Mimic (1997) | Sci-Fi Saturdays

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I know you are but what am I?

Mimic blends science-fiction with horror in a creepy addition to the genre. Guillermo del Toro turns what could be a standard big-bug film into an artful piece of cinema that will make your skin crawl.

First Impressions

This spooky trailer explains that a team of scientists cured some disease three years ago, but somehow something got out of a lab and is living in the subway system. Now this creature is mimicking humans. A character asks why they haven’t seen it then. “We have,” says another. Chaos ensues as explosions and strange goings on occur in the dark. The trailer ends with several popular reviews for the film. It’s time for Mimic!

Presented below is the trailer for the film.

The Fiction of The Film

New York City is having an outbreak of Strickler’s Disease, which is killing children. Dr. Peter Mann (Jeremy Northam) of the CDC asks entomologist Susan Tyler (Mira Sorvino) to help kill the cockroaches that are spreading the disease. Six months later the two give a press conference where they reveal that their “Judas” Breed, which is the combination of termite and mantid DNA, has successfully killed the infected roaches. The two have been wed in the meantime. Susan confesses privately that she is unaware of the impact that they had. Three years later, a priest is killed at his church by something unseen. The young boy across the alley, Chuy (Alexander Goodwin), sees a humanoid figure he calls “Mr. Funny Shoes.”

Peter and his assistant Josh (Josh Brolin) investigate the church after being notified by police and find a sweatshop of migrant labor hidden inside. They issue a quarantine on the building after discovering poor living conditions and strange fecal material on the ceiling of the basement. Two boys bring Susan a bag of insects to sell, plus a box with a “weird bug.” When she examines the bug later, the fist-sized creature attacks her hand. Taking a sample of its excretions, she believes it to be a strain of the Judas bugs. She can’t believe that since the females were bred sterile and had a six-month lifespan. Something comes into her lab and steals the specimen, seemingly flying out the window.

Believing that Susan will pay them money for more samples or egg cases, the two boys enter tunnels connected to the subway. They find a large cache of egg cases (ootheca) but are attacked by a humanoid shape that kills both boys. Susan and Peter investigate an old MTA bathroom finding access to an underground area, but are run off by NYPD Officer Leonard Norton (Charles S. Dutton) until they can get the proper permit. Susan meets with her mentor Dr. William Gates (F. Murray Abraham) who hears her concerns, but doesn’t want to say, “I told you so.” Chuy, who apparently has autism, sneaks into the church one night and is abducted by two creatures.

A child-sized insect carcass is found in a water treatment plant by Jeremy (Norman Reedus), so he calls his friend Remy (Alix Koromzay), Susan’s assistant. Peter and Josh, now with the correct permit, head into the subway tunnels with Leonard. Manny (Giancarlo Giannini) realizes his son Chuy is missing and begins poking around the church, finally heading underground. Susan waits on a deserted subway platform for Peter when a humanoid-looking creature grabs her and flies into the tunnels with her. In the old Armory Station, a platform collapses stranding Peter and Leonard one level below Josh, who is instructed to go for help. On his way back through the tunnels Josh finds a giant egg sac and is attacked and killed just before he can exit into the church.

Manny finds Peter and Leonard underground and takes them to where he saw Susan being held. They help her out of the well she was trapped in and all hide out in an abandoned subway car, just having run from a horde of giant Judas bugs. Leonard’s leg is injured by a claw on the end of one of the insect legs and his blood is attracting more creatures. Susan reaches into the chest cavity of a dead bug and smears scent glands on the windows to hide their presence. The four realize they need to get the car moving, but first, someone will need to get the electricity reconnected and another person will need to move the track switch. Peter and Manny decide to go. Susan realizes there must be one fertile male in the nest that they will need to kill in order to prevent the spread of the creatures.

Manny finds Chuy alive but is killed by a Judas bug. Susan realizes something is wrong and heads out, to rescue Chuy. In a sacrifice move, Leonard limps away from the car, drawing as many bugs as he can toward him before he is killed. Peter discovers a dumbwaiter and hoists Susan and Chuy back to the normal subway level. He then runs from a Judas bug, locking himself inside what appears to be the colony room. Using a pickaxe he opens a gas main and sets off a spark which blows up the colony. In the explosion, he dives into an underground pool of water. Susan sees the male Judas bug and using her own blood draws it in front of an oncoming subway train killing it. She and Chuy make it to the surface where emergency services are extinguishing fires from the gas explosion. She is surprised to see Peter emerge from a subway station. The three of them hug.

“These things can imitate us. They can infiltrate us and breed a legion before anyone would even notice.” – Susan

History in the Making

31 Days of Horror joins Sci-Fi Saturdays again this week for another creepy film that unofficially begins big animal horror week. This week’s mashup is Mimic, a 1997 film by Mexican director Guillermo del Toro. This was only his second film and his first English-language production, after Cronos in 1992. Both of Del Toro’s films dealt with aspects of horror which would become a defining element of his oeuvre. From his other Spanish language films The Devil’s Backbone and Pan’s Labyrinth to his commercial success with comic book properties like Hellboy and Blade, or his artistic Gothic dramas Crimson Peak and The Shape of Water (which earned him both a Best Director and Best Picture award), del Toro has proven that his version of horror is replete with humanity and love. Mimic is less Gothic and Romantic overall, choosing to dive deep into the horror of bugs and creepy crawlies.

Del Toro’s collaborator on the film was writer Matthew Robbins. He may not be a household name but many of his movies are. His history weaves throughout the work of other pioneering filmmakers from the 1970s including George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. Robbins’s first credited work was for Spielberg’s Sugarland Express. He also provided uncredited work for three of Spielberg’s most successful early films; Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. He also directed and co-wrote the youth-oriented Corvette Summer, the fantasy film Dragonslayer, and the sci-fi family film *Batteries Not Included. He later rejoined del Toro as a co-writer for Crimson Peak and is credited for the co-story on del Toro’s animated Pinocchio. Together Robbins and del Toro adapted Mimic from a 1942 short story by science-fiction author Donald A. Wollheim.

For much of the life of the film, del Toro disowned the finished copy of the film due to on-set and post-production meddling by Bob and Harvey Weinstein. The Weinstein’s company, Miramax, was a powerhouse studio by the late 1990s having produced dozens of hit films, and winning many Oscars come award season. Hiring a young director gave them the idea that they could dictate creative elements because that’s how Hollywood works. Even the most creative filmmaker can have difficulty on a film where they do not have certain protections. Del Toro’s work was scrutinized fiercely and he was not given the luxury of a final cut. The Weinstein’s had additional material shot to create, what they believed to be, a scary film, but it was not anything that fit with del Toro’s vision, either creatively or cinematically–which he made widely known. It wasn’t until 2011 that he was allowed to create a Director’s Cut of the film, which altered some sequences and added six minutes back into the film. It wasn’t exactly what he wanted but it provided him with some closure over the project. It’s that version that is being reviewed here.

Genre-fication

Sci-fi horror mashups come in two main flavors. Terrestrial-based films tend to be more horror than science-fiction, and space-bound films tend to be more sci-fi than horror–but still hold their own in the horror category. That holds true for Mimic as well. This movie is primarily a horror film about bugs, which are creepy. Big bugs are even more creepy! And what of genetically engineered big bugs? Giant animals and insects inadvertently released into the wild by the accidental meddling of man, have been part of the landscape of sci-fi horror films since the 50s. Films such as Them! or Tarantula created movies that turned man from the predator into the prey. And whether the movie was about giant ants or giant spiders, or something equally terrifying, it had a way of building on audiences’ already active fears of creepy-crawlies and magnifying that feeling a hundred-fold.

With Mimic the sci-fi aspects deal with the (as always) unintended consequences of man’s scientific curiosity. The giant ants in Them! come about due to receiving large doses of radiation from atomic testing in the southwestern United States. A giant tarantula wreaks havoc in Arizona because a scientist was experimenting with a super nutrient designed to feed thousands of hungry people cheaply. Whatever the deformed specimen, the reason is always man’s meddling in affairs where he doesn’t belong. For Mimic, it starts as a cure for a disease that is killing hundreds of children in New York City. Many have long fought to eliminate cockroaches from the city’s infrastructure, and Susan and her team do just that; by introducing another predator into the ecosystem. A predator that was created with bioengineering. This is a common cause of horror in the modern era as it is something understood just enough to be misunderstood. It’s also a great topic for horror films. David Croenenberg’s remake of The Fly is a perfect example of the unintended consequences of intermingling nature with human nature. Another example is Jurassic Park, which is the epitome of the phrase “life will find a way,” referencing species evolving in the wild. In Mimic, Susan admits right at the beginning of the film, six months after they’ve introduced the Judas breed into the sewers, that she is unaware of “the impact of what we did.” The scientists had an idea of how to induce “metabolic overdrive” into the roaches causing them to starve to death in a matter of hours. They planned ahead, making the females infertile and assuring a six-month lifespan–as tested in their lab. But as Susan’s mentor Dr. Walter Gate said, “The world’s a much bigger lab.” And unexpected consequences will always trump scientists’ plans.

From a horror perspective, del Toro really has his pulse on what makes something creepy. Just the small bugs in this film are enough to send the heebie-jeebies into audiences. But overall, this is like the bug scene from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom on steroids. Sure, there are a lot fewer bugs, but they are huge ones! Horror films are inherently dark, and Mimic is no different. I found myself yelling at Susan to turn on some flippin’ lights as she dug around in her dark laboratory, hunting for the “baby” Judas bug near the beginning of the film. Most viewers have been startled at night to find a roach, a spider, or some other multi-legged creature scurrying across the floor in front of them. Del Toro makes those easily squishable bugs six feet tall. They are now able to squish you back. The horror vibes given off by these creatures owe a great debt to other sci-fi horror films like Alien and Aliens. The dark recess of the subway tunnels hides goopy slime that gets stepped in–always the first warning that you are too close to danger. Egg sacks pulsate in natural recesses. And that odd silhouette that looks like part of the rocks (or spaceship), yup, it’s really something hiding and ready to eat you. The bugs are easily attracted by your blood, and the only protection is to reach into their slimy chest cavity and rub their goo all over yourself. With this type of horror, it’s visceral. There’s no reasoning with the creatures, as it’s kill or be killed (or dress yourself up like them to buy some time).

Societal Commentary

In this section, I usually discuss science-fiction’s way of examining who we are and why we are here. But with horrific science-fiction, the question becomes more about what we’ve made and how we can stop it. Mimic immediately brings to mind the scientific parables of author Michael Crichton. The majority of his work looked at a technological industry that was attempting to better itself, usually for profit, and the unintended consequences of that evolutionary stance. Jurassic Park is his most prominent work and one that stands out amongst filmgoers due to the popular Steven Spielberg film adaptation. In that tale, a businessman–who knew very little about science–used his fortune to create a way to clone dinosaurs from their DNA. As that film stipulates, his “scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could that they didn’t stop to think if they should.” Crichton’s Prey (unfortunately not a film at this time) has equally unexpected consequences as artificially intelligent nanorobots escape into the world. With Mimic, scientists saw a problem and solved it, but they didn’t think long enough about the potential downside of their work. Not that “giant mutated bugs that would evolve to resemble a human” would have been on their bingo card.

F. Murray Abraham’s doctor who seems to be, or had been, a mentor to Susan, is obviously not a fan of her decision-making process. He is seen in an early scene–during the press conference–storming out of the event. Presumably, he had some strong reservations about the implementation of the Judas bugs. When Susan realizes that there are still Judas bugs alive three years later, she immediately takes her findings to Walter. He prods her to find out if she wants “answers” or “absolution” from him. He states he is of the mind that three years ago he would have called what she and her team did “unforgivable,” but he’s softened in the time since. And he recognizes it. “I have two grandchildren who are alive today probably because of you. It would be a tad hypocritical for me to pass judgment.” I appreciate the subtle implications from the character, but also with the screenwriters for not creating an “I told you so,” moment. Perhaps this is part of del Toro’s Catholic upbringing edging into the picture. The forgiveness of past sins allows characters to move on with their lives and their relationship.

A final thematic element at play in the film is the concept of reproduction and evolution. Peter marvels that within three years the bugs could have evolved as far as they have. Susan reframes his thoughts telling him to think in terms of breeding generations, and not years. The creature could have mutated tens of thousands of times within those years. That evolutionary process is presented as a counterpoint to the same three years where Susan has been struggling to get pregnant. Her inability to get fertile mirrors the same process bred into the Judas bugs. They should not be able to have babies. But by some miracle (again, perhaps God’s intervention in del Toro’s eyes) the bugs were able to achieve that ability, just as through some miracle Susan is also able to get pregnant. And what a terribly unselfish (yet heartbreaking) act by Peter not telling her that she is pregnant. He knows that the pregnancy test she took eventually changed to positive. He has the ability to tell her when they are trapped in the subway car but doesn’t since he fears that they may never survive, and doesn’t want to burden her with that moment of doubt. The doubt might have prevented her from running headfirst towards an oncoming subway train in order to destroy the fertile male Judas bug. In the end, she is rewarded not just by the miracle of her pregnancy, but apparently by the adoption of Chuy–who takes to her like his own mother.

The Science in The Fiction

Mimic presents a lot of information about bugs and entomology, some of which is factual. One of the odder elements is a sequence about 20 minutes into the film where Susan is showing Remy a plexiglass maze with a cricket inside. Susan is playing a recording of a female cricket which excites and motivates the male cricket to move around. Susan touts this as a safe method to draw the male crickets out of an infested field, so they don’t have to use harmful chemicals to kill the insects. It’s a great public service announcement in the film but has zero meaning for the overall arc of the film. It’s something that’s a weird piece of trivia that will now be stuck in my head. Audiences also find out about some of the social structures of bugs, specifically termites. This is useful information, since the Judas bugs derived from the termite and created their colony in a similar fashion. Susan’s instructions about how the predators stun their prey and drag them back to the nest where there is a fertile king and a queen, all provide the audience the information they need to know on how the heroes will eventually destroy the bugs.

But bioengineering of bugs is not just science-fiction. Various insect species have been modified in similar ways, including the Diamondback Moth and Mediterranean Fruit Fly. Scientists modified the moth to create non-viable female larvae to help control their populations, while a male fruit fly was created that shares “a lethal gene that interrupts female development.” Both of these genetically modified insects were produced years after the film, and so far no word of giant insects around the world. Though there are always rumors of the Moth Man in West Virginia.

In the movie, the Judas breed can be considered an introduced species. It was placed into the ecosystem in order to cull the roach population. This is a real process used by localities to deal with pest populations. The West Indies and Hawaii both introduced the Indian mongoose in the 1800s to assist with their pests, but the mongeese have since become a more dominant species having no natural predators. Similar introduced species have become invasive, including the gypsy moth in North America and the gray squirrel in Europe. Without natural predators to thin their numbers, these populations can grow unchecked or mate with nearby species producing hybrids that may do more damage than the original. Again, not giant bugs, but still things to be concerned about in terms of the biosphere.

The Final Frontier

Mimic is not the only “giant bug” film of 1997, but it may be the scariest. The sci-fi action film Starship Troopers was released later that year. While it features even bigger bugs, they are technically aliens who are sentient enough to launch distant attacks on planet Earth. So far, no sightings of them on planet. Mimic would be followed by two direct-to-DVD sequels which did not involve del Toro, Robbins, or any of the main surviving cast. Alix Koromzay did reprise her role as Remy in Mimic 2 as the new lead, but she did not come back for Mimic 3: Sentinel. Obviously, the Judas bugs were not as dead as they seemed at the end of this film, having split off into at least two more colonies. As might be surmised by the phrase “direct-to-DVD” neither of these films was of the highest quality, with both being panned by critics and audiences alike. I hope you enjoyed Mimic as it’s launching the last theme week for this year on 31 Days of Horror. The next six days will have movies all about big animals and bigger horror. We’ve covered Judas bugs, so get ready for an assortment of other insects, reptiles, arachnids, and various giant creatures all week long. You can also check out The Food of the Gods article I did several years ago for a whole assortment of giant monstrosities.

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