5 biopunk thrillers that terrify you with their realism

People have always dreamed of expanding the limits of their abilities: to become stronger, more durable, smarter, more beautiful, etc. If our ancestors wanted protection from the gods, our contemporaries rely on the miracles of science, technology and medicine. What happens if we change our DNA? Will artificial organs or animal intestines be transplanted? Will we then remain human or turn into chimeras and mutants? In the biopunk genre, we found exciting thrillers that show the future of humanity without embellishment.

“Premonition”, direction. Bertrand Bonello (2023)

Translated from French, the film’s title means “monster”, which reflects the spirit of the story even more. The action takes place in the near future, where science has found a way to get rid of traumatic emotions. Deciding to purify her DNA, the main character, Gabrielle (Léa Seydoux), begins journeying through her past lives, where she meets Louis in each of them. They both feel like they know each other from somewhere. Despite the invisible connection, he has a premonition that something terrible will happen. By the way, we recently talked about what signs you can use to determine if you met someone from a past life.

“Crimes of the Future”, dir. David Cronenberg (2022)

This isn’t the first film from body horror stylist David Cronenberg to experiment with biomechanics. After the cult hits “The Fly” and “Existenza”, the director introduced the biopunk genre “Future Crimes”, starring Viggo Mortensen and Léa Seydoux. According to the plot, in the future people will have a syndrome of accelerated evolution due to the occurrence of various metamorphoses in the body, and people will almost cease to feel pain. The main character, Saul Tenser, along with his assistant Caprice, are keen on growing organs in their bodies, which they then remove during bloody performances for the entertainment of the public and pain-addicted “nymphomaniacs” like Timlin (Kristen Stewart). But sophisticated tastes attract the attention of intelligence services.

“Chimera”, dir. Vincenzo Natali (2009)

Two bioengineering scientists, spouses Elsa and Clive, successfully splice the DNA of animals and birds. Their business is doing well, but they want more and dare to embark on an unprecedented experiment to create a hybrid based on human DNA. If successful, medicine will make great progress in the treatment of many diseases. When the sponsoring company vetoes it, they secretly create a highly intelligent, anthropomorphic female creature. Externally, the chimera resembles a human with bird legs and a painful tail. He can also fly and breathe in water. However, as he evolves, his feelings towards his creators weaken and the creature spirals out of control.

“Genetic Opera”, dir. Darren Lynn Bousman (2008)

2056 An epidemic is in full swing in the world due to an environmental disaster: People are experiencing organ failure everywhere. Rotti Largo (Paul Sorvino), president of GenCo, finds an easy way to transplant an artificial organ. Surgeries are becoming fashionable! But there is a warning: a terrible fate awaits the debtors. A mysterious Confiscator (Anthony Stewart Head) is sent to them, who removes the organs for further operations. And in the new world, this murder is completely legal. But here’s the problem: Rotti Largo himself is terminally ill, and his sociopathic heirs are unfit to run the company. Then he remembers his friend’s daughter, with whom he keeps a dark secret. Meanwhile, a young girl (Alexa Vega) meets a grave robber who extracts zidrat, a highly valuable drug on the black market, from corpses. The film also stars Paris Hilton, Sarah Brightman, Kevin Graham “Ogre” Ogilvy, Terrence Zdunich and Bill Moseley.

“Gattaca”, dir. Andrew Niccola (1997)

Once upon a time, little Vincent dreamed of becoming an astronaut, but the rapid development of biotechnology put an end to these dreams. Eugenics became the norm as it became possible to have children without diseases or disabilities. And now naturally born “children of God” are seen as the scum of society. But Vincent (Ethan Hawke), despite his nearsightedness and congenital heart defect, is not willing to give up. For the sake of her dream, she agrees to make a deal with the “suitable” disabled Jerome (Jude Law), who sells her his genetic material. Thanks to her, the hero manages to fool himself into the GATTACA aerospace company, overcome superhuman stress for the sake of choice and win the heart of the beautiful Irene (Uma Thurman).