It Lives Again
dir. Larry Cohen · 1978
Feature
Psychological Horror
Mood
Dark / Tense
Look
gritty, low-budget realism with unsettling close-ups
Structure
episodic with escalating tension
Plot
Maternity wards echo with the patter of tiny claws as more murderous baby-faced monsters are born. But rather than kill their monstrous offspring during delivery, cursed parents flee to secret incubation hideouts.
Why watch
In a world where maternity wards give birth to monstrous, baby-faced creatures, parents grapple with the horrifying reality of their offspring. As they flee to secret incubation hideouts, the film immerses viewers in a relentless atmosphere of dread and moral ambiguity. Watching it feels like being trapped in a nightmare where the innocence of childhood is grotesquely subverted.
Cultural context
1970s horror boomsocietal anxieties around parentingcritique of suburban liferise of independent filmmaking