Michael_Elliott The Unborn (1991) * 1/2 (out of 4) A couple (Brooke Adams, Jeff Hayenga) unable to have children of their own go to a doctor (James Karen) who is experimenting with fertilization. The experiment works and the woman finds herself pregnant but soon she begins losing her mind fearing that the baby is pretty much eating through her. THE UNBORN is a pretty bad movie from start to finish but I can admit that there are a few effective things in it as well as several good performances. I thought the actors were about the best thing going for the movie and this includes Adams who is extremely good and believable as the mother who soon realizes that all of her fears are coming true. I thought she did a very good job at showing the fear in the character. Hayenga is also good in his bit and of course Karen is always worth watching no matter what he's in. I think the biggest problem with the film is the screenplay. I think the film gets off to a very bad start because we're supposed to like this couple but I must admit that I didn't care for them a bit. This really hurt the Adams' character because I really didn't like her and I certainly never cared about her. I think the film is borrowing from ROSEMARY'S BABY but instead of Satan we've got evil DNA working. I thought there were a few effective scenes including some of the murders, which were quite dark and chilling. I'd also say that director Rodman Flender at least builds up a dark atmosphere. With that said, even at 80-minutes this thing drags pretty badly and in the end it's best to just watch the Polanski classic or even IT'S ALIVE instead. Of course, if you do decide to watch this you'll get to see both Lisa Kudrow and Kathy Griffin years before fame.

TheExpatriate700 At times, The Unborn comes across as two separate films that got spliced together. On one hand, there is a genuinely disturbing psychological thriller / satire with great performances, while on the other there is a cheap B-level gore film.Adams and her husband have been unable to conceive a child, so they go to James Karen's fertility clinic. Boasting a 100% success rate, he quickly fixes Adams's problem. Unfortunately, the child she conceives has some issues of its own.At many points, the actors, particularly Adams, appear to be acting in an entirely different movie. Her meltdown scene, had it been in a straight drama rather than a low budget horror movie, would have earned her an Academy Award nomination. The film itself has a number of satirical touches on maternity culture, and could have been an interesting feminist piece in different hands.Unfortunately, it turns into an uninspired gore film. I like gory horror movies, but it steals from It's Alive and Rosemary's Baby so blatantly it's not even funny. The special effects budget is so low that the film comes across as funny rather than scary.

GoneWithTheTwins Borrowing liberally from Rosemary's Baby (and mimicking some of the strategies of Child's Play), The Unborn still retains its own unique sense of horror, steeped in paranoia and genetic conspiracies. While many of its scare tactics end up producing the opposite effect after an intriguing build, the film manages a consistent atmosphere of dread throughout, and most of its jarring visuals succeed in their horror film intentions. Plus, don't miss early roles from Lisa Kudrow as a receptionist and Kathy Griffin as a Lamaze instructor.After years of unsuccessful attempts at getting pregnant, Virginia Marshall (Brooke Adams) and her husband Brad (Jeff Hayenga) turn to the highly reputable Dr. Meyerling (James Karen). With the revolutionary new techniques developed by the skillful doctor, Virginia finally becomes pregnant, but she quickly finds her dream becoming a nightmare as she succumbs to delusions, paranoia, and the realization that there is something unnatural about her baby...Apparently, just like in Rosemary's Baby, a mother's love knows no boundaries - even when the child is a bloodthirsty homicidal mutant superbaby. The comparisons don't stop with Virginia's change of heart toward her killer kid, however, as loving husband Brad is involved with the creepy Human Genome Project advocate Dr. Meyerling - exactly like John Cassavetes' Guy, who participated in a devilish cult. Aside from very obvious, similar themes, even the subplots - such as a fellow patient who catches on to the doctor's genetic experimentations and winds up comatose before she can talk it over with Virginia - mirrors Polanski's superior film.The eeriness of an alien creature growing inside of the unsuspecting heroin is occasionally genuine, and further amplified by her frequent isolation, nightmares and familial estrangement. Her history of depression, breakdowns, a revolting rash, and disquieting music (periodically replaced with jazzier, badly out-of-place rock beats) also aid in the film's horror, but unfortunately too much of it is unintentionally hilarious. A particularly grizzly moment in which one of Meyerling's victims stabs her own pregnant belly with a butcher knife, along with several other choice bits of foreshadowing, is all out the window once the glistening plastic baby is finally revealed. The terror of the setup and the creepiness of the characters succumb to chuckles. It's hard not to laugh at such a pathetic prop.Famous schlock movie producer Roger Corman said that he intended for The Unborn to be "Rosemary's Baby meets Cronenberg's The Fly." He was also playing off of the success of Child's Play and It's Alive - sadly all of the films used for inspiration were infinitely more affecting, although The Unborn did spawn a very obscure sequel.The Massie Twins

unicornmist74 i watched this film many years ago and have searched for it ever since in my opinion although very raw it is very educational as to what the future can hold i enjoyed the movie and to this this day rate it very high sorry to all those that disagree but a movie should always be judged each to there own and in my opinion its great give it a go with all the cloning and test tube babies that are happening today who are we to judge this film, this may be a dramatised event of what is to become but there you go. All the horrors of today are so far fetched even i laugh but this one gets me thinking and it scares me as a mother what if i was desperate,after watching this movie i would think twice sorry but i love the movie make your own mind up don't watch the movie making- just aknowledge the story and ask yourself this how far would you go for a child?