Monstrous births
A sub-section of body horror movies, that deal with killer babies, freakish pregnancies and other birth-related strangeness. Films that put the 'terror' in 'teratology'.
Further reading: Womb Monsters slideshow and Scahill, Andrew (2010) "Deviled Eggs: Teratogenesis and the Gynecological Gothic in the Cinema of Monstrous Birth." in Bienstock Anolik, Ruth (ed.) Demons of the Body and Mind: Essays on Disability in Gothic Literature. McFarland. Pages 197-216. ISBN 978-0-7864-3322-3.
See also: Someone else has a list for evil kids, if you want to know what happens when these terrible tykes grow-up (hint: nothing good).
Further reading: Womb Monsters slideshow and Scahill, Andrew (2010) "Deviled Eggs: Teratogenesis and the Gynecological Gothic in the Cinema of Monstrous Birth." in Bienstock Anolik, Ruth (ed.) Demons of the Body and Mind: Essays on Disability in Gothic Literature. McFarland. Pages 197-216. ISBN 978-0-7864-3322-3.
See also: Someone else has a list for evil kids, if you want to know what happens when these terrible tykes grow-up (hint: nothing good).
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- DirectorRoman PolanskiStarsMia FarrowJohn CassavetesRuth GordonA young couple trying for a baby moves into an aging, ornate apartment building on Central Park West, where they find themselves surrounded by peculiar neighbors.
- DirectorLarry CohenStarsJohn P. RyanSharon FarrellAndrew DugganThe 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.
- DirectorOvidio G. AssonitisRoberto D'Ettorre PiazzoliStarsJuliet MillsRichard JohnsonGabriele LaviaJuliet Mills plays a young pregnant woman in San Francisco who is going to have the devil's baby during her strange possession. Richard Johnson shows up to help her... but what does he really want?
- DirectorPeter SasdyStarsJoan CollinsEileen AtkinsRalph BatesA woman gives birth to a baby, but this is no ordinary one. The child is seemingly possessed by the Devil.
- DirectorRalph NelsonStarsRock HudsonBarbara CarreraDiane LaddA scientist (Rock Hudson) doing experiments on a human fetus discovers a method to accelerate the fetus into a mature adult in just a few days. All is not well though as the child begins to exhibit some horrific tendencies.
- DirectorDavid LynchStarsJack NanceCharlotte StewartAllen JosephHenry Spencer tries to survive his industrial environment, his angry girlfriend, and the unbearable screams of his newly born mutant child.
- DirectorDonald CammellStarsJulie ChristieFritz WeaverGerrit GrahamA scientist creates Proteus--an organic super computer with artificial intelligence which becomes obsessed with human beings, and in particular the creator's wife.
- DirectorWilliam GirdlerStarsTony CurtisSusan StrasbergMichael AnsaraA psychic's girlfriend finds out that a lump on her back is a growing reincarnation of a 400-year-old demonic Native American spirit.
- DirectorDavid CronenbergStarsOliver ReedSamantha EggarArt HindleA man tries to uncover an unconventional psychologist's therapy techniques on his institutionalized wife, amidst a series of brutal murders.
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsSigourney WeaverTom SkerrittJohn HurtThe crew of a commercial spacecraft encounters a deadly lifeform after investigating a mysterious transmission of unknown origin.The scene with John Hurt scared (and inspired) a generation.
- DirectorBarbara PeetersJimmy T. MurakamiStarsDoug McClureAnn TurkelVic MorrowHumanoid sea creatures start killing a fishing town's residents, and raping their women. It's up to the townsfolk and a visiting biologist to fight back and fend them off.
- DirectorNorman J. WarrenStarsRobin ClarkeJennifer AshleyStephanie BeachamA crew of interplanetary archaeologists is threatened when an alien creature impregnates one of their members, causing her to turn homicidal and murder them one by one.This, according to Scahill, marks the end of the "cinema of monstrous birth," at least the most fertile period ripe for analysis - there are still plenty of post-1981 films in this are that manage to delight and appal.
- DirectorHarry Bromley DavenportStarsPhilip SayerBernice StegersDanny BraininAn alien creature impregnates a woman who gives birth to a man who was abducted by aliens three years ago. The man reconnects with his wife and son for a sinister purpose.
- DirectorHung-Chuen LauStarsEddie ChanYung-Chang ChinPak-Kwong HoA woman becomes possessed and dies after a monster is released from an antique vase she had purchased. Twelve years later the monster is re-awakened. First he possesses the family's dog, before moving on to the woman's nephew.aka Devil Fetus
- DirectorDavid CronenbergStarsJeff GoldblumGeena DavisJohn GetzA brilliant but eccentric scientist begins to transform into a giant man/fly hybrid after one of his experiments goes horribly wrong.
- DirectorPeter JacksonStarsTerry PotterPete O'HerneCraig SmithThe population of a small town disappears and is replaced by aliens that chase human flesh for their intergalactic fast-food chain.Oh Peter Jackson, how we miss the ends of your films which involve weird 'births.'
- DirectorThierry NotzStarsAndrew StevensStarr AndreeffGeorge KennedyWhen chemical warfare leaves the world barren and filled with mutated monsters, a band of survivors in an underground complex battle one of the creatures that was able to break in.
- DirectorAlain RobakStarsEmmanuelle EscourrouChristian SinnigerJean-François GallotteWhen a strange creature crawls into a woman's uterus she becomes a killer in order to feed the tiny terror growing within her.
- DirectorRodman FlenderStarsBrooke AdamsJeff HayengaJames KarenA couple struggling to conceive visit a miracle doctor as a last hope for having a child. The wife gets pregnant, but after the initial joy comes horror, as she slowly discovers the nightmarish truth behind the doctor's success.
- DirectorFrank HenenlotterStarsKevin VanHentenryckAnnie RossGil RoperDuane recovers from his delusional breakdown to find his freakish basket-bound brother Belial will soon become a father. But not everything is joyous as the once tight knit brothers no longer seem to trust each other.aka Basket Case 3: The Progeny
- DirectorPeter JacksonStarsTimothy BalmeDiana PeñalverElizabeth MoodyA young man's mother is bitten by a Sumatran rat-monkey. She gets sick and dies, at which time she comes back to life, killing and eating dogs, nurses, friends, and neighbors."Bad Taste" could have just been an accident but in the ending of this film the main protagonist is 'born' from his own mother, again. Analyse that.
- DirectorRudolf van den BergStarsMonique van de VenEsmée de la BretonièreKenneth HerdigeinAccording to an ancient Indian tale a giant monster embryo residing in a crystal vase is predetermined to fertilize a blue-eyed woman. She will give birth to something evil to unleash horror and destruction upon human kind. Ugly septuplet brothers reproduced within the framework of mysterious genetic experiments terrorize a young innocent girl who seems to be chosen for the sinister predestination.
- DirectorJim GroomStarsMichael BalfourSamantha PerkinsJackie D. BroadThe horny farmer McDonald has his wicked way with a goat. Life returns to normal for the family, until the goat gives birth! The mutant off spring, called Billy, is tormented by the Farmer's sons, only the daughter feels any pity for him. It isn't long before Billy, who keeps growing bigger, plans revenge...
- DirectorAnthony HickoxStarsJulian SandsChris YoungPaula MarshallAn order of Druids train their children to battle an evil Warlock determined to unleash Satan upon the world by bringing a collection of five mystic rune stones together.
- DirectorRick JacobsonStarsMichele GreeneRobin CurtisScott ValentineA sinister fertility experiment has created a generation of twisted children. A relentless woman has made it her business to destroy these mutant babies before they destroy the world! One mother and her only friend are torn between love an repulsion of this deformed being and are ready to fight for it's survival, but this baby doesn't need love. It's been programmed to survive at any cost.
- DirectorBrian YuznaStarsArnold VoslooJillian McWhirterBrad DourifAn unsuspecting woman is impregnated by aliens who are experimenting on the human population.
- DirectorPeter MedakStarsNatasha HenstridgeMichael MadsenMarg HelgenbergerAn astronaut gets infected with alien DNA during the first mission on Mars and runs amok on earth. Preston and Laura team up with a peaceful, genetically re-engineered Sil to track the monster down.
- DirectorKant LeungStarsEmotion CheungAnnie WuElvis TsuiWhen an ancient treasure is violated by a military general, each of his concubines becomes pregnant with a demonic baby. A rogue priest and a chef must try and kill the demons before they can infest the entire world.aka The Demon's Baby
- DirectorTakashi MiikeStarsYûta SoneKimika YoshinoShohei HinoA yakuza enforcer is ordered to secretly drive his beloved colleague to be assassinated. But when the colleague unceremoniously disappears en route, the trip that follows is a twisted, surreal and horrifying experience.Although its presence here could count as a spoiler.
- DirectorAlexandre BustilloJulien MauryStarsAlysson ParadisJean-Baptiste TabourinClaude LuléFour months after the death of her husband, a woman on the brink of motherhood is tormented in her home by a strange woman who wants her unborn baby.
- DirectorJosef RusnakStarsBijou PhillipsJames MurrayRaphaël ColemanA baby born to a human couple turns out to be a mutant monster with an appetite to kill when scared.
- DirectorPaul SoletStarsJordan LaddSamantha FerrisGabrielle RoseAfter losing her unborn child, Madeline Matheson insists on carrying the baby to term. Following the delivery, the child miraculously returns to life with an appetite for human blood. Madeline is faced with a mother's ultimate decision.
- DirectorVincenzo NataliStarsAdrien BrodySarah PolleyDelphine ChanéacGenetic engineers Clive Nicoli and Elsa Kast hope to achieve fame by successfully splicing together the DNA of different animals to create new hybrid animals for medical use.
- DirectorEamon HardimanStarsRob CobbFord AustinTamara ChambersWhen a group of expecting young couples head to Burt Fleming's mountaintop hotel for a weekend retreat (and discount abortions), they get more than they bargained for when the fetal undead come back for vengeance.
- DirectorFrank HenenlotterStarsCharlee DanielsonAnthony SneedMark WilsonDriven by biological excess, a man and a woman search for sexual fulfillment, unaware of each other's existence. Unfortunately, they eventually meet, and the bonding of these two very unusual human beings ends in a god awful love story.
- DirectorJames MorgartStarsDebbie RochonLou Martini Jr.Suzi LorraineFormer brothel owner struggles to protect her family from a parasitic twin.
- DirectorJeff YonisStarsEmma SammsRobert CarradineJustin WalkerWhile a town is in a state of alert, the monster of the sea keeps mutating the townspeople at an alarming rate. A researcher finds a genetic disorder that has been caused by a chemical that has been dumped into the water that has caused the creature to have an alarming appetite.
- DirectorRobert Ben GarantThomas LennonStarsRob CorddryLeslie BibbAlex BergAn expectant couple who moves into the most haunted house in New Orleans call upon the services of the Vatican's elite exorcism team to save them from a demonic baby.
- DirectorJeffery Scott LandoStarsCorey SevierTyler JohnstonKailin SeeSam, a college student in a small Northwestern town, reluctantly joins his roommates in a contest to see who can hook up with the most gorgeous co-eds by the end of the semester. But when men slowly start disappearing around town, he and his friends learn that when it comes to beautiful women, it's what's inside that really matters.
- DirectorJean-Paul OuelletteStarsCharles KlausmeyerMark Kinsey StephensonAlexandra DurrellCollege students check out a haunted house where in the 1800's an ugly monster called "the Unnamable" was trapped in a vault.
- DirectorJacob VaughanStarsKen MarinoGillian JacobsPatrick WarburtonA man learns that his unusual stomach pains are being caused by a demon living in his intestines.
- DirectorSam DrogStarsIllya AllmanBarry BishopSarah Frances ConkleOn the darkest night of the year, when Satan is allowed free reign to walk the earth, a motley crew of Satanists kidnap a sharp tongued southern waitress to be a given up as the Dark One's bride and mortal host of the Antichrist. But when her rowdy redneck friends botch up the ritual in a violent rescue attempt, all power of hell is inadvertently transferred into the most unlikely of hosts.
- DirectorNick LyonStarsMariel HemingwayEthan SupleeLeVar BurtonWhen zombies overrun San Francisco, a desperate group survives by locking themselves inside Alcatraz Prison. When the undead breach the island, our heroes are forced to return to the mainland overrun with the undead.
- DirectorBrian YuznaStarsVerdi SolaimanMohammad AdityaSteven BarayMarine biologist Skylar Shane hires an expat charter boat captain, Jack Bowman, to help her find prehistoric life form samples in the north Sumatran Sea. During the expedition, they run into some of Jack's 'friends', a gang of smugglers headquartered on a fishing platform in the middle of the sea. Tamal, an orphan sold into servitude on the fishing platform by his uncle, a 'Dukun' (sorcerer and master of black magic) shaman, begs Skylar to take him away. She empathizes with the boy, who reminds her of her lost daughter, Rebecca, and is determined to help him, not knowing what lurks beneath the dark inky water, waiting to surface. Ever since Tamal arrived, mysterious things begin to happen, until one by one the smugglers will be killed by the terrifying creature from the deep. In the middle of an eerie, violent storm, the animus inside Tamal grows stronger, calling for the ancient creature of his nightmares. Now Skylar and Jack must battle the terror - once locked deep in the abyss by an old civilization, as it is now about to resurface.
- DirectorDanny PerezStarsNatasha LyonneChloë SevignyMeg TillyIn a desolate community full of drug-addled Marines and rumors of kidnapping, a wild-eyed stoner named Lou wakes up after a wild night of partying with symptoms of a strange illness and recurring visions as she struggles to get a grip on reality while stories of conspiracy spread.
- DirectorAlex ChandonStarsDani FilthEmily BoothStuart LaingA gruesome homage to the cult Amicus anthology Asylum, Cradle of Fear unfolds four screamplays all linked by the unspeakable need of an incarcerated child killer to wreak vengeance on those responsible for his imprisonment. Helped by deranged angel Dani Filth, who leaves a trail of charnel house death in his crimson wake, the cannibal convict forces two Goth vamps to endure a one night stand from hell, two tough female robbers to see through each other, an obscenely rich coke-head to chop up more than a few lines and an internet surfer to descend into madness when he uncovers the ultimate web depravity.
- DirectorJeremy GillespieSteven KostanskiStarsAaron PooleKenneth WelshEllen WongShortly after delivering a patient to an understaffed hospital, a police officer experiences strange and violent occurrences seemingly linked to a group of mysterious hooded figures.
- DirectorRonny YuStarsJennifer TillyBrad DourifKatherine HeiglChucky, the doll possessed by a serial killer, discovers the perfect mate to kill and revive into the body of another doll.
- DirectorDavid KeatingStarsAnna WaltonNaomi BattrickSam HazeldineA 15-year-old makes a pact with a witches’ coven to save her father’s life.
- DirectorMatt Bettinelli-OlpinTyler GillettStarsAllison MillerZach GilfordSam AndersonAfter a mysterious, lost night on their honeymoon, a newlywed couple finds themselves dealing with an earlier-than-planned pregnancy.
- DirectorStephen CedarsBenji KleimanStarsMary NepiGabrielle ElyseJ.J. NolanAfter status-obsessed teen Sara has sex for the first time, she wakes up the next day nine months pregnant-with an alien.
- DirectorLuke ScottStarsAmanda CollinAbubakar SalimWinta McGrathPaul displays troubling behavior that leads to a revelation; Sue confides in Mother, while Father battles human-like emotions; as Campion questions his place in his new family, Mother and Father uncover a secret about the native creatures.
- DirectorAnthony Scott BurnsKevin KölschNicholas McCarthyStarsMadeleine CoghlanSavannah KennickRick Peters'Holidays' is an anthology feature film that puts a uniquely dark and original spin on some of the most iconic and beloved holidays of all time by challenging our folklore, traditions and assumptions.
- DirectorRyan SpindellStarsTristan ByonEden CampbellHannah R. LoydAn eccentric mortician recounts several macabre and phantasmagorical tales that he's encountered in his distinguished career.
- DirectorMichelle Garza CerveraStarsNatalia SoliánAlfonso DosalMayra BatallaValeria has long dreamed about becoming a mother. After learning that she's pregnant, she expects to feel happy, yet something's off.
- CreatorLucy GaymerSian Robins-GraceStarsAlbie HillsArthur HillsMichelle de Swarte38-year-old Natasha is furious that her closest friends are all having babies. When she suddenly finds herself with a baby of her own, her life dramatically implodes and twists itself into a bizarre horror show.
- DirectorJôji IidaStarsKai AtôMayumi HasegawaYoshimasa KondôA bizarre medical exam of a nude woman by several doctors and scientists reveal that their latest subject has committed suicide before giving birth to one of the mutant creatures they had placed within her body. So, an investigative crew of scientists (along with a large human mutant cyclops creature) head out to the city streets to obtain a new donor/victim in the form of a young girl. Gore and Z-Grade mayhem ensue.