The Davies family seems like a typical American family when the film begins. Mrs. Davies is pregnant and soon will be giving birth. Unfortunately, when it comes time for the blessed occasion, the child turns out to be an ugly...thing. And this ugly thing goes on a murdering spree--not only in the delivery room but throughout the town. At no point, oddly, does anyone ask what the $^## Mrs. Davies had been sleeping with, as the child looks like a demonic batboy-- though the film only gives you glimpses of the killing machine through the course of the picture.While the plot is pretty simple and the film could have just been a stupid horror movie, it's a good bit better for a variety of reasons. Larry Cohen did a good job directing and keeping the tension throughout the film. I also thought that the way folks reacted towards the Davies family after the thing was born made the picture interesting--as well as Mr. and Mrs. Davies' reactions. Not a bad little horror film--and certainly better than the title might suggest.

In movies that have a pro-life message, like "Knocked Up" (2007) or "Juno" (2007), a woman gets pregnant and the possibility of abortion is contemplated but ultimately decided against. Then the woman has the baby, and everything turns out for the best. In movies that have a pro- choice message, like "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" (1982) or "Obvious Child" (2014), a women gets pregnant, has an abortion, and everything turns out for the best. "It's Alive," however, does not merely have a pro-choice message. It has a pro-abortion message, which is to say the movie is anti-baby. A woman gets pregnant and the possibility of abortion is contemplated but ultimately decided against. Then the woman has the baby, and it is a monster.No sooner does the horrible creature exit the birth canal than it kills every doctor and nurse in the delivery room. It escapes from the hospital and starts killing everyone it meets. At one crime scene, a detective mentions that his wife is upset because she is eight months pregnant, and his being on the case bothers her, especially since she lost their first baby. To this the other detective, who is obviously lacking in tact, says that people who don't have children don't know how lucky they are.Lenore, the woman who has the baby-monster, was taking birth control pills for thirty-one months before she got pregnant, and the suggestion is made that the pills were what caused the baby to develop into a monster. This might seem to be a disconnect. How can the movie be both pro-abortion and anti-birth control at the same time?The answer is that it is not birth control that is evil, but rather it is the pharmaceutical company that manufactured the pill. The company representative is worried about a possible lawsuit, and he convinces Lenore's doctor that he too may be in jeopardy, and therefore it would be better if the baby-monster is killed so that it cannot be studied for medical purposes, which might reveal the company's and the doctor's culpability.Frank, Lenore's husband, comments that when he saw the movie "Frankenstein," he thought the monster's name was Frankenstein, but when he read the book, he realized that was the doctor's name. In other words, it was not the monster of that book who was the cause of all the evil, but the doctor. And that is the case with this movie: the baby may be the monster, but the doctor who created the monster is the villain.The baby-monster instinctively tries to make its way back to its parents. Lenore, and eventually Frank too, come to love the baby-monster, and they want to keep it and raise it. People that are pro-life often argue that pregnant women that decide not to have an abortion and have the baby instead will come to love it, as if love were the ultimate justification. But, as this movie points out, love is not an unqualified good. In fact, sometimes love is just wrong. In such cases, love is something we are better off without. So, the fact that a woman will love the baby if she has it does not mean she would not be better off having an abortion.Anyway, Frank tries to escape with the baby-monster to keep the police from killing it, and then, when surrounded, tries to talk them into letting it live. But when that fails, he throws the baby at the evil doctor. When the police let loose with a fusillade of bullets directed at the baby-monster, they end up killing the doctor too.In the last scene, the police detective gets word that another woman has had a baby-monster. See what happens when you don't get that abortion.

I was too young to see this when it came out but vividly remember the ads and was very intrigued at the time. I'm so glad it was R-Rated and had to wait to see it. It's one of the worst horror movies ever! The acting was truly awful. The story is pathetic in every way, from the characters, to the plot development and especially the thrill factor. There's zero suspense, very little gore and even the attack scenes didn't raise my pulse one beat. It also completely lacked the proper amount of "cheese" for a good 'B' Film. Don't waste the 91 minutes of your life on this piece of junk. There are absolutely no redeeming qualities about this movie whatsoever!

It's Alive is set in Los Angeles where publicity executive Frank Davies (John Ryan) & his wife Lenore (Sharon Farrell) are expecting their second child, Lenore goes into labour & Frank drives her to the hospital to give birth. While waiting in a hallway outside the delivery room Frank sees a nurse stagger towards him & collapse on the floor, Frank rushes into the delivery room & sees all the doctor's & nurses slaughtered while his wife Lenore is in hysterics. The police are called & it soon becomes obvious that Lenore gave birth to some mutant killer baby that is now on the loose in Los Angeles killing anyone it comes across. Frank is fired from his job & he becomes determined to track the monster baby down & kill it...Written, produced & directed by Larry Cohen this killer baby film was a big international hit at the time of release & Cohen went on to make a strong name for himself in the sci-fi horror genre, a surprisingly deep film It's Alive stands up pretty well & is still moderately effective even now some thirty five years after it was initially released. The script by Cohne is pretty witty & has fairly rich concept's floating about like the idea that contraceptive pills my be responsible for the mutant baby, the part the press plays in hounding the Davis family, the way their friends & workers react to them, the scandal & how it's reported, the police line, the idea that the mutant baby must be killed could be seen as a pro abortion stance but the other theme of contraceptive pills being responsible for the mutant baby suggest otherwise & the whole issue of overriding maternal instinct comes into play at the end. Cohen's script juggles the ideas & themes quite well giving a chance for the character's to breathe, the mutant baby isn't seen that often but despite a 90 minute duration It's Alive maintains ones interest very well. There are some nice speeches, some witty dialogue, good character's & a initially simple sounding plot that does have more going on than you may think. Of course there are moments that don't quite work, the police seem to be far too quick to believe that a mutant baby is going around killing people (no-one even saw it, or at least saw it & lived to talk about it) & I have no idea how a days old baby would know or even goes about finding where it's parents lived or even being able to recognise them.Amazingly It's Alive was given a PG rating in the US when originally released & is pretty strong stuff for such a tame rating, there's a fair amount of blood & death although actual gore is low. The film looks nice enough if a little garish by today's tastes, the opening scenes has what appears to be beams of torch light darting all over the lace which I assume is meant to be sperm. The climax in the sewers is pretty cool with scenes only illuminated with the red flashing police car lights. The mutant baby itself was made by Rick Baker & is barely glimpsed, some may say it's more effective when you don't see that much but one suspects the brief flashes & seldom seen baby is down to a poor looking effect rather than any artistic decision.Shot on a very low budget the photography is a bit random at times, the picture can be very dark & the editing is very choppy in certain scenes but the strong narrative help overcome minor technical inadequacies. Regular Hitchcock composer Bernard Hermann provides a rousing score in what was his last film before he died. The acting is very solid, John Ryan is great as the insanely grinning, gum chewing parent who wants the baby dead because somehow it's part of him rather than concern for the many victims.It's Alive is a well rounded little exploitation film that has a surprisingly deep script, it brings issues up & raises good moral questions it's character's have to answer which we can relate too in certain ways. Followed by two sequels, It Lives Again (1978) & It's Alive III: Island of the Alive (1987) & was remade as It's Alive (2008).