classicsoncall 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!

Scott LeBrun 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.

Aaron1375 This sequel to the somewhat cult classic horror flick "It's Alive" just is not up to that movie at all in my opinion. Not really alive at all this movie crawls by at a snail's pace and just seems to be a less fun movie than the original. Add to that the fact they take all the mystery out of the first movie, basically spelling out how the mutant killer babies are born the way they are something I do not think really needed to be addressed so thoroughly. Granted, it may be that I would have preferred a more supernatural type origin than the scientific one so it may be just my tastes that make me think ill of this movie than anything else. I also thought they showed the babies to much in this one and this kind of made the impact of seeing them lessen to a great degree. The movie basically has a whole place of mutant killer babies to see. Though as bad as this one is they would make another one, however, it started promisingly enough with a cab birth scene, but once they showed the island and the babies I could watch no more. This one was barely watchable too as it was very boring for me to witness.

moonwaffle6 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.