IT’S ALIVE—-notorious 1974 horror travesty about a mutant infant that attacks when it gets disturbed (doesn’t take much) and repulsively mangles cast members. Written, produced & directed by Larry Cohen, showing little in the way of what ordinary people would designate as ‘taste’.  Of course, it made a enough of a killing ($7,100,000) that it squirmed out sequels, entitled It Lives Again and Island Of The Alive.  Avoid like somebody else’s screaming kid.

This first retch-out stars John P. Ryan, Sharon Farrell, Andrew Duggan, Michael Ansara and Guy Stockwell, all of them presumably hard up for dinero.  The 91 minutes were scored by the great Bernard Herrmann, who must have rolled his eyes at what goop he had signed on to accompany. He does his usual top-quality work.

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