A Volta do Monstro

It's Alive epitomizes the realization of the perennial fears: this could really happen and the (Frankenstien-esqe) ideal of setting something in motion that cannot be controlled or committing an act that you cannot repeal or take back. The First Its alive is truly an epic, we have Davis wanting to kill his monster-baby and evolving to the point of wanting to protect it--an adroit display of humanism. It Lives Again multiplies the fears of the first film exponentially by 3 (there are three babies) and the motives of the main characters evolve as well.

Part 3 still manages to pull on my heart-strings yet its tired-feeling. I look beyond the technical deficiencies of all three films and am captivated my their magic. Somehow fans allow themselves to watch King Kong 1933, Phantom of the Opera 1925, The Lost World 1925, and Niosferatu 1922 and three of these films don't have sound and all are shot in black and white and King Kong's effects are far out-dated. We have to look beyond a lot of things to really, to be carried away . . . too often our expectations are too high and we're not humbled in our approach to these genre pictures. A lot of us don't go to church because we feel its boring because there's nothing there . . . same with the movies . . . we have to allow ourselves to feel sometimes what's really there in order to love the films.

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.

"The monster child returns - but now there are three!" Frank Davis (John P Ryan), father of the original "It", is back but this time he is in Tuscon, Arizona, to warn expectant couple Eugene and Jody Scott that their baby will be a murderous mutant, like his was. Led by Mallory (prolific actor John Marley), the cops want to kill their baby but Davis helps them to evade capture, their now-born creature joins two other mutants in a safe location but when they escape a fresh wave of killing begins. Unlike "It's Alive" (1974) the first half is quite uneventful, the baby isn't seen until 30 minutes in. Rick Baker once again provides the special effects and we do see more of the mutant babies, however there are fewer kills and less gore than in the original. Music once again comes from composer Bernard Herrmann, though he had died several years beforehand so it is just rehashed material. Overall this isn't a bad sequel, if you liked the original then it is worth watching, but given the good cast they do seem a little wasted. The ending hints at another sequel and sure enough it came, though not until 9 years later.

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.

It's cute! It's cuddly! It'll rip your head off! Writer / Director Larry Cohen's saga of babies gone bad continues with IT LIVES AGAIN.

In this dose of pernicious pablum, Frank Davis (John P. Ryan) crashes a baby shower in order to deliver the news that expectant parents, Jody and Eugene Scott (Kathleen Lloyd and Frederic Forrest) are about to hear the pitter-patter of tiny mutant feet!

If that's not enough, the government, led by Mr. Mallory (John Marley) is involved, ready to swoop in and make matters even worse! They're bent on mutant infanticide! Once the "baby" is born, the chase is on, winding up in a secret facility until the inevitable bloodbath.

Not a bad follow-up to the original...