Ep. 115: Peter Medak's "Species II" (1998)

A Mars mission comes home with more than a headline, and a franchise sequel tries to turn sex into the scariest transmission vector imaginable. We dive into Species 2 with a clear lens and a stiff drink, tracing how a promising body-horror premise gets buried under wobbly effects, cliché military coverups, and a baffling appeal to “the human inside” a character the script treats like a test subject. We talk through the good (a few gnarly practical moments, a barn full of cocoons, an unexpectedly sharp death), the bad (cardboard rockets, digital goo, and a flag-waving finale), and the ridiculous (nipple tentacles, synchronized shoulder-jogs, and space suits that look sponsored).

From containment failures to consent, we unpack the choices that could have made this story tighter: real quarantine protocols, coherent alien biology, and giving Eve agency beyond a lab cage and a last-minute plea. Along the way we stack it against Alien, Aliens, The Thing, and the first Species to highlight what great sci-fi horror gets right—procedural tension, practical texture, and rules that make monsters terrifying. Yes, we also savor the camp, because sometimes bad movies make for the best conversations.

If you’re curious whether a 9% Rotten Tomatoes film can still entertain, we’ve got you. Hit play for first impressions, trope takedowns, favorite one-liners, gratuitous moments, and our watchability scores. Then tell us: is Species 2 campy fun or cinematic crime? Subscribe, share with a horror-loving friend, and drop your pick for the best alien horror that still holds up.

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