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The Baby

  • 19731973
  • PGPG
  • 1h 24m
IMDb RATING
6.1/10
3.5K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
The Baby (1973)
Trailer for The Baby
Play trailer2:46
1 Video
99+ Photos
  • Drama
  • Horror
  • Thriller

A social worker, still reeling from the loss of her architect husband, investigates the eccentric, psychedelic Wadsworth Family, consisting of a mother, two daughters, and an adult son with ... Read allA social worker, still reeling from the loss of her architect husband, investigates the eccentric, psychedelic Wadsworth Family, consisting of a mother, two daughters, and an adult son with the apparent mental capacity of an infant.A social worker, still reeling from the loss of her architect husband, investigates the eccentric, psychedelic Wadsworth Family, consisting of a mother, two daughters, and an adult son with the apparent mental capacity of an infant.

IMDb RATING
6.1/10
3.5K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Ted Post
  • Writer
    • Abe Polsky
  • Stars
    • Anjanette Comer
    • Ruth Roman
    • Marianna Hill
Top credits
  • Director
    • Ted Post
  • Writer
    • Abe Polsky
  • Stars
    • Anjanette Comer
    • Ruth Roman
    • Marianna Hill
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 75User reviews
    • 112Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    The Baby
    Trailer 2:46
    The Baby

    Photos127

    The Baby (1973)
    The Baby (1973)
    The Baby (1973)
    Beatrice Manley in The Baby (1973)
    Anjanette Comer in The Baby (1973)
    Anjanette Comer in The Baby (1973)
    Beatrice Manley in The Baby (1973)
    Joseph Bernard in The Baby (1973)
    Tod Andrews and Anjanette Comer in The Baby (1973)
    Susanne Zenor in The Baby (1973)
    Ruth Roman and Susanne Zenor in The Baby (1973)
    Erin O'Reilly in The Baby (1973)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Anjanette Comer
    Anjanette Comer
    • Ann Gentryas Ann Gentry
    Ruth Roman
    Ruth Roman
    • Mrs. Wadsworthas Mrs. Wadsworth
    Marianna Hill
    Marianna Hill
    • Germaine Wadsworthas Germaine Wadsworth
    Susanne Zenor
    Susanne Zenor
    • Alba Wadsworthas Alba Wadsworth
    Tod Andrews
    Tod Andrews
    • Doctoras Doctor
    Michael Pataki
    Michael Pataki
    • Dennisas Dennis
    Beatrice Manley
    • Judithas Judith
    • (as Beatrice Manley Blau)
    Erin O'Reilly
    Erin O'Reilly
    • Babysitteras Babysitter
    Don Mallon
    Joseph Bernard
    • Mr. Foleyas Mr. Foley
    Virginia Vincent
    Virginia Vincent
    David Mooney
    David Mooney
    • Babyas Baby
    • (as David Manzy)
    Ted Post
    Ted Post
    • Dart player at birthday partyas Dart player at birthday party
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Ted Post
    • Writer
      • Abe Polsky
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    A social worker who recently lost her husband investigates the strange Wadsworth family. The Wadsworths might not seem too unusual to hear about them at first - consisting of the mother, two grown daughters and the diaper-clad, bottle-sucking baby. The problem is, the baby is twenty-one years old. —Brian J. Wright <tyrannorabbit@hotmail.com>
    • social worker
    • birthday party
    • dysfunctional family
    • psychopath
    • mental retardation
    • 415 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • Horror is his formula!
    • Genres
      • Drama
      • Horror
      • Thriller
    • Certificate
      • PG
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The re-mastered edition of the audio track is not the original track from the film. The original track contained the actual sounds made by David Mooney during the filming. The baby sounds came from his performance and not canned baby sounds. The original track must have been lost and later baby sounds were added.
    • Goofs
      When Ann Gentry plays with baby, she gives the baby a plush lion but says it is a tiger.
    • Quotes

      Babysitter: Nothing really happened, honest!

      Mrs. Wadsworth: Nothing happened? With your damn tit in his mouth, and you call that nothing? Lying bitch!

    • Connections
      Featured in Elvira's Movie Macabre: The Baby (1982)

    User reviews75

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Just ... too demented for words, really!
    What arguments do you use to recommend "The Baby" to any fan of peculiar cult & horror cinema who's convinced that she/he has already seen everything before? Well, let's try this: "The Baby" is horrific without reverting to gory massacres or nauseating make-up effects, it's extremely disturbing even though the premise is far-fetched and totally implausible and – last but definitely not least – there's an unpredictable twist at the end that you simply have to see in order to believe it! This is one of the most original low-budget exploitation movies of the 70's, and it's truly remarkable how writer/director Ted Post managed to make such a fascinating film out of such a demented basic premise! "The Baby" starts out as the portrait of a dysfunctional family, but it gradually transforms into an atypical and thematic horror film with an uncanny atmosphere and frighteningly insane characters. Ann Gentry, a professional social worker in her mid-30's, takes an interest in the odd family situation of the Wadsworths. The mother lives alone with her two adult daughters and … Baby! Baby is a fully-grown 21-year-old male, but his mother and sisters treat him as an infant and claim that he's mentally unable to function as a mature human being. Ann is convinced that the crazy women deliberately prevent Baby from developing normally, presumably because they don't want him to grow like the careless and obnoxious men who abandoned them in the past. She quickly reverts to unorthodox methods in her attempts to rescue Baby and risks losing both her job and her life. Especially considering the cinematic era "The Baby" was made, and also the low-budget production values, the basic concept of the film easily could have resulted in a trashy and ultimately perverted B-movie. Imagine; a grown man in a diaper surrounded by overly protective and deranged women! In the hands of certain other directors, say, Doris Wishman or Russ Meyer, "The Baby" unquestionably would have been a non-stop series of sleazy images and shocking sex-rites, but Ted Post approaches the unusual subject matter very professionally and tasteful. There are only two controversially uncomfortable sequences, one involving a teenage babysitter and the other one being the fabulous climax. Ted Post maintains an ominous atmosphere, the Wadsworth women are downright creepy characters and the whole thing is just delightfully man-unfriendly! Fans of graphic bloodshed and gore may be a bit disappointed, but the horrific themes of the film are definitely unique enough to compensate. Literally ALL the acting performances are splendid, but David Mooney deserves extra praise for his credible and undoubtedly complex depiction of Baby. It may not be Citizen Kane, but I guarantee that The Baby will be one of the most unforgettable and curiously engaging films you'll ever see.
    helpful•57
    10
    • Coventry
    • May 9, 2007

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 1973 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Severin Films (United States)
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Dehşet çocuğu
    • Filming locations
      • California, USA
    • Production company
      • Quintet Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 24 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono

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