“Experience Larry Cohen’s It’s Alive trilogy like never before in high definition!

It’s newborn and … It’s Alive … and murder is what it knows best! A proud couple’s bundle of joy is really a newborn terror in filmmaker Larry Cohen’s cautionary cult hit that tapped into environmental fears. The horror grows when multiple child monsters rampage in the first sequel It Lives Again as two brave parents try to stop them by becoming the bait for their spree. The now global mutants are rounded up and relocated to a far-flung island in It’s Alive III: Island of the Alive. Will a parent’s greatest nightmare become the world’s gravest fear? Find out … if you dare.”

It’s Alive

“Our modern world is full of marvels – but also polluted air, foods sprayed with deadly chemicals, misused drugs and hidden radioactive substances. Ever wonder how these poisons might affect a developing child in the womb? It’s Alive is the first film of the classic trilogy from writer/director Larry Cohen about murderous mutants – and its birth was chillingly midwived by the crucial contributions of two Academy Award winners: makeup master Rick Baker (who created the makeup and “played” the infant monster) and composer Bernard Herrmann.”

It’s Alive, the first film in the trilogy, begins as Frank (John P. Ryan) and Lenore Davis (Sharon Farrell) make their way to the hospital to have their baby. What should be a happy and joyous occasion turns into a horrific massacre as Frank enters the delivery room to find the entire delivery team butchered. Frantic, believing someone has kidnapped his baby, he loses it, only finding out shortly after that it was some kind of mutant that murdered because he was scared. Despite being his father, Frank vows to cooperate fully with the police who want to hunt it down and kill it.

One might scoff at a film about a killer-mutant baby, as did I when reading the synopsis the first time. However, don’t let the silliness of the plot and pictures of the baby fool you. It’s Alive is truly terrifying, thanks to some unique practical effects and a haunting score that builds tension and dread effectively. Perhaps the most shocking thing about the film is Frank’s reaction to his newborn son. Keep in mind he hasn’t seen it, only the graphic reports of the victims, to which he vehemently insists that there is no relation between him and the mutant beast. Comparing himself to Frankenstein, he admits that when he was younger he believed that Frankenstein was the monster, and believes confusion such as this will shift to himself when people look for someone to blame, or talk about the Davis Monster. This is what separates It’s Alive from other films in the genre. Instead of just mindless carnage from a mutant infant, there is massive conflict in Frank, wanting to kill his baby to protect his own image, and how he deals with this in the tragic third act that changes everything.

Credit has to be given to John P. Ryan for an exceptional performance.  I forgot all about this being a low-budget B-Horror film and was transfixed on his acting. The pain he is in trying to deal with this contrast of emotions from participating in his own child’s destruction, knowing how many people he’s murdered, and dealing with the aftermath. Many of the elements that went together to make this film are perhaps better than they should be, which in turn offers something truly unique from other horror films. It’s not just about the killing, it has character development, and a lot of it, rare in these types of films.

Video

It’s Alive is presented in a new 2k scan of the original film elements in 1080p High Definition Widescreen 1.85:1. The new transfer looks exceptional, very little blemishes noted, with bright and clear picture all around. Grain is kept at a manageable level, however, it does get a bit heavy in some of the darker scenes at night. The film has probably never looked this good, and fans of the film will be thrilled with this high definition transfer.

Audio

The audio is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio Mono. Unfortunately, it’s a mono track, with nothing exceptional about it. That being said, it has to be noted that the score for this film may be perhaps the best thing about it. Bernard Herrmann, a masterful composer who has done work for Alfred Hitchcock, namely one of my favorite of his films and all-time scores, North By Northwest. Herrmann uses the music to create such a fantastic sense of dread throughout the film, which sounds very reminiscent of the score he’d go on to do, Taxi Driver. This score definitely elevates the film more than it should, playing a key role in creating the atmosphere of It’s Alive.

Special Features

Some great new features on the disc, highly recommended checking these out. On this first disc you’ll see:

• NEW2K Scan Of The Original Film Elements
• NEW Cohen’s Alive: Looking Back At The It’s Alive FilmsFeaturing Interviews With Writer/Producer/Director Larry Cohen, Actors James Dixon, Michael Moriarty And Laurene Landon, And More…
• NEW It’s Alive At The Nuart: The 40^thAnniversary Screening With Larry Cohen
• Audio Commentary with Writer/Producer/Director Larry Cohen
• Radio Spots
• TV Spots
• Theatrical Trailer
• Still Gallery

It Lives Again

“Is it human? Is it a beast? Whatever it is, It Lives Again in this second film in cult filmmaker Larry Cohen’s It’s Alive trilogy.

Once again, Cohen brings to the screen a hideous threesome of mutant baby monsters that are the evolutionary response to man’s polluted environment. These frightened creatures lash out with deadly claws at what they don’t understand. There are only three, but they could reproduce into uncontrollable millions if someone doesn’t destroy them. Frederic Forrest (Apocalypse Now) and Kathleen Lloyd (The Car) star as the loving parents of one of the monstrous creatures. Parental love, however, is no match for these hell-spawned mutants. Their wild blood binge must be stopped. Will the next stage of their evolution become our last?”

It Lives Again picks up shortly after the first film left off, with Frank Davis (John P. Ryan) showing up unannounced to the baby shower of the suspected next parents of a mutant baby, Eugene and Jody Scott. Davis explains to them that the authorities and doctors have been able to predict the birth of these monsters and believe that their baby will be one of them. Frank pours his heart out retelling his story and how he felt when he held his son in his hands for the first time, and pleads with them to deliver the baby in a safe place with doctors that are protecting and studying the infants in an attempt to learn from them and teach them. The Scotts eventually agree, being taken to a secret location in which they have two other mutant infants. The police track down the location and swarm the place, causing things to go to hell when the infants escape out into the wild once again!

The second film starts off with a lot of promise, with John P. Ryan reprising his role, once again giving a deep and heartfelt performance. John Dixon, the main police officer from the first also returns, tasked with hunting down the rest of the mutant babies that have been allowed to be born. The first acts blends the new characters into this world very well, and it quickly paints the story of how these babies are popping up all over and are being killed before birth. However, that’s where the originality stops. About halfway through the film, it becomes exactly like the first film, but with three babies. The Scotts change their tune when they see the carnage caused by the other two infants, so they decide to work with the police in an attempt to lure their infant to a secluded house in order to be killed. It of course goes much like the first film does, with an ending that is a lot like the first, minus the excellent and heartfelt performance.

This film felt like it missed the mark when it comes to tripling the number of infants. The new number just wasn’t utilized properly, and looking back it didn’t even seem like there was that much more of a threat. The film introduces some interesting concepts when it comes to these new evolutionary creatures, but in the latter half of the film abandons all this interesting stuff and turns it into a simple, predictable horror film. Overall, I do believe it is a good companion film to the first, but fails to stand alone as a good sequel to a great first installment.

Video

It Lives Again is presented in a new 2k scan of the original film elements in 1080p High Definition Widescreen 1.85:1. This transfer looks very good as well, with some blemishes noticed, as well as some high grain in some of the darker scenes, but overall in good shape. In some of the lighter sequences, things look very clear, giving a great high definition presentation.

Audio

The audio is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio Mono. Again, the mono track is a bit disappointing, and it doesn’t have Bernard Herrmann to help it along. It does have excerpts from his original score from the first film, but overall you can tell the difference in a great composer writing music to the scene, and recycled music laid on top to try and achieve the same effect.

Special Features

The extras you’ll see on this disc include:

• NEW2K Scan Of The Original Film Elements
• Audio Commentary With Writer/Producer/Director Larry Cohen
• Theatrical Trailer
• Still Gallery

It’s Alive III: The Island of the Alive

“Michael Moriarty (Q: The Winged Serpent) and Karen Black (Trilogy of Terror) star as Stephen and Ellen Jarvis, the distraught parents of one of the new mutant children. They’ve watched in horror as government death squads roamed the earth, shooting the humanoids on sight. They’ve suffered through the court hearings that sentenced their child and other surviving mutants to a remote, uninhabited island. And their nightmare continues…because the abandoned creatures are now grown…and they are coming back home to the society that created and rejected them. And no one who stands in their way will live.”

The best thing about the third film of the trilogy is how different it is. The second film was so similar to the first it caused it to fall a bit flat, however, Larry Cohen made sure that the third would be as different as possible. In this film we learn much more about the physiology of the mutant babies who have now matured into adults after five short years who seem to communicate telepathically with each other and can read the minds of humans. That’s not all; the mutants have produced an offspring they want to take to the main land for who knows what!

One of the underlying themes of the series is the judgment of things that are different, almost a xenophobia of different species, and destroying that which we don’t understand. As much potential there was to explore this theme, it’s really only hinted at briefly as they substitute real thought-provoking issues for a substandard story that really seems more at home as a 1950’s science fiction creature feature than anything more. Though the first film has Rick Baker at the helm of the effects, the second film at least has the ability to mask the poor quality of the babies due to their small stature. In the third film, however, being full grown adults, it’s much harder to mask the absurdity of the make-up effects. Also lacking in this film is the great acting that was mainly brought to us by John P. Ryan. Michael Moriarty seems as he’s insane or drunk throughout the entire film; nonsensical, weird, and in no way seeming to be the leading man that the other films provided.

That being said, It’s Alive III: The Island of the Alive is still pretty entertaining because of how different it is from the first two films. It does have some cool moments with the mutants, and although it doesn’t have the strength and heart that John P. Ryan was able to convey, the film does show brief moments of the parental instinct taking over to protect their offspring, no matter what it looks like.

Video

It’s Alive III: The Island of the Alive is presented in a new 2k scan of the original film elements in 1080p High Definition Widescreen 1.85:1. The transfer looks really good, and filmed over a decade after the first it is in much better shape than the others. Great detail is able to be seen thanks to this clear high definition transfer, with a good balance in color. Darker scenes have a bit of grain, but is kept to a manageable level.

Audio

The audio is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio Stereo. The track sounds good, with the balance between dialogue, sound effects and score done well so everything is able to be heard. The soundtrack does contain the original theme by Bernard Herrmann, and also some other original music that does make it sound like a 50’s sci-fi film.

Special Features

The extras on this disc include:

• NEW2K Scan Of The Original Film Elements
• NEW Interview With Special Effects Makeup Designer Steve Neill
• Audio Commentary With Writer/Producer/Director Larry Cohen
• Trailer
• Still Gallery

Scream Factory has made a lot of people happy with the release of the It’s Alive Trilogy. For those already fans of the films, this is definitely something to pick up, as it’s treated with great care and you get some great new features along with it. For horror fans like myself who had never seen them, I still recommend giving this a shot. It was a lot of fun watching the set, and although the films steadily declined in entertainment from the first, that’s usually how it goes after the original. Still, when talking about killer mutant babies that are spawning across the world, you can’t find this anywhere else.