November 15th, 2009 by Pop Element

I’d like to start reviewing some of my favorite B-movies every week or so, time permitting.  Let’s kick it off with a review of Larry Cohen’s classic It’s Alive.

When Frank and Lenore Davis (played by John Ryan and Sharon Farrell) have a clawed, fanged baby boy with a habit of slaughtering people whenever he’s frightened, a manhunt begins for the monster child as his parents attempt to come to terms with their little terror.  By no means a complex plot, but it’s more than satisfying in its simplicity.

Splatter aside, It’s Alive is a highly emotional film.  A couple is forced to make a choice: harbor a monstrous child or dismiss their parental instincts and allow their son to be killed and dissected — heavy stuff.  Shame is also an important concept explored in the movie, as Frank faces his co-workers after the news about his child hits newspapers.

Between the scares, John Ryan’s top-notch performance and Bernard Herrmann’s memorable score, It’s Alive rates as a classic.  It’s also one of the films that taught me from an early age that low-budget pictures don’t have to be bad.  As a boy obsessed with the macabre, I ran across Larry Cohen’s 1974 cheesefest on cable late one night; it made a big impression on me, and I’ll go so far as to say it’s the one film that sparked my love for B-movies.  Thanks, Larry!