From director J.J. Abrams comes the next installment in the Star Trek saga, Star Trek Into Darkness. See it at Cinemark theaters now and pre-order on Blu-ray, 3D Blu-ray, DVD, and the Exclusive Starfleet Phaser Gift Set. Shop Star Trek Into Darkness and more in the Star Trek Store. Learn more |
Frequently Bought Together
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? |
Special Features
- Trailers
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
An interesting hybrid of melodrama and monster movie, It's Alive focuses more on story and satirical social commentary than blood and gore, finding a balanced tone of realism meets camp. In the tradition of other great monster movies, clever quick-edit shots of the baby are introduced to the audience in small doses, building some solid suspense. Sure, there's mandatory suspension of belief involved, but who has time to ponder gaping holes in logic when an entire metropolis lives in fear of a baby monstrosity?
Maverick independent film maker Larry Cohen struck gold with this chilling "it could happen to you" tale of terror which went on to gain cult status and spawn two sequels (It Lives Again and Island of the Alive). Featuring some strong performances, genuinely creepy creature effects by master of make-up artist Rick Baker (King Kong, Star Wars, Men in Black), and a marvelously effective score by legendary composer Bernard Hermann (Psycho, The Birds, Kill Bill Vol. 1), It's Alive is schlock at its best. --Matt Wold
Product Description
DVD Features:
Audio Commentary:Commentary by Writer/Director Larry Cohen
Theatrical Trailer:Trailers of this and the sequels "It Lives Again" and "It's Alive III: Island of the Alive"
Customer Reviews
And in the "popcorn" category, the quality isn't all that bad, either, even if you don't consider the great musical scores. Taken together, the three movies on this disc feel like one of those big Stephen King end-of-the-world epics he's so good at writing. Like King's work in this area, here you get the big mysterious disaster (in this case, weird mutant babies being born all over the place) and the well-organized government response to the disaster. And again, like all those 800-page King epics, it's all quite well developed here: after being caught initially unaware by the new "creepy babies" dilemma, the government soon conspires with the medical profession to identify "non-normal" pregancies, so that contigents of cops are there in the delivery room, guns drawn, waiting to "take out" the little sharp-toothed tykes when they, uh... burst forth. But then there's a rival group of doctors who think the babies have a right to be born and they try to get to the mothers first. It's all quite interesting, and not at all like the "dumb but fun" movies I was expecting.
Each movie runs about an hour and a half, feature some pretty good actors (Michael Moriarity and Karen Black among them), and the widescreen prints used here are bright and clear, with a minimum of imperfections. A commentary track by director Larry Cohen graces each movie, too.
So, hey, just to be clear, I'm not saying you're getting Shakespeare here, but for a low price you're getting three pretty good horror movies, each laced with a handful of scares, some genuine complexity (should we feel bad for these creatures or not?), and the great musical scores I mentioned. As I said at the outset, it's a great deal.
The plot is simple: a relatively normal (though slightly quirky) middle-aged couple with an 11-year-old son, who decided to have one more child, is going through what is obviously a prolonged, painful pregnancy for the expectant soon-to-be-second-time-mother. The Davis family, consisting of Frank (John P. Ryan), Lenore (Sharon Farrell) and Chris (Daniel Holzman) just want to get through it, already. Lenore finally goes into labor one night, and the whole family drives to the hospital, during which time Frank tries to lighten the mood with a little humor. During the interminable wait in the hospital lobby, Frank overhears two men discussing something about the toxins being released into the environment and how scientists are warning of the possible mutations this could cause for humans. Suddenly, a badly wounded doctor comes stumbling out of the O/R and drops dead on the hallway floor. Frank and the others run into the room to find a scene of sheer horror: five doctors and nurses dead, their throats all torn and bloody. As they stare in shock and amazement, Lenore (who is uninjured) delivers the chilling news: she gave birth to a newborn baby monster. As Frank and the police try to find the Davis' mutated son, who had escaped the hospital through a ventilation shaft, Baby Davis tries to find his way home by himself, dispatching several unaware victims in the process. Frank is torn amongst his feelings of protectiveness for his son, of the sense of duty to snuff out this newborn killer's life, and anger at those he feels are overly anxious to kill him.
I have rented this film and seen it on three separate occasions (all on VHS, of course; unfortunately, Warner Brothers has not yet seen fit to issue it on DVD) and it gives me something new to focus on each time. The first time, it was the visceral violence of the film (it is quite bloody); the second time, it was the sheer campiness of the whole thing. The third time, it was the emotional suffering of Frank Davis, as he tries to simultaneously make sense of the situation, figure out what his newborn monstrosity will do next, and to make it right.
Although all of the acting in the film is effective and dependable, none stands out more than John P. Ryan. I love his goofiness at the beginning of the film as he's talking to his "young whipperschnapper" son in a comic Humphrey Bogart-meets-Edward G. Robinson voice. I like the effectiveness of the quiet, tense scene that takes place right after the horrible slaying in the hospital, in which the police try to dance lightly around Frank as they begin to ask him uncomfortable questions at this very awkward time. Frank's foot-shifting, equally uncomfortable responses and increasing agitations hit just the right note, and are a subtle example of great Method Acting. Finally, I like the heartbreakingly somberness of the climactic, and inevitable, final scene.
The PG-rating for IT'S ALIVE! remains something of a deceptive mystery; it IS quite bloody, although there isn't much in the way of graphic gore. Still, this got rather strong ratings abroad: According to IMDb, it received a "15" rating in Sweden, an "18" rating in both the U.K. and The Netherlands (the numbers referring to the age at/above to which the film's viewership was restricted), an "R" rating in Australia, and in Finland, it was banned!
I know it's cheesy, I know that you hardly see the monster baby (which, given the lack of special effects, was probably a good thing and even added to the suspense), and I know that future multiple-Oscar-winning makeup genius Rick Baker was basically beginning to learn his craft here; the fact is, I find it impossible not to like IT'S ALIVE! If you love those late-night creepy old movies, then you know you will like this too. You've got to admit, you like this kind of stuff--and director Larry Cohen sure makes it fun to watch!
RECOMMENDED
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR FANS OF 1970'S FILMS
A wonderful 3-DVD set that has more killer demonic babies than you could ever wish for. Read more
Look for Similar Items by Category
|
