John P. Ryan returns as Frank Davis, the father of the monster baby from It's Alive, this time to warn parents of infants about to be born of a conspiracy of the government to have killing squads ready at the time of birth. It seems that his baby was just the tip of the iceberg - a whole group of these mutant babies is being born all over the country. Though certainly not as effective as the original, I found It Lives Again to be quite an engaging, well-done sequel. Larry Cohen again returns as both writer and director, and he brings back some of the same folks from the original - James Dixon in particular returns as the lieutenant. john Marley does an able job playing a policeman with special reason to seeing these babies die. The other actors give decent performances with Andrew Duggan standing out as a doctor bent on giving these babies a chance. I guess what I really liked about the film was the sense that even though these mutants are destructive, killing machines, they still have a glimmer, a spark if you will, of some kind of inherent humanity. Cohen tries to keep his viewers at least somewhat sympathetic to their plight. As with the first film, don't look for mind-boggling special effects here. We get the same camera blur treatment when we see things through the eyes of the babies. We also never get a real good look at the infants in this one either. Some scenes that I thought were particularly well-shot include the hospital awaiting the arrival of the Scott's and much of the by-play with Marley and Ryan. Bernard Herrmann's music is back as well. Rather enjoyable sequel!
35 Reviews
If You Thought One Baby Was Bad, Try Triplets!
gavin694215 January 2007
After the Davis baby is destroyed, others begin to appear around the country. The second film follows a renegade group of people (including Frank Davis from the first film) who are trying to prevent the government from killing the mutant babies. But at what price? Along with Frank, we now have the Scott family: Eugene Scott (played by Frederic Forrest, best known to me as the Nazi Surplus Store Owner from "Falling Down") and Jody Scott (played by the lovely and undercast Kathleen Lloyd). And the Scott family doesn't like it when you try to kill their baby! Oh, and the makeup effects of Oscar-winning Rick Baker again.
This film picks up pretty much where the other left off, give or take a few months. Where the first one pushed the message of chemicals affecting unborn babies, this is more of a family message: parents should love their children regardless of who or what they are. If your child is a criminal or autistic, they're still your child and you should defend and love them, not let the government exterminate them.
There's also a really subtle subplot about child molestation. Although never explicitly shown, there is good reason to believe molestation is occurring between an adult and a child family member. (I won't say who, but you should notice it as hints are dropped multiple times.)
This film is paced better than the first one, and the attacks are a bit more often and slightly more gruesome (though by no means graphic). Going from a PG rating to an R was a good move, though they didn't push the rating as much as I probably would have liked. And a really strange thing happens: Frank Davis becomes known as "Frank Davis". Not "Frank", not "Mr. Davis"... but "Frank Davis" every time he is mentioned. It seems unnatural, as if somehow he is a celebrity that needs to be highlighted, like TV's Patrick Duffy or something.
Although I liked this movie better than the first one, it relies heavily on the first one to understand it, so you're really stuck having to watch both if you want to "get it". The recurring characters and source of the mutants won't make sense unless you see the original. But by all means if you liked the first one, watch the second... and if you liked this one, watch the third.
This film picks up pretty much where the other left off, give or take a few months. Where the first one pushed the message of chemicals affecting unborn babies, this is more of a family message: parents should love their children regardless of who or what they are. If your child is a criminal or autistic, they're still your child and you should defend and love them, not let the government exterminate them.
There's also a really subtle subplot about child molestation. Although never explicitly shown, there is good reason to believe molestation is occurring between an adult and a child family member. (I won't say who, but you should notice it as hints are dropped multiple times.)
This film is paced better than the first one, and the attacks are a bit more often and slightly more gruesome (though by no means graphic). Going from a PG rating to an R was a good move, though they didn't push the rating as much as I probably would have liked. And a really strange thing happens: Frank Davis becomes known as "Frank Davis". Not "Frank", not "Mr. Davis"... but "Frank Davis" every time he is mentioned. It seems unnatural, as if somehow he is a celebrity that needs to be highlighted, like TV's Patrick Duffy or something.
Although I liked this movie better than the first one, it relies heavily on the first one to understand it, so you're really stuck having to watch both if you want to "get it". The recurring characters and source of the mutants won't make sense unless you see the original. But by all means if you liked the first one, watch the second... and if you liked this one, watch the third.
I had a 'walk-on' speaking part in this film.
pettit30 May 2002
This is not actually a review of 'It Lives Again', just a quick comment, in case anyone is interested. I had a tiny speaking part in this film. I was part of a crowd of extras in the police/sheriff's roadblock scene (right after the tunnel shot), when the director decided to create a dialogue between the Sheriff's Department and the city police about whose jurisdiction it was.
He picked two of us who were wearing sergeant stripes on our uniforms (we were off-duty cops at the time) and we made up the scene on the spot. My two lines made it into the movie: "This is the Sheriff's jurisdiction and we're stopping the truck"...then, I turned to the other deputies and said, "OK, stop the truck." ...that's it. 35 years later, my family and friends still get a huge laugh out of this.
M. Pettit Tucson, AZ 2002
He picked two of us who were wearing sergeant stripes on our uniforms (we were off-duty cops at the time) and we made up the scene on the spot. My two lines made it into the movie: "This is the Sheriff's jurisdiction and we're stopping the truck"...then, I turned to the other deputies and said, "OK, stop the truck." ...that's it. 35 years later, my family and friends still get a huge laugh out of this.
M. Pettit Tucson, AZ 2002
Another bouncing baby mutant
bkoganbing5 June 2013
After the first film It's Alive about a mutant baby that's a real killer fresh from the womb, it was decided a sequel was in order. The first must have made a few dollars, that is how these things are decided.
Returning from the first film is John P. Ryan the father who killed his own mutant and now has a mission in life, maybe to save others who are now showing up in the population. Which is why he visits Frederic Forrest and Kathleen Lloyd another expectant set of parents.
After that things get real silly as the all seeing government in the person of John Marley gets into the act. There's also an institute that wants to house and study the mutants that's headed by Andrew Duggan. All these plot elements combine for one bloody ending.
Not that the first film was a world beater, but it's Citizen Kane next to this.
Returning from the first film is John P. Ryan the father who killed his own mutant and now has a mission in life, maybe to save others who are now showing up in the population. Which is why he visits Frederic Forrest and Kathleen Lloyd another expectant set of parents.
After that things get real silly as the all seeing government in the person of John Marley gets into the act. There's also an institute that wants to house and study the mutants that's headed by Andrew Duggan. All these plot elements combine for one bloody ending.
Not that the first film was a world beater, but it's Citizen Kane next to this.
"Why do you want to hurt people?"
Coventry5 June 2005
Warning: Spoilers
The happily married couple Eugène and Jody Scott are eagerly making preparations for the birth of their first baby when Frank Davies, the unfortunate father of the first monster-baby adventure, comes to their house to warn them that their child will be a malevolent creature. He succeeds in convincing the parents that the baby should be born outside the hospital, where doctors and police men are going to kill it right after leaving the womb... After a hectic escape from the authorities, Eugène and Jody flee with their to a secret observation institute where already two companions in distress are homed. Larry Cohen's successor to his own mini cult-classic "It's Alive" is a lot more appealing than I first feared! Here, even more than in the original, Cohen gives a human and dramatic angle to the story by focusing on the initially perfect family situation of the Scotts and examining this exact same relationship afterwards! The result is a touching social drama in which the monstrous baby is secondary to the agony of parents left behind! "It Lives Again" only turns into an exciting horror movie half way through, when the 3 ferocious babies break loose and start a murder spree again. Especially in this second half, Cohen proves his brilliant horror-directing skills by suggesting a whole lot...but showing little. The kids' birthday party is an excellent example of this! This sequel is less blackly humorous than the original and it looks like the gore-budget was even smaller than four years earlier. Yet, I found it more tense than the first, with some ingeniously, but simply conceived shock-images such as the babies crawling slowly under sheets. If you're a fan of cheap B-horror and if you're familiar with the other marvelous work of Larry Cohen ("The Stuff", "God Told Me To", "Maniac Cop"...) you should definitely give this a try. I'm going to check out the final chapter "Island of the Alive" soon as well and I hope it equally entertaining.
Mutant Babies And Microphones
Theo Robertson25 September 2003
Anyone remember that 80s sci-fi series V ? It`s best remembered for a scene where a teenage girl gives birth to an alien mutant baby , but what a lot of people can`t remember about the series is that every single scene has a studio microphone popping into view . Guess what ? IT LIVES AGAIN also features mutant babies and microphone goofs . Look at the scene where the party has just broken up and Jody and Frank sit on the sofa . You can clearly see a microphone sticking up from the coffee table . I`m surprised the scene wasn`t reshot because the microphone is so obvious it`s impossible not to notice it . Director Larry Cohen has noticed it but instead of reshooting the scene he seems to have dispensed with microphones for the rest of the movie ! Seriously I`m certain he has because the sound mix after this scene is all over the place , when someone speaks the volume of their voice increases/decreases from shot to shot and there`s also plenty of scenes with obvious overdubbing , and not to mention bizarre background noises .
As for the rest of the film it`s a disappointment . You`d think a movie with mutant babies on the rampage would have been so bad it`s brilliant , but the screenplay takes itself far too seriously and most of the actors seem to have other things on their minds especially Frederic Forrest who seems to be thinking " I just hope Francis Ford Coppola releases that Vietnam war movie as soon as possible "
As for the rest of the film it`s a disappointment . You`d think a movie with mutant babies on the rampage would have been so bad it`s brilliant , but the screenplay takes itself far too seriously and most of the actors seem to have other things on their minds especially Frederic Forrest who seems to be thinking " I just hope Francis Ford Coppola releases that Vietnam war movie as soon as possible "
Three times the fun...and a great family picture!
planktonrules27 October 2022
The movie "It's Alive" is a most enjoyable film. Is it intellectual or a work of genius? Nah...but it's cheesy fun. I never realized until now that there were a couple sequels...and when I found "It Lives Again" I decided to try it.
The story begins at a baby shower. As it ends, the couple notice that one of the guests wasn't invited and it turns out to be Frank David (John P. Ryan)...the father of the abomination from the first film. It seems that he and his new friends suspect that the couple's baby might also be a demon spawn and he tells them he and his volunteers are ready...just in case. Well, not surprisingly, the child does end up being an ungodly killing machine...but this time the authorities are there to capture and imprison it as it's born. Amazingly, two other killing machines were born around the same time...and now they're being held in a government lab where they can be studied. Unfortunately, the folks keeping the demon babies prisoner turn out of be idiots and the babies escape! Is there any hope for mankind or possibility they could get the brood on "The Jerry Springer Show"?
The reviews for this film are mostly negative. This surprised me, as the movie was pretty entertaining. Now I am NOT saying it's great art or about to be released by the fancy Criterion Collection...but it does the trick with scaring you and keeping your attention!
On the positive side, director Larry Cohen seems to be at his best. Also, the film manages to make cheesy puppets look and sound menacing. On the negative, the writing for some characters was poor. The mother's character simply made no sense whatsoever. She changed moods and her mind so often that it just looked like bad writing. While not as bad, the governmental authorities seemed dim...I mean...how could they anticipate the births of these murder machines and not have better security?! Still, overall the good far outweighs the bad.
The story begins at a baby shower. As it ends, the couple notice that one of the guests wasn't invited and it turns out to be Frank David (John P. Ryan)...the father of the abomination from the first film. It seems that he and his new friends suspect that the couple's baby might also be a demon spawn and he tells them he and his volunteers are ready...just in case. Well, not surprisingly, the child does end up being an ungodly killing machine...but this time the authorities are there to capture and imprison it as it's born. Amazingly, two other killing machines were born around the same time...and now they're being held in a government lab where they can be studied. Unfortunately, the folks keeping the demon babies prisoner turn out of be idiots and the babies escape! Is there any hope for mankind or possibility they could get the brood on "The Jerry Springer Show"?
The reviews for this film are mostly negative. This surprised me, as the movie was pretty entertaining. Now I am NOT saying it's great art or about to be released by the fancy Criterion Collection...but it does the trick with scaring you and keeping your attention!
On the positive side, director Larry Cohen seems to be at his best. Also, the film manages to make cheesy puppets look and sound menacing. On the negative, the writing for some characters was poor. The mother's character simply made no sense whatsoever. She changed moods and her mind so often that it just looked like bad writing. While not as bad, the governmental authorities seemed dim...I mean...how could they anticipate the births of these murder machines and not have better security?! Still, overall the good far outweighs the bad.
It Dies
Waiting2BShocked17 August 2007
Warning: Spoilers
In a direct sequel to Cohen's 1974's cult favourite "It's Alive!", Forrest and Lloyd take over as a couple playing host parents to a newborn 'sacrilige' being observed along with two fellow mutant tots by a mad-dish ("perhaps theirs is the race that will be able to adapt to the future") scientist.
The script's impartial stance on the blindness of the 'authorities' against the plain stupidity of nature-tampering science, along with the excellent and affecting portrayal of parental suspended grief by the two leads, are sadly the film's only virtues.
On the back of the cult critical plaudits poured over his "God Told Me To" the previous year Cohen seems to have transformed into the Tarantino of his day by the time of this production, resulting in an overly-discerning, archly facetious parody of his original. Following a coherent and workable first 20 minutes the babies escape, characterisation fades into evanescent memory, and suspenselessly-edited sequences telegraphed as 'shock' but ending up as anything but become the order of the day.
Cohen's career subsequent to this was a pretty unambiguously hit ("Q") and miss ("Wicked Stepmother", "Return to Salem's Lot") affair. Visually it's all pretty ugly, and just like with the aforementioned Mr T it's hard to discern (ie care) whether or not the amateur slapdashness is in fact sick slickness. Hardly a gracious return to American movies for Eddie 'Lemmy Caution' Constantine, either.
The script's impartial stance on the blindness of the 'authorities' against the plain stupidity of nature-tampering science, along with the excellent and affecting portrayal of parental suspended grief by the two leads, are sadly the film's only virtues.
On the back of the cult critical plaudits poured over his "God Told Me To" the previous year Cohen seems to have transformed into the Tarantino of his day by the time of this production, resulting in an overly-discerning, archly facetious parody of his original. Following a coherent and workable first 20 minutes the babies escape, characterisation fades into evanescent memory, and suspenselessly-edited sequences telegraphed as 'shock' but ending up as anything but become the order of the day.
Cohen's career subsequent to this was a pretty unambiguously hit ("Q") and miss ("Wicked Stepmother", "Return to Salem's Lot") affair. Visually it's all pretty ugly, and just like with the aforementioned Mr T it's hard to discern (ie care) whether or not the amateur slapdashness is in fact sick slickness. Hardly a gracious return to American movies for Eddie 'Lemmy Caution' Constantine, either.
Better than the first in my opinion.
alienlegend24 August 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I like how they expanded the world of the first film so much and gave you the sense of how many people this phenomenon was affecting. After watching the original movie, I questioned how they would do a sequel but this was a very smart, clever way of doing it. I really love Larry Cohen's films especially The Stuff and this is probably my favorite after that. I found the movie to be highly engaging and I was never bored. I was glad to see the actor from the first film back and almost immediately he gave a powerful moving performance. To me, this sequel is just a lot more interesting and unique than the original but that's just my 2 cents.
IT LIVES AGAIN
TCurtis919228 February 2020
"IT LIVES AGAIN" (1978, Cohen) follows on from its predecessor in every way except it outstays its welcome.
We have a good set of ideas, more very good performances, that effectively nasty tone and, again, mere glimpses of the killer babies. But in my opinion it gets to a certain point and then begins to grind slowly to the end and it's a boring grind.
These films are, good quality acting and music aside, barrel-bottom cheap horror flicks. I do like them for what they are but they could have been a lot more.
We have a good set of ideas, more very good performances, that effectively nasty tone and, again, mere glimpses of the killer babies. But in my opinion it gets to a certain point and then begins to grind slowly to the end and it's a boring grind.
These films are, good quality acting and music aside, barrel-bottom cheap horror flicks. I do like them for what they are but they could have been a lot more.
My Favorite of the Trilogy
Hayjohowe15 May 2012
Warning: Spoilers
It's Alive 2 a.k.a It Lives Again, is the happy medium between the original It's Alive, which I find a little dull compared to the other two, and It's Alive Three Island of the Alive, which was much more violent and had a lot more profanity. But the plot to It lives again is nothing special: Affter his baby was killed, Frank Davis starts warning people who are ready to have a baby about what may happen, and what the government may try to do. He and a group of others devise a plan to help a pregnant woman and her husband (The Scotts) have their baby, despite the obvious fact that it will be a mutant. He uses a special truck with appropriate gear to do this. But when the baby kills the doctors, the team captures it, and takes it to a base with two other children to study it. But the government knows what is going on and is intent to stop it. When the three babies get lose, they run ramp-id on the base until the government kills all of them except the Scotts baby, Who kills Frank Davis when he tries to get it to safety. The Parents then offer themselves as bait, remembering what Frank said about the infants ability to find it's parents. The police waits in the area around a house that the Scotts stay in, while the baby makes it's way to them. Eventually it finds them, and they realize that the baby only wants their love, and they then care for it for a short time. But then the government group gases the house to poison the infant, and when the leader steps in, the child attacks him, and it's either shoot their own baby or let the man die. So in the end, Mr. Scott kills his own baby. It's a lot more tragic end in this movie, than in the first. Some may say, this movie isn't as good as the original, and it's probably not, but I say, go check it out, see for yourself...
It lives again...enough said.
michaelRokeefe30 November 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Director/writer Larry Cohen comes back with the sequel to his 1974 original marauding mutant baby flick. Expectant couple, Eugene and Jody Scott(Frederic Forrest and Kathleen Lloyd), are paid a visit by a stranger concerned about their unborn child. That stranger is Frank Davis(John P. Ryan), the father of the original razor-sharp toothed mutant tyke. A nationwide task force has been formed to destroy other monster infants; and Davis convinces the Scotts their child should be born in secret surroundings protected by an underground organization desiring to study the mutant crawling killers. Its nice that this time out we get to see more of the monster-baby in a more deliberate script. At times I think that Ryan is actually creepier than the overactive infant. Also in the cast: James Dixon, John Marley and Andrew Duggan.
Kill It!
view_and_review8 June 2019
It's Alive wasn't even all that good so how was the sequel going to be good?
In this sequel, a new couple is having a baby. This time though the authorities are already aware that the baby could be another "it." You know who is also aware of this? Frank Davis (John Ryan). As in the father of the original it. The same father that pretty much committed murder by throwing his predator baby at a police officer. Frank is on a mission to protect all of these monster babies being born throughout the country. It's a sick and disturbing mission and makes no sense.
This awful movie involved multiple demon babies being raised in captivity by some benign and stupid group. Of course, the babies get loose or else how would we have a movie?
The story was atrocious and the only thing worse than the story was the actions of virtually everyone. Not a thing that anyone did in this movie made sense on any level. I know scary movies are always short in the common sense department, that's their primary method of advancing the plot. That doesn't mean I have to like it. When watching a scary movie I will grant them one, maybe two morons/moronic actions because I know they're going to be in there somewhere. After two my eyes begin to roll and I get a spate of Tourrettes. It Lives Again went way over their quota of two dumb people/actions. There was no way I could rate this above a one.
In this sequel, a new couple is having a baby. This time though the authorities are already aware that the baby could be another "it." You know who is also aware of this? Frank Davis (John Ryan). As in the father of the original it. The same father that pretty much committed murder by throwing his predator baby at a police officer. Frank is on a mission to protect all of these monster babies being born throughout the country. It's a sick and disturbing mission and makes no sense.
This awful movie involved multiple demon babies being raised in captivity by some benign and stupid group. Of course, the babies get loose or else how would we have a movie?
The story was atrocious and the only thing worse than the story was the actions of virtually everyone. Not a thing that anyone did in this movie made sense on any level. I know scary movies are always short in the common sense department, that's their primary method of advancing the plot. That doesn't mean I have to like it. When watching a scary movie I will grant them one, maybe two morons/moronic actions because I know they're going to be in there somewhere. After two my eyes begin to roll and I get a spate of Tourrettes. It Lives Again went way over their quota of two dumb people/actions. There was no way I could rate this above a one.
* out of 4.
brandonsites19813 June 2002
Weak follow-up to the original cult classic It's Alive is virtually a remake of the first film, but with three babies this time around instead of one. Dull, boring, talky horror flick with a disappointing score and just about all the action and scares confined to the end, but by then it is too late. Rick Baker actually did the poor effects for this inept sequel.
Rated R; Violence & Profanity.
Rated R; Violence & Profanity.
Decent follow up expanding on the original.
poolandrews25 September 2010
Warning: Spoilers
It Lives Again starts is Tuscon in Arizona where Eugene (Frederic Forrest) & Jody Scott (Kethleen Lloyd) are expecting their first child, the couple is contacted by Frank Davis (John P. Ryan) who was the father of a mutant baby & warns them that they Jody is about to give birth to another mutant baby. Frank claims that the Government have set up a team to kill all the babies at conception & that he wants to protect them, the Government extermination team is lead by the ruthless Mallory (John Marley) while Frank belongs to a small group of scientists who want to protect & study the babies. Jody gives birth to her mutant baby & goes on the run from Mallory's team, in a secluded mountaintop house Jody & Eugene learn that Frank & the scientists have two other mutant babies that they are studying & caring for...
Also known as It's Alive 2: It Lives Again just like it's predecessor It's Alive (1974) this was written, produced & directed by Larry Cohen who continues, elaborates & expands on the story & ideas of the original rather than just rehash & reuse them. A few character's return from the original It's Alive, most notably Frank Davis the father of the first mutant baby is now an activist helping to protect them & giving passionate speeches although the progression of the character is somewhat halted when he is unexpectedly killed off. The human villain here Mallory is joined by the cop Detective Perkins from the original It's Alive although he gets no such dramatic overhaul, the conflict between the two sides with those who want to protect the babies & those who just want to exterminate them is also elaborated on as entire networks are set-up to fool & evade the authorities. The scientific team feel that the babies are the next step in human evolution which is a bit of a stretch & I still have a hard time believing that so many people would just ignore the fact that these babies & brutally killing anyone they meet. Eugene & Jody are the unlucky couple this time & like the original their emotions & feelings go from utter disgust & hate to maternal love although it's less effective this time around & there's never any sensible reason given as to why the babies want to seek out their parents & kill them.
Like the original It's Alive the killer babies are only ever seen in quick flashes or brief glimpses although once again that was down to the special effect being less than special so they were mainly kept off screen. With so many things going on in the plot from crazy scientists to arguing parents to stabs at social commentary & parenting there's not much time for horror actually, It Lives Again is noticeably tamer than It's Alive with less blood, less attacks & less scares although there are a couple of amusing visual gags including an incubator encased in a steel cage & a birthday cake with a mutant babies claw print in it. A slightly more polished production than the original things are still look a little rough at times, Bernard Hermann's score was reused even though the composer had died some three years earlier.
Filmed in Tuscon & San Francisco things look a bit dated, the acting varies from John Ryan who is still good while he's alive anyway to Frederic Forrest who takes the Ryan role he played in the original who just isn't that good here.
It Lives Again is a good follow up to Cohen's break though film It's Alive that tries to expand on it's ideas rather than reuse them but in trying to do too much it doesn't quite work as well. Followed by It's Alive III: Island of the Alive (1987).
Also known as It's Alive 2: It Lives Again just like it's predecessor It's Alive (1974) this was written, produced & directed by Larry Cohen who continues, elaborates & expands on the story & ideas of the original rather than just rehash & reuse them. A few character's return from the original It's Alive, most notably Frank Davis the father of the first mutant baby is now an activist helping to protect them & giving passionate speeches although the progression of the character is somewhat halted when he is unexpectedly killed off. The human villain here Mallory is joined by the cop Detective Perkins from the original It's Alive although he gets no such dramatic overhaul, the conflict between the two sides with those who want to protect the babies & those who just want to exterminate them is also elaborated on as entire networks are set-up to fool & evade the authorities. The scientific team feel that the babies are the next step in human evolution which is a bit of a stretch & I still have a hard time believing that so many people would just ignore the fact that these babies & brutally killing anyone they meet. Eugene & Jody are the unlucky couple this time & like the original their emotions & feelings go from utter disgust & hate to maternal love although it's less effective this time around & there's never any sensible reason given as to why the babies want to seek out their parents & kill them.
Like the original It's Alive the killer babies are only ever seen in quick flashes or brief glimpses although once again that was down to the special effect being less than special so they were mainly kept off screen. With so many things going on in the plot from crazy scientists to arguing parents to stabs at social commentary & parenting there's not much time for horror actually, It Lives Again is noticeably tamer than It's Alive with less blood, less attacks & less scares although there are a couple of amusing visual gags including an incubator encased in a steel cage & a birthday cake with a mutant babies claw print in it. A slightly more polished production than the original things are still look a little rough at times, Bernard Hermann's score was reused even though the composer had died some three years earlier.
Filmed in Tuscon & San Francisco things look a bit dated, the acting varies from John Ryan who is still good while he's alive anyway to Frederic Forrest who takes the Ryan role he played in the original who just isn't that good here.
It Lives Again is a good follow up to Cohen's break though film It's Alive that tries to expand on it's ideas rather than reuse them but in trying to do too much it doesn't quite work as well. Followed by It's Alive III: Island of the Alive (1987).
Birth of the Scott baby
Vomitron_G20 September 2011
"It Lives Again" is a very consistent sequel to the 1974 original "It's Alive". Of course it is, since both films are written, directed and produced by Larry Cohen. He picks things up after the events of the first film, by having Frank Davis (John P. Ryan) - father of the Davis monster baby which was killed at the end of the first film - visit soon-to-be parents Eugene & Jody Scott (Frederic Forest & Kathleen Lloyd). Davis suspects that their baby will be of the same mutant kind of offspring and offers his help (together with a team of doctors, operating outside the authorities' knowledge). For what they want to do, is to save the baby in order for it to live, while the authorities want to exterminate this sudden rash of mutant newborns. That in itself is an original spin on things, and one way for this sequel to differentiate itself from the original. Another thing being that there are not one but three monster babies this time. Also, this time the script expands a little further on the human drama, which wasn't a bad choice of Cohen. The concept of mutant killer babies remains as (un)convincing as it was in the first film. So does the movie's ecological/pharmaceutical message. It's just something you'll have to fly with, as both films play things with a straight face. "It Lives Again" has a slightly higher pace to the events than the original had and about the same production values, making it a worthwhile sequel that's pretty much on par with the original. At the time young SFX artist Rick Baker returned to create the killer babies (don't expect his best work here; he was only getting started). So does composer Bernard Herrmann, who delivers a tense musical score just as decent as he did on the first film. So, the outcome is simple: if you've enjoyed the first film, go ahead and enjoy this sequel. If, however, the concept of killer mutant babies doesn't appeal to you, then you shouldn't bother watching any of these three Larry Cohen films (the third one being "Island of the Alive" from 1987).
Too much drama and terrible acting, but enough schlocky fun to be watchable.
WisdomsHammer25 March 2022
When you watch a movie like this, you pretty much know what you're in for. This felt like a hastily put-together cash grab on the back of the first movie, which I'm sure it was. It's also why the script isn't exactly coherent and probably why there aren't as many monster scenes as we'd like and too much drama to pad out the movie's hour and a half run time, but when the monster scenes come, they were entertaining enough for me.
Like in the first movie, they keep the little monsters in shadow and mostly obscured or have scenes shot from their point of view, but I think that actually works to the benefit of this. You see enough of them not to feel completely cheated, but it would have been nice to have even more of them in this. Sure, a lot of it is laughably bad, but I wasn't expecting Oscar-winning effects here anyway and it's still done better than the schlocky movies of the 50s and 60s.
I gotta say, Frederic Forrest turns in one of the worst performances I've ever seen and he's one of the leads. He overacts to the point of hysteria, except it made me groan and roll my eyes more than laugh. And I thought. John P. Ryan was bad! Wow. Thankfully, Kathleen Lloyd does a great job and helps make this feel slightly more believable. I swear it looked like she had to fight from cracking up trying to act opposite Forrest's over the top antics, though. Andrew Duggan did a good job of treating his role seriously, too. John Marley is a recognizable face and not a bad actor, but in this, he is. He phoned it in. I can't say I blame him.
I'd say that overall this is about as good as the first one which isn't saying much, but not bad for the obvious cash grab sequel that it is.
Recommended for B-movie fans who don't take things too seriously. For others, I would steer clear of these kinds of movies in general.
Like in the first movie, they keep the little monsters in shadow and mostly obscured or have scenes shot from their point of view, but I think that actually works to the benefit of this. You see enough of them not to feel completely cheated, but it would have been nice to have even more of them in this. Sure, a lot of it is laughably bad, but I wasn't expecting Oscar-winning effects here anyway and it's still done better than the schlocky movies of the 50s and 60s.
I gotta say, Frederic Forrest turns in one of the worst performances I've ever seen and he's one of the leads. He overacts to the point of hysteria, except it made me groan and roll my eyes more than laugh. And I thought. John P. Ryan was bad! Wow. Thankfully, Kathleen Lloyd does a great job and helps make this feel slightly more believable. I swear it looked like she had to fight from cracking up trying to act opposite Forrest's over the top antics, though. Andrew Duggan did a good job of treating his role seriously, too. John Marley is a recognizable face and not a bad actor, but in this, he is. He phoned it in. I can't say I blame him.
I'd say that overall this is about as good as the first one which isn't saying much, but not bad for the obvious cash grab sequel that it is.
Recommended for B-movie fans who don't take things too seriously. For others, I would steer clear of these kinds of movies in general.
there's no movie here
moonwaffle631 May 2007
for what is certainly a great premise, it's unfortunate this film is such a failure. i've never watched anything so loaded with filler. it felt like half the 90-minute run time was probably dedicated just to watching characters entering driveways and getting out of their cars. this time there's three killer babies. who cares. none of them do anything. why does Larry Cohen even bother making a movie that are this diluted. i would credit Frederic Forrest's performance as the tormented father with holding the film together .. that's if there was anything to hold together. a total waste of my time. you know what would have made the movie better? if the story took place on the titanic in an alternate universe and the babies were faster, amphibious, had spider legs, and could reproduce within seconds of being born. imagine all those stuffy aristocrats in life jackets bobbing up and down between the glaciers with spider babies attached to their necks.
Decent sequel.
Hey_Sweden16 February 2012
Warning: Spoilers
John P. Ryan returns as Frank Davis, the father of the mutated baby in this, Larry Cohen's sequel to his cult favourite "It's Alive". Frank is now working with a group of people that attempt to help other mutated babies and their parents, and to prevent the tykes from eradication by the authorities. He makes contact with expectant couple Eugene (Frederic Forrest) and Jody (Kathleen Lloyd) and assists in spiriting the kid away to a special sort of clinic. But the cops catch up to them in time to have to deal with the escape of not only Eugene and Jody's offspring but two other murderous infants as well. Cohen had already made his point in the first movie about a possible effect of negative environmental changes on a developing fetus, and his story here is more a portrayal of irrational behaviour that may well annoy some viewers, as it shows how people can be in total denial, and stubbornly continue to engage in dangerous activities, hoping that history won't repeat itself. Characters also opine that maybe, just maybe, the infants have been altered as part of a new step in evolution, a common enough theme in genre fare. But, in the end, there's also the notion present that love and tenderness can temporarily keep a monster at bay. The movie is basically entertaining enough, and respectably paced, with particularly good scenes with Ryan (it's really nice to see him reprise his role) & Forrest and Forrest & John Marley, who plays a cop with a personal motivation for wanting to make the babies extinct. The Bernard Herrmann score is still very effective as well as the Rick Baker makeup effects; Cohen and company refrain from ever giving us an extended look at the babies, which can only be a good thing. The under-rated Forrest is likable as Eugene while the cute Lloyd, an actress whose career should have gone further, is similarly appealing as Jody, although some folk watching may grow tired of their vacillating on the issue of what to do with their child. Marley is very good in his role, while Andrew Duggan, Eddie Constantine, and Cohen regular James Dixon also provide solid support, and Cohen's daughter Jill Gatsby pops up in a small part. All things considered, this isn't as sharp or memorable as the first movie but not really bad either. Six out of 10.
It's back and it has company
lastliberal8 June 2008
John Ryan returns in the sequel to It's Alive, and this time he is saving babies - the strange ones. He hooks up with Eugene and Jody (Frederic Forrest and Kathleen Lloyd), who about to have a baby, and somehow he knows it will be a special one.
He manages to get them away from the evil clutches of the law and John Marley, who is probably still angry about losing his horse in The Godfather. But, of course, this is only temporary, as hippie-looking Jody's mother joins the forces of evil and soon they are killing all the babies that are being saved.
It ends the same, with Eugene taking over the work of saving babies for the third film to come.
He manages to get them away from the evil clutches of the law and John Marley, who is probably still angry about losing his horse in The Godfather. But, of course, this is only temporary, as hippie-looking Jody's mother joins the forces of evil and soon they are killing all the babies that are being saved.
It ends the same, with Eugene taking over the work of saving babies for the third film to come.
A good idea badly done = OK movie
silversprdave24 March 2002
After the monstrous killer baby of "It's Alive" terrorizes the delivery room, now, in It Lives again, it seems that there is an epidemic of these things. While the government wants nothing more than to exterminate them all, a group of scientists with compassion are trying to save, and educate the monsters, but they prove to be a bit hard to handle.
This movie could have been a great monster flick. The parallel to the abortion debate and the fact that the baby-monsters are not clearly all good or bad could have made this a significant movie. Even the stupid idea of killer babies makes for a great movie because provides an opportunity to explore the moral dilemma of what to do when children doing bad things. Unfortunately, the director failed to pull it off, and gave us a mediocre sequel. The special effects were weak, with the babies rarely shown clearly, and the characters managed to act stupidly, annoying me throughout the film. The original movie "It's Alive" is the better movie (although that also is sub-standard - but at least its funnier and unique). Still, I think that this film is worth watching for fans of off-beat horror movies.
This movie could have been a great monster flick. The parallel to the abortion debate and the fact that the baby-monsters are not clearly all good or bad could have made this a significant movie. Even the stupid idea of killer babies makes for a great movie because provides an opportunity to explore the moral dilemma of what to do when children doing bad things. Unfortunately, the director failed to pull it off, and gave us a mediocre sequel. The special effects were weak, with the babies rarely shown clearly, and the characters managed to act stupidly, annoying me throughout the film. The original movie "It's Alive" is the better movie (although that also is sub-standard - but at least its funnier and unique). Still, I think that this film is worth watching for fans of off-beat horror movies.
Good first half, then falls apart
Wizard-824 May 2013
I thought the first movie of this series was a pretty mediocre effort all around, so my hopes were not high when I sat down to watch this sequel. To my surprise, for quite a while I thought that this movie was shaping up to be much better than the original movie. The production values are a lot better, for one thing. Also, the first half of the movie, with the new and old characters, is surprisingly engaging. It was a new angle and not simply copying the first movie.
However, around the halfway point, the movie starts to fall apart and gets more tedious as it progresses. There's a lot less horror in this sequel than the first movie - in fact, the first real horror sequence only happens when more than half an hour of the running time has passed! The real problem is that the movie simply becomes boring and a tough slog to get through. Too bad, since writer/director Larry Cohen did have the stuff to make a better film.
One last thing: "It Lives Again" was rated "R", while the first movie got a "PG" rating. Which I don't understand, because "It Lives Again" has no nudity, no sex, no foul language, and far less blood and horror than the first film!
However, around the halfway point, the movie starts to fall apart and gets more tedious as it progresses. There's a lot less horror in this sequel than the first movie - in fact, the first real horror sequence only happens when more than half an hour of the running time has passed! The real problem is that the movie simply becomes boring and a tough slog to get through. Too bad, since writer/director Larry Cohen did have the stuff to make a better film.
One last thing: "It Lives Again" was rated "R", while the first movie got a "PG" rating. Which I don't understand, because "It Lives Again" has no nudity, no sex, no foul language, and far less blood and horror than the first film!
A disappointing follow-up to mini-classic "It's Alive".
HumanoidOfFlesh4 October 2004
"It Lives Again" is the sequel to Larry Cohen's cult classic "It's Alive".The mutant baby is back joined by two more homicidal sucklings.There are some moments of comedy in this film,unfortunately "It Lives Again" is too talky and rather dull.There is a little bit of suspense and the mutant babies look creepy.The acting is pretty good.The scene where a monstrous baby attacks his own father in a swimming pool is the highlight of the film.So if you're a fan of Larry Cohen's horror movies or you love the original you can give it a look.However if you want really trashy Z-grade horror flick about monstrous embryo check out also "The Suckling".5 out of 10.
"Lots of people call their baby 'it'."
classicsoncall2 May 2016
Warning: Spoilers
It's been a while since I've seen a movie that kept me this off balance while watching it and trying to understand the motivations of the characters. The Scott's in particular (Frederic Forrest and Kathleen Lloyd) are alternately receptive to and then repulsed by the idea of loving a mutant monster baby. Though I haven't seen the picture that inspired this sequel, I'm pretty convinced at this point that there's no reason for me to seek out "It's Alive"; the idea that the series produced yet a third picture is even more disconcerting. In fact, I may not be able to view another film with John Marley in it the same way again, seeing as how he made this one after finding a horse's head in his bed.
It's interesting however when a movie almost forty years old brings to mind how things accepted at one time would never be broached in the same way again in more modern times. I'm thinking about that opening scene when Jody Scott (Lloyd) and Eugene (Forrest) are trying to figure out who Frank Davis (John Ryan) is at their baby shower party. Exhausting all possibilities, Mrs. Scott finally asks her husband to go find out if he's queer. Gasp!
It's interesting however when a movie almost forty years old brings to mind how things accepted at one time would never be broached in the same way again in more modern times. I'm thinking about that opening scene when Jody Scott (Lloyd) and Eugene (Forrest) are trying to figure out who Frank Davis (John Ryan) is at their baby shower party. Exhausting all possibilities, Mrs. Scott finally asks her husband to go find out if he's queer. Gasp!
It's barely alive again.
TOMNEL14 January 2007
Stars: Frederic Forest, Kathleen Lloyd and John P. Ryan.
A government conspiracy to kill all of the mutated babies has Frank Davis (Ryan) helping a pregnant couple out and stopping them from going through what he did. The first 15 minutes of the film are Frank talking to the couple at their baby shower and it is actually the 15 most enjoyable minutes in the film. Larry Cohen gives us an unneeded second dosage of similar material that is neither an improvement nor worse than the first one. Some people might enjoy this better for more screen time for the babies, and some may enjoy it less for rehashing material from the first. I liked it OK, but it was nothing special.
My rating: ** out of ****. 90 mins. R for violence
A government conspiracy to kill all of the mutated babies has Frank Davis (Ryan) helping a pregnant couple out and stopping them from going through what he did. The first 15 minutes of the film are Frank talking to the couple at their baby shower and it is actually the 15 most enjoyable minutes in the film. Larry Cohen gives us an unneeded second dosage of similar material that is neither an improvement nor worse than the first one. Some people might enjoy this better for more screen time for the babies, and some may enjoy it less for rehashing material from the first. I liked it OK, but it was nothing special.
My rating: ** out of ****. 90 mins. R for violence
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