It's Alive (1974 film)
| It's Alive | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Larry Cohen |
| Produced by | Larry Cohen |
| Written by | Larry Cohen |
| Starring |
John P. Ryan Sharon Farrell James Dixon William Wellman Jr. Shamus Locke Andrew Duggan Michael Ansara |
| Music by | Bernard Herrmann |
| Cinematography | Fenton Hamilton |
| Edited by | Peter Honess |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
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Release date
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Running time
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91 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $7.1 million |
It's Alive is a 1974 American horror film written, produced, and directed by Larry Cohen. In the film, a couple's infant child turns out to be a vicious mutant monster that kills when frightened. Notable talents involved in the movie were Bernard Herrmann who composed the score (noted for his work on many films of Alfred Hitchcock) and Rick Baker for makeup and puppet effects.
In Los Angeles, Frank Davis (John Ryan) and his wife Lenore (Sharon Farrell) are expecting their second child. Frank is a successful public relations consultant and his wife is a stay-at-home mom for their first child, Chris (Daniel Holzman). The couple avoided having a child for several years while Lenore took contraceptive pills. When their child is ready to be born, they leave Chris with a family friend, Charley (William Wellman, Jr.), and go to the hospital. Their second child, a baby boy, is born monstrously deformed, with fangs and claws. Immediately after birth, one of the doctors attempts to suffocate the child. The child kills the doctors and nurses and flees through a skylight. Lenore is left alive, screaming for her child as a horrified Frank discovers the carnage.
Frank and Lenore are allowed to leave the hospital while the police investigate the killings. Unknown to anyone, the child travels to the Davis home, and kills anyone he encounters. As the killings continue, the press and the police hound Frank and Lenore. When talking with medical researchers investigating the case, Frank is reminded of watching Frankenstein and Karloff's portrayal of the monster. He sees the child as symbolic of the monster and comes to see himself as Dr. Frankenstein, the true monster who created and abandoned the creature. Frank denies the child is his son, and joins the hunt for the murderous infant.
The doctor who prescribed the drugs to Lenore is contacted by a pharmaceutical company executive. The executive acknowledges that the child's mutation may have been caused by the drugs. He tells the doctor that the child must be destroyed to prevent discovery of the company's liability.
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Wikipedia