It's Alive (film)

Infobox Film | name =It's Alive


caption =original theatrical poster
director = Larry Cohen
producer = Larry Cohen
writer = Larry Cohen
starring =John P. Ryan
Sharon Farrell
James Dixon
William Wellman Jr.
Shamus Locke
Andrew Duggan
Guy Stockwell
Michael Ansara
cinematography = Fenton Hamilton
music = Bernard Herrmann
editing = Peter Honess
distributor = Warner Bros.
released = October 1974 (USA)
runtime = 91 min
language = English
budget = Unknown
gross = Unknown
imdb_id = 0071675
followed_by = It Lives Again

"It's Alive" was a 1974 horror film written, produced, and directed by Larry Cohen. In the movie, a couple's infant child turns out to be a vicious mutant monster that kills when frightened. Notable talents involved in the movie were Bernard Herrmann for the score and Rick Baker for makeup and puppet effects.

The film was re-released in 1977 with a massive TV publicity campaign that featured a trailer showing a bassinette, which slowly revolved to show the creature's claws hanging out of one side.

Surprisingly, in view of the fact that some countries (Finland among them) banned the film, the movie received a PG rating in the United States. It was also originally given an 18 certificate in the UK, but was recently lowered to a 15.

Two sequels followed: "It Lives Again" in 1978 and "" in 1987. Like the original, both were written and directed by Larry Cohen.

As of spring 2007, a remake is being filmed in Bulgaria, with Bijou Phillips as the creature's mother.

This film was #43 on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments.

Novelization

Relative to the movie, the movie-tie-in novel and two film sequels expound on the dangers of various prescription drugs administered to expectant mothers in the 1950s and early '60s (i.e. Thalidomide), the use of fertility drugs, and the indirect use of pesticides on people. No doubt, Cohen was inspired by the various and possible iatrogenic, mutagenic, teratogenic effects of these drugs on the unborn baby - especially when these drugs were used either in succession or combination. Fictionally, the mother in this story - Lenore Davis - had a history of taking oral contraceptive pills prior to planning her second pregnancy, whereupon she instead began taking an inadequately tested fertility drug to facilitate the conception of her second child.

Quotations

"There's only one thing wrong with the Davis baby... It's Alive!" (from TV advertisement)

External links

*imdb title|id=0071675|title=It's Alive