The story begins with pregnant college student Lenore Harker (Bijou Phillips - The Bridge to Nowhere) making the decision to drop out of school to prepare for settling down with her as-of-yet unborn baby. After some criticism from her best friend, Marnie (Ty Glaser - A Closed Book), Lenore leaves to live with her baby's father (James Murray XIII - Primeval) and his brother (the two's parents were recently killed in an accident in which the little brother was also paralyzed). Soon after moving in, Lenore begins having contractions, and even though the baby is coming quite early, they find out that baby Daniel is at full term as far as size goes, baffling doctors as to how this is possible.
After an emergency caesarian section is scheduled and Daniel is delivered, the entire hospital staff within the operating room is slain, leaving only the mother and child lying on the operating table. With the police and hospital staff left stunned and in shock, Lenore and Daniel get sent home. Does the key to solving the murders lie somewhere behind Lenore's eyes? Police psychologists believe so, but therein is a dark secret.
As the story unfolds, we learn that a mother's love trumps all when it comes to protecting her child, especially when that child has a taste for blood.
It's Alive is a crazy story in its own right, considering how an innocent baby that can barely lift his head could be capable of murder. With that said, the cheese factor is hit or miss in this Sci-Fi Horror title. The special fx are about what you'd expect from a film of this caliber, varying from low budget decency to straight up rewind-and-let-me-see-that-again laughable. Unfortunately, the acting doesn't do a whole lot for this feature length film. While at times I felt slightly drawn in, for the most part I disconnected due to the sub-par dialogue and interactions.
So the question remains... is It's Alive worth a purchase? Only if you love low budget B films of the Sci-Fi Horror nature. The fact that the movie itself isn't that great and the fact that there aren't even any special features to speak of (other than Previews), It's Alive may even only be worth a rent, even for fans of the genre. That said, It's Alive is likely avoidable for most of the mainstream audience. Being a fan of movies of this vein, I am probably biased and need to acknowledge that in print.
