZieglerFirst Assistant Director
- Joanie BlumScript Supervisor
- Alison C. RosaSecond Assistant Director
- Kevin DuncanSecond Assistant Director
- Shari NicoteroSecond Assistant Director
- Kristina M. PetersonSecond Second Assistant Director
- Mic RodgersSecond Unit Director
Writing
- Dennis FeldmanCharacters
- Chris BrancatoWriter
Production
- Lysa MoserAccountant
- Pat MoranAdditional Casting
- Berni TanchaucoAssistant Accountant
- David HickeyAssistant Accountant
- John "Oliver" Van HornAssistant Accountant
- Katy Tatian-GenoveseAssistant Accountant
- Doug ArmstrongAssistant Location Manager
- Rebecca GibsonAssistant Production Coordinator
- Amanda MackeyCasting
- Cathy Sandrich GelfondCasting
- Elizabeth LangCasting Associate
- John StrawbridgeCasting Associate
- Mercedes KelsoCasting Associate
- Jenni VillegasExecutive Assistant
- Dennis FeldmanExecutive Producer
- Evan JacobsExecutive Producer
- Philip O'HanlonExecutive Producer
- Carol FlaisherLocation Manager
- Patrick BurnLocation Manager
- Frank Mancuso Jr.Producer
- Alicia BeytesProduction Assistant
- Amy MorganProduction Assistant
- Bryan CookeProduction Assistant
- Bryan CookeProduction Assistant
- Danielle StewartProduction Assistant
- David WatersProduction Assistant
- Garrison GunterProduction Assistant
- Harlem LoganProduction Assistant
- Heather PlottProduction Assistant
- Jeff JuscikProduction Assistant
- Jerry StanleyProduction Assistant
- Jordan "Harvard" FoxProduction Assistant
- Julian BrainProduction Assistant
- Mahlin DiamondProduction Assistant
- Marcy ArnoldProduction Assistant
- Michelene MundoProduction Assistant
- Timothy J. NelsonProduction Assistant
- Tom VickProduction Assistant
- Will SandovalProduction Assistant
- WM. Christopher BarbourProduction Assistant
- Allison ShermanProduction Coordinator
- Kate Reckner RidgleyProduction Secretary
- Wendy MashburnProduction Supervisor
- Derek KavanaghUnit Production Manager
- Perry HusmanUnit Production Manager