IMDb RATING
5.8/10
9.1K
YOUR RATING
The Davises are expecting a baby, which turns out to be a monster with a nasty habit of killing people whenever it is scared. And it is easily scared.The Davises are expecting a baby, which turns out to be a monster with a nasty habit of killing people whenever it is scared. And it is easily scared.The Davises are expecting a baby, which turns out to be a monster with a nasty habit of killing people whenever it is scared. And it is easily scared.
- Awards
- 1 win & 1 nomination
John P. Ryan
- Frank
- (as John Ryan)
Nancy Burnett
- Nurse
- (as Mary Nancy Burnett)
Patrick McAllister
- Expectant Father
- (as Patrick Macallister)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIt's Alive (1974) was filmed and edited simultaneously with another Larry Cohen film, Hell Up in Harlem (1973), which was shot on the weekends during the production of It's Alive (1974). This means that many of the same cast and crew put in consecutive seven-day work weeks to create both of these films.
- GoofsAt the end of the film when Frank is holding the baby in his arms, the cover accidentally reveals a patch of hair, revealing it to be a dog.
- Quotes
Lieutenant Perkins: Hunting and killing babies doesn't seem to be my specialty.
- ConnectionsEdited into It Lives Again (1978)
Featured review
Natural born killer.
Expectant parents Frank (John P. Ryan) and Lenore (Sharon Farrell) get the shock of their lives when their new baby turns out to be a hideous mutant, one that kills whenever it feels threatened. Fleeing the hospital, having massacred the entire delivery room staff only seconds after its birth, the savage infant roams Los Angeles, hunted by the police and its own father.
Although writer/director Cohen's script flirts with ecological/medical issues, briefly suggesting that either pollution or untested drugs may be the cause of the mutation and questioning the morality of abortion, these interesting plot points are quickly pushed aside in favour of Frank's growing psychological turmoil and the mounting police search for the monstrous child.
The former is handled pretty well, John P. Ryan giving a commendable performance as the initially belligerent father who ultimately tries to save his new son, but the pursuit of the creature is very tedious—unimaginative, repetitive, and lacking in general outrageousness and gore, with effects genius Rick Baker's mutant baby frustratingly kept hidden in the shadows for the majority of the film.
Although writer/director Cohen's script flirts with ecological/medical issues, briefly suggesting that either pollution or untested drugs may be the cause of the mutation and questioning the morality of abortion, these interesting plot points are quickly pushed aside in favour of Frank's growing psychological turmoil and the mounting police search for the monstrous child.
The former is handled pretty well, John P. Ryan giving a commendable performance as the initially belligerent father who ultimately tries to save his new son, but the pursuit of the creature is very tedious—unimaginative, repetitive, and lacking in general outrageousness and gore, with effects genius Rick Baker's mutant baby frustratingly kept hidden in the shadows for the majority of the film.
helpful•40
- BA_Harrison
- Dec 6, 2012
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Baby Killer
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $500,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 31 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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