It's Alive (1974)

The Davies expect a baby, which turns out to be a monster with a nasty habit of killing when it's scared. And it's easily scared.

Director:

Larry Cohen

Writer:

Larry Cohen

Stars:

John P. Ryan, Sharon Farrell, Andrew Duggan

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John P. Ryan	...	Frank (as John Ryan)
Sharon Farrell	...	Lenore
Andrew Duggan	...	The Professor
Guy Stockwell	...	Bob Clayton
James Dixon	...	Lt. Perkins
Michael Ansara	...	The Captain
Robert Emhardt	...	The Executive
William Wellman Jr.	...	Charley
Shamus Locke	...	The Doctor
Nancy Burnett	...	Nurse (as Mary Nancy Burnett)
Patrick McAllister	...	Expectant Father (as Patrick Macallister)
Daniel Holzman	...	Chris
Diana Hale	...	Secretary
Gerald York	...	Expectant Father
Jerry Taft	...	Expectant Father

Storyline

The Davies expect a baby, which turns out to be a monster with a nasty habit of killing when it's scared. And it's easily scared.

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Plot Keywords:

body horror | rampage | villain | claim in title | motherhood | 

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Taglines:

Save your screams until you see its face.

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

For the design of the baby monster, Larry Cohen drew a picture of what he wanted it to look like to Rick Baker, with the oversized forehead and pulsating veins running through the head. Cohen and Baker based it off the Starchild from 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) and a wolf.

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Goofs

At the end, when Frank is holding the baby in his arms, the cover accidentally reveals a patch of hair, revealing it to be a dog.

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Quotes

Frank Davies: [to the infant] ahhh, I know I know it hurts look I know that but everything's going to be alright see I was... I was scared like you are, shhh shh you mustn't cry because if you cry they'll hear you and they'll come
[puts rifle down]
Frank Davies: all right,its alright you're alright
[covers infant in coat]
Frank Davies: .

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Connections

Featured in Cohen's Alive: Looking Back At The It's Alive Films (2018)

User Reviews

Labor Pains

IT'S ALIVE (1974) ** John Ryan, Sharon Farrell, James Dixon, William Wellman, Jr., Daniel Holzman, Guy Stockwell, Michael Ansara. Cult horror classic conceived by filmmaker Larry Cohen with his signature low-budget aplomb probes many fears (pregnancy, parenthood, chemically enhanced polutions et al) when a loving family's latest offspring turns out to be a murderous monstrosity. Subjective camera angles and quick interspersed cuts of the 'infant' (created by a young Rick Baker, Future Oscar-winning MonsterMaker!) give a few good chills in this fairly middling, tongue-in-cheek genre flick.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 September 1974 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Baby Killer

Filming Locations:

Victory Hospital 6455 Coldwater Canyon Ave., North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Larco Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1