It's Alive (1974)
Genre: Horror / Drama
Duration: 91 minuten
Country:
United States
Directed by: Larry Cohen
Stars: John P. Ryan, Sharon Farrell and James Dixon
IMDb score:
5,8 (9.771)
Releasedate: 26 April 1974
It's Alive plot
"There's only one thing wrong with the Davis baby..."
Frank and Lenore Davis have a baby. But their baby turns out to be not just any baby, but a murderous monster. A little monster that starts killing innocent and unsuspecting people when he's scared. And the little creature is very easily frightened.
Actors and actresses
Frank Davis
Lenore Davis
The Professor
Bob Clayton
The Captain
Charley
The Executive
Lieutenant Perkins
The Doctor
Expectant Father
Reviews & comments
Richard_Voorhees
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- 2311 messages
- 2135 votes
Larry Cohen is known to me for his 1985 film, The Stuff, which has achieved cult status in my book. This was his second film, and I must say that I still enjoyed it quite a bit.
The film opens strongly when we discover in the hospital that something is seriously wrong with Lorene's (Sharon Farrell) baby. The scene where the surgeons die is particularly macabre. The powerful soundtrack is also immediately noticeable. The bombastic, orchestral score powerfully adds to the atmosphere.
After a strong opening, the film progresses into a lengthy manhunt for the baby, almost transforming into a kind of (family) drama. This, too, remains quite compelling thanks to the strong performances of Farrell and Ryan. The two characters also face a difficult time throughout the film, with various emotions and a number of shocking events. The concept is still original, even by today's standards, because while other films feature evil or mutated children, it usually involves older children or even extends to adults.
Here and there, the pace could have been a bit faster, or certain scenes dragged on too long. But otherwise, this is a solid film that definitely deserves its 6* rating.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Tonypulp
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- 21231 messages
- 4608 votes
Larry Cohen's infant-killing fest is anything but cheap schlock. It's not The Suckling (1990), where the most grotesque effects are the order of the day (also enjoyable, 4*), but rather an all-around interesting film. With characteristic (cult) actors like John P. Ryan with his bulging eyes, a classic suspenseful soundtrack by Bernard Herrmann, a convincing story that has its desired effect in multiple genres and, moreover, is teasing enough with its (creature) effects.
Excellent transfer on the Scream Factory release (trilogy).
Translated from Dutch · View original
shugenja
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- 706 messages
- 1686 votes
I've seen a few of Cohen's films. This is one of the best-known. But I actually find his direction rather sloppy, and the action scenes, in particular, look downright awful. He did a much better job of this in the film Q, for example. The "danger" is also rather unbelievable; a baby as a big, dangerous monster... well, it's not really dangerous, of course. If you don't have the budget, it's actually quite well-executed. But I don't think it's truly good. 2.5 stars.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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