"The It's Alive babies are back! Only now there are three of them."
The not-so-clever copy for the second mutant baby opus "It Lives Again."

The original "It's Alive" made quite a bit of money for Warner Brother's in the mid '70's. Director Larry Cohen's take on the storied distribution of that cult classic (heard on the commentary track of the new DVD release) is immensely entertaining. Due to a change in administration, the original film was left to languish in double-bill hell back in 1974. It wasn't until a few years later, when the film was reevaluated by yet another administration change, that it went on to big box office. So it was inevitable that a sequel would follow; albeit several years later when the original had finally played itself out. The first sequel, "It Lives Again" (released in 1978) is an ambitious film and in many ways superior to the original. However, it wasn't the success the studio was hoping for, so it took even longer to generate interest in a third mutant baby opus. The long-in-development "Island of the Alive" was released in 1987 and represents everything wrong with horror films from that decade. Cheap, cynical and lazy, "Island" is not one of Cohen's finest moments. Warner's has finally pulled both of these films out of relative obscurity and, deserved or not, given each a new digital birth.

"It Lives Again" is the rare horror sequel that manages to be scarier than the original. It's also a true continuation of the first film; taking characters and themes from the original and expanding upon them. It begins with Frank Davis (John P. Ryan), the sympathetic father from "It's Alive," crashing a baby shower. The Scotts, Jody (Kathleen Lloyd) and Eugene (Frederick Forrest), expecting their first child, are warned by Davis that their baby might be a mutant. It seems that government officials have set up a secret operation to track down potential mutant babies before they are born; destroying them as soon as they are delivered. He tells them that their physician did a test on their child and alerted the government. Davis has become involved in a pro-mutant (pro-life?) resistance group that wants to keep the babies alive and study them. He offers them the opportunity to save their child.

Complications arise when Jody goes into labor and Frank and his team miss the phone call. He ends up going to the hospital and kidnapping her at gunpoint; spiriting her away in a truck tricked out with mutant baby equipment. Eventually the Scotts and their newborn hellion find themselves at a secret facility where scientists are already administering tests on two other babies. It isn't long before the mutants break free from their cages and go on a killing spree.

"It Lives Again" has a great premise and the "pro-life/pro-mutant" metaphor couldn't be any more prescient. Cohen's script this time out is just as pointed as the first with a nice balance of character-driven narrative and appropriate suspense machinations. Ryan is again solid as Davis, though his supporting character has less nuance this time out. Lloyd and Forrest are great as the tormented parents. Though their situation is even more extreme than the Davis' from the original, their plight is no less real.

Cohen also manages to create quite a few suspenseful sequences. While the first film had pacing problems, this production has a nice, slow build to the genuinely tense third act. The editing and cinematography (again by Fenton Hamilton) is much more fluid and assured. Bernard Herrmann's music is once again put to good use here. His eerie themes really comment on the action this time out - as opposed simply setting an appropriate mood.

The main problem with this follow-up is that Cohen's build up is so strong that his follow through is a little disappointing. Once all of the characters are assembled at the "secret lab" all of the previous talk about studying the babies is thrown out with the bath water. The few scenes where the scientists are speaking to the caged infants ring false and there seems to be precious little studying going on. At one point someone mentions putting one of the mutants inside a maze - which is never seen. It's too bad Cohen didn't try a little harder with this aspect of the story. It's already been established that the babies are smart and respond to their parents. Why wasn't there at least a scene with the Scotts attempting to communicate with their caged son? Cohen's script is also a little ambiguous as far as the "good" (pro-mutant) and "bad" (government) factions. Though it might be the more intelligent take on the situation (neither side is completely wrong or right), it certainly dilutes a lot of the suspense. When the Scotts are taken away to yet another secret location toward the end a certain momentum is lost. Ultimately, this is a superior follow-up to the cult hit and undeserving of its obscure status. Highly entertaining, smart and scary; it's one of Cohen's best works.

"Island of the Alive" is just the opposite and deserves the poor reputation it's garnered since its spotty release. It's been 8 years since the events of the first film and yet society has learned little about the mutant infants. It seems that the government has now made it mandatory to kill the babies once they are born. Stephen Jarvis (Michael Moriarty) is the father of a mutant baby who has taken the government's procedure to court. He proves that the malevolent offspring deserve to live so a judge banishes the babies to a secret island location. Five years later a team of scientist are sent to study the mutants with Jarvis in tow; which proves to be a bad idea. Like part 2, the idea to study the mutants proves merely a mcguffin. Once on the island the annoying characters are picked off one by one by the now-adult creatures.

The mutants themselves are poorly costumed actors and resemble those big-headed aliens from "The Giant Saucer Invasion." They are shot and edited very much like their infant versions in the previous films. This proves distracting as a good portion of "Island" features at least one of them as a supporting character. The quick cuts of their heads and hands are jarring and do little to help the already fragmented narrative.

It seems almost inconceivable that the man responsible for the first two "Alive" films and the wonderful "God Told Me To" created this ridiculous mess. While the writing for the first two installments was smart and character driven, "Island" is unfocused and juvenile. It is filled with all of the poor mechanics that killed the horror film in the mid '80's. There is no character development to ground the ridiculous story; merely a series of archetypes muttering poorly conceived dialogue. The subtle satirical tone of the original films is jettisoned in favor of broad "comedic" dialogue. Most of which is simply Moriarty doing a manic, absurd riff on the action. At one point in the film it's almost as if the actor woke up, saw that he was starring in this mess, and decided he would simply goof his way through the rest. Moriarty is an actor of great skill, often turning underwritten roles into brilliantly quirky characters. Cohen even played to this aspect to great effect in "Q." In "Island" his manic energy practically paralyzes the non-characters around him and makes the proceedings nearly unwatchable.

The rest of the cast is given little to do but the narrative is so fractured that aside from Jarvis everyone else is basically a supporting player. Karen Black plays Jarvis' ex-wife Ellen; a shockingly underwritten part (especially when one considers the great female roles in the previous Cohen films). It is a rare sympathetic role for Black and she's fine with what little she's given. The cartoon characters that surround her, however, make it difficult to care about her plight. James Dixon reprises his role of Perkins from the first two films. He is also underused and functions mainly as a bridge for continuity.

Though the circumstances behind the film might prove to be more entertaining than the production itself; watching "Island" again just to hear Cohen's commentary seems an unnecessary (and impractical) punishment. At least so soon after having to view it... There is probably a long, complicated and depressing reason for the bizarre failure of this third film; a more adventurous critic might even dare to find out.

This Warner's DVD release is a nice surprise given both titles relative obscurity. Each "Alive" is presented in its original aspect ratio and given Dolby Digital sound. The "It Lives" picture quality is a mixed bag; the print was obviously not restored and contains minor scratches and film grain. The "Island" print is almost pristine - not surprising as its theatrical run could not have been long. The extras are exactly the same as the "It's Alive" DVD; director commentary for each title and a corresponding teaser trailer.

Though the mutant "trilogy" ran out of steam with "Island of the Alive," this inexpensive double feature is well worth the price. "It Lives Again" is certainly one of Cohen's best films and deserves a second look. It's a great little piece of exploitation made all the sweeter with the director's entertaining commentary.