It's Alive
A terrified family struggles to protect and understand a mutant newborn whose instinctive violence turns parenthood into a nightmare.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- eerie
- visceral
- foreboding
- late night horror viewing
- cult movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film unpleasant and far-fetched but acknowledged its chilling atmosphere, effective score, and strong central performance.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Frank and Lenore Davies must confront their fear, guilt, and attachment after their newborn becomes a lethal mutant.
The Davies household, pregnancy, childbirth, and family responsibilities form the emotional and narrative center of the creature threat.
The easily frightened infant's killings and the parents' conflicted reactions produce stomach-churning domestic terror.
The film satirizes society's treatment of its youngest members while placing the mutant child under parental and institutional scrutiny.
Films like It's Alive, and why
Rosemary's Baby
shared domestic horror, parental ambivalence, and unsettling infant-centered dread
The Brood
shared low-budget monster horror, social anxiety, and grim practical-effects atmosphere
The Fly
shared mutant-creature premise, bleak family conflict, and visceral 1970s horror
The Omen
shared horror of parenthood, monstrous offspring, and uncomfortable Oedipal themes
Movie Details
- Director
- Larry Cohen
- Release Date
- 1974-04-26
- Runtime
- 91 min
- Rating
- 6.0 / 10 (228)
Cast
- John P. Ryan
- Sharon Farrell
- Andrew Duggan
- Guy Stockwell
- James Dixon
- Michael Ansara
- Robert Emhardt
- William Wellman Jr.
- Shamus Locke
- Nancy Burnett
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Howdy Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is It's Alive about?
- A terrified family struggles to protect and understand a mutant newborn whose instinctive violence turns parenthood into a nightmare.
- What is It's Alive like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of It's Alive as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is It's Alive violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in It's Alive as graphic.
- What did critics think of It's Alive?
- Critics broadly found the film unpleasant and far-fetched but acknowledged its chilling atmosphere, effective score, and strong central performance.
- Which films are like It's Alive?
- Films with a similar feel include Rosemary's Baby, The Brood, The Fly, and The Omen.
- How long is It's Alive?
- It's Alive runs 91 minutes.
- Where can I watch It's Alive?
- In United States, It's Alive streams on Howdy Amazon Channel.
