It’s Alive (1974) Movie Info
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Movie Name | It’s Alive |
| Release Year | 1974 |
| Original Title | It’s Alive |
| Director | Larry Cohen |
| Screenplay Writer | Larry Cohen |
| Story By | Larry Cohen |
| Based on Novel by | — (Original screenplay) |
| Producer(s) | Larry Cohen |
| Executive Producer(s) | Samuel Z. Arkoff |
| Lead Actors | John P. Ryan, Sharon Farrell |
| Cast | John P. Ryan, Sharon Farrell, Andrew Duggan, Guy Stockwell |
| Genre | Horror |
| Subgenre | Monster Horror, Psychological Horror |
| Release Date | April 26, 1974 (United States) |
| Runtime / Duration | 1h 31m (91 minutes) |
| Budget | ~$500,000 |
| Box Office (Worldwide) | ~$7 million |
| Language | English |
| Country | United States |
| Production Company | Larco Productions |
| Distributor | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| Filming Locations | Los Angeles, California, USA |
| Music By | Bernard Herrmann |
| Cinematography | Fenton Hamilton |
| Edited By | Michael Sullivan |
| Production Design | — |
| Costume Design | — |
| Special Effects | Practical animatronic creature effects |
| Makeup Effects | Rick Baker creature makeup work |
| MPAA Rating | PG |
| Aspect Ratio | 1.85:1 |
| Sound Mix | Mono |
| Format | Color |
| Themes | Parenthood, fear, mutation, societal anxiety |
| Setting | Urban Los Angeles |
| Notable Trivia | Features the final film score composed by legendary composer Bernard Herrmann |
| Critical Reception | Initially mixed reviews; later recognized as a cult horror classic |
| Audience Reception | Strong cult following |
| Awards / Nominations | Saturn Award nominations |
| Home Media | VHS, DVD, Blu-ray |
| Streaming Availability | Occasionally available on horror streaming services |
| Sequels / Franchise | Spawned two sequels and a 2009 remake |
| Franchise Type | Monster horror franchise |
WATCH NOW
Frank and Lenora Davis are expecting the birth of their second child. As Frank waits with bated breath in the waiting room, Lenora is experiencing the miracle of birth, WRONG! Instead of a beautiful baby boy, Lenora has just given birth to a horrendous mutated baby that craves blood more than a bottle.
OK, first this was made in 1974, so I can give the effects a little break, but other than that this one is a stinker. Lenora gives birth to a baby that has severe defects, from what you can see it has fangs, a misshapen head and small muscular arms with claws and apparently no legs. I hate to admit this because of my love for him, but the baby in this movie had to be the inspiration for Belial in Basketcase.
The way the baby attacks, screams and looks are all very similar to Belial, and if anything I thought Belial was original, this just goes to show you not to have any heroes in life cause you always get let down. Anyway there is never a clear reason given why the baby looks as it does, but it attacks when it is frightened, and of course when you look at it you get scared, it gets scared and then you get your face ripped off. They also almost never show the monster, well at least clearly. It is always in a dark room or a bright light may be near, but most of the time they show the view of the kills through the baby’s eyes.
As sub par as the effects are the acting is so horrible that it is good. John Ryan plays Frank, who looks and acts like a mobster but works in a press firm of some kind. The police chief and doctors are hysterical in the way they act and move, They all look at the camera and the dialog is lengthy and disoriented, like this review.
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