Review of It's Alive (1974) by Bryan G — 22 Feb 2007

[font=Courier New]Like I said in my review for [i]Q - The Winged Serpent[/i], director Larry Cohen?s films have a level of ludicrousness to them that makes them hard to hate. Even when the film is as bad as [i]It?s Alive[/i] was. I hadn?t seen this movie for some time and thought it might be interesting to check it out again. Thank god for Blockbuster Online.

The movie centers around a married couple, Frank (John P. Ryan) and Lenore Davis (Sharon Farrell), who are about to welcome their second child into the world. When the baby is born, the entire staff in the hospital room is brutally murdered and the baby disappears. It is found out later that the baby is actually a mutant who has a taste for blood.

Not much is explained in [i]It?s Alive[/i], but I guess that is for the better. As foolish as the idea behind the film is, I would hate to have to hear some reason on why this child is the way it is. Although I believe the third film in the series explains what happened. The idea of taking something as beautiful as child birth and making it into this horrible experience is a neat idea. Just one that wasn?t really used to its fullest potential. Whatever that could be.

The music in the film, supplied by the great Bernard Herrmann (whose score to Alfred Hitchcock?s [i]Psycho[/i] is among my favorite soundtracks ever), is probably the best aspect to the film. Even when the film reached one of its many dull moments, I could always listen in on the music to help me get through it all.

Maybe if I get around to watching the other two films in the series I can appreciate this film a little more. I do admire Cohen?s work for being what it is. But his films aren?t usually the sort of films that are easily revisited with. And [i]It?s Alive[/i] is no different.[/font].