It's Alive Collection (It's Alive/It Lives Again/Island of the Alive) (1974)

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    Larry Cohen's Alive trilogy is one of the seminal horror franchises, and a staple of 70s cinema. The series is commonly known for its hideous, clawed infant and an astounding theme by none other than Bernard Herrmann, who passed away soon after the first film was released theatrically. Cohen originally planned for only two films, however the studio encouraged him to film a third back-to-back with his production of the Salem's Lot sequel.

    All three films are presented here in a handy box set, and each includes a very worthwhile commentary from Cohen himself.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

It's Alive! (1974)

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General		Extras
Category	Horror	Main Menu Audio Audio Commentary-Larry Cohen (Director) Theatrical Trailer Trailer-It Lives Again, It's Alive III: Island Of The Alive
Rating	?
Year Of Production	1974
Running Time	87:15
RSDL / Flipper	No/No	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	2,4,5	Directed By	Larry Cohen
Studio Distributor	Warner Home Video	Starring	John P. Ryan Sharon Farrell James Dixon William Wellman Jr. Shamus Locke Andrew Duggan Guy Stockwell Daniel Holzman Michael Ansara Robert Emhardt
Case	?
RPI	?	Music	Bernard Herrmann

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 1.0 (192Kb/s) French Dolby Digital 1.0 (192Kb/s) German Dolby Digital 1.0 (192Kb/s) English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 1.0 (192Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.85:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English French German Norwegian Swedish Greek Dutch Arabic English for the Hearing Impaired German for the Hearing Impaired	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

    Lenore (Sharon Farrell) and her husband Frank (John Ryan) are expecting their second child and anticipating the end of a troubled pregnancy. The child Lenore is carrying is unusually large and the subject of abortion was raised on more than one occasion, with the mother's best interests at heart. Eventually the baby is born prematurely, but the labour room is left splattered with blood, the nursing staff and doctors all found dead. The only clue as to what happened is the missing baby and a broken skylight - must be an agile little blighter! The infant is marked for death by the authorities, and it's hardly surprising that even a doting Dad like Frank refuses to acknowledge it as his own. The creature embarks on a murderous rampage, but is it merely seeking its family? After an extensive hunt and an emotional confrontation Frank is forced to rethink his paternal responsibilities.

    As far as horror films go, this is a decent effort that I'm sorry to say hasn't aged all that well since its theatrical release nearly thirty years ago. The performances from Ryan and Farrell are solid and to their credit they manage to turn what would normally be a laughable concept into a reasonably tense outing. The supporting cast is quite strong as well, with many recognisable faces from 70s b-films.

    The special effects in this film were created by renowned makeup artist Rick Baker at a very early stage in his career, and considering the film's low budget  the results are very good. Baker went on to contribute effects to films such as The Howling and more recently the Planet of the Apes remake starring Mark Wahlberg.

    Writer and Director Larry Cohen is responsible for penning the recent Colin Farrell hit Phone Booth and countless b-film classics such as Q: The Winged Serpent and Black Caesar. Cohen is currently in the process of producing a remake of It's Alive with a New York setting, which should prove interesting. There are three films in his original Alive series, all of which are presented in this box set.

Video

    This video transfer is presented in an aspect of 1.78:1, which is relatively close to the film's original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1.

    In this case it's important to take into consideration the film's age and very low budget. Judging by the commentary, it appears director Larry Cohen supplied the negative and was actively involved in bringing these films to DVD. He cites the inferior prints that were produced in some countries and states on several occasions how pleased he is with the results of this transfer to DVD. Despite the few flaws that are present here, it is likely that this transfer even eclipses the quality of the original theatrical exhibition. The level of sharpness is quite good, although some scenes are marred by a noticeable wash of grain over the image. Shadow detail and black levels are also good, but suffer from intermittent peaks of brightness. The final scenes of the film take place in a series of dark underground tunnels and show this effect most of all (82:38). There was no low level noise evident in the transfer.

    There isn't a lot of bold colouring present in the film, as this was the intention of the director. He has stated that he avoided bold colours altogether for fear that they would beautify the picture and detract from the effects and tension. The transfer doesn't contain any bleeding or rendering glitches and maintains a reliable consistency throughout.

    Artefacting is limited to some noticeable hairs and dirt in the first two minutes, but remains relatively controlled for the remainder of the film. There are no major MPEG compression or aliasing issues to speak of.

    Both English and English for the Hearing Impaired subtitle streams are included, among many other languages. The subtitles are moderately accurate and free from any obvious spelling or grammatical errors.

    This disc is single layered (DVD5 format).

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    There are four soundtracks accompanying this film on DVD. The default soundtrack is English Dolby Digital 1.0, while French and German mono soundtracks are also included. As with the video transfer, some interesting facts about the audio presentation are raised in the feature commentary by director Larry Cohen.

    The quality of the English dialogue can only be described as average and it would appear there is a reason for this. Cohen believes that looping vocal tracks in post production removes the immediacy of the performances, so what we hear is essentially the location audio. The background is a little noisy at times, but you have to appreciate his reasoning. Audio sync is virtually flawless.

    Being a mono soundtrack, there is obviously no surround or subwoofer activity. The mix has a decent depth considering its age and aside from a few minor clicks and crackles it's in acceptable condition.

    The score by Bernard Herrmann is an essential part of this film and contains one of the most recognisable horror themes in cinema. Cohen had a remarkable working relationship with Herrmann, which is also discussed extensively in the accompanying audio commentary.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Menu

Feature Commentary-Larry Cohen (Writer, Director)

    Cohen is a great talker and offers plenty of interesting insights into the making of this film, the locations, his relationship with the studio and his friendship with composer Bernard Herrmann. Cohen also supervised this DVD transfer and shares a lot of anecdotes from the period surrounding the release of the film, how it began with very minimal distribution and grew to become the number one film in the United States three years after its initial release. Anyone who is familiar with Cohen's films or 70s low budget cinema will find a lot to gain in this commentary.

Trailers (3)

    Trailers are included for all three It's Alive! films, playable via a play all function or individually. The It's Alive! trailer negative was bought by Larry Cohen from a collector on the internet and is presented here with 16x9 enhancement.

    The video transfer is good.

    The audio transfer is faithful to the original mono soundtrack.

    The extras include a great commentary and some trailers.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

It Lives Again (1978)

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General		Extras
Category	Horror	Main Menu Audio Audio Commentary-Larry Cohen (Director) Theatrical Trailer
Rating	?
Year Of Production	1978
Running Time	87:00
RSDL / Flipper	No/No	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	2,4,5	Directed By	Larry Cohen
Studio Distributor	Warner Home Video	Starring	Frederic Forrest Kathleen Lloyd John P. Ryan John Marley Andrew Duggan Eddie Constantine James Dixon Dennis O'Flaherty Melissa Inger Victoria Jill Bobby Ramsen Glenda Young Lynn Wood
Case	?
RPI	?	Music	Bernard Herrmann Laurie Johnson

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 1.0 (192Kb/s) French Dolby Digital 1.0 (192Kb/s) German Dolby Digital 1.0 (192Kb/s) English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 1.0 (192Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.85:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English French German Norwegian Swedish Greek Dutch Arabic English for the Hearing Impaired German for the Hearing Impaired	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

    The second film in Larry Cohen's It's Alive! franchise sees the return of Frank (John Ryan) and Lieutenant Perkins (James Dixon). Much of the original film's style is retained here - the two features were obviously intended to flow from one to the other.

    Two years have passed since the events of the first film, and Frank now dedicates his time to tracking down and warning prospective parents of the government's new screening program, the purpose of which is to identify a dangerous infant prior to its birth. We reunite with Frank as he gate-crashes a mother's baby shower, lurking about after the guests have left and scaring the expectant parents Jody and Eugene Scott (Kathleen Lloyd and Frederic Forrest). Luckily they recognise Frank from his appearance in Time magazine and are familiar with his story, accepting his reason for visiting with some trepidation. It appears that based on recent lab results their doctor has reported the expectant parents and as a result the couple have been targeted by the government to have their infant destroyed upon delivery. Happy at the prospect of offering their child a better life, the pair agree to dodge the normal birthing avenues and follow Frank's promise of safety, following him to a remote facility designed to house and study groups of these curious but dangerous offspring. Are the creatures the result of our dependence on prescribed drugs coupled with an increasingly toxic environment, or are they simply a case of rapidly advancing evolution? More importantly, will the government rest knowing that the hideously violent creatures exist? Of course not, they'll pull out the big guns and hunt them down like dogs!

    This instalment follows on directly from the first film and is neither better nor worse than its predecessor. It's certainly worth a watch if you're familiar with the first film, otherwise there's little point. The success of the first film guaranteed the sequel a higher budget, which is evident in the variety of locations and set pieces that were used.

    Writer and Director Larry Cohen is responsible for penning the recent Colin Farrell hit Phone Booth and countless b-film classics such as Q: The Winged Serpent and Black Caesar. Cohen is currently in the process of producing a remake of It's Alive! with a New York setting, which should prove interesting. There are three films in his original Alive series, all of which are presented in this box set.

Video

    This video transfer is presented in an aspect of 1.78:1, which is relatively close to the film's original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1.

    As with the first film in the series, it's important to take into consideration the age and very low budget of this production. Judging by the commentary, it appears director Larry Cohen was actively involved in bringing these films to DVD. Despite the minor flaws that are present here, it is likely that this transfer even eclipses the quality of the original theatrical exhibition. The level of sharpness is quite good, although some scenes are marred by a noticeable wash of film grain over the image. Shadow detail and black levels are also good, and noticeably superior to the first film. There was no low level noise evident in the transfer.

    There isn't a lot of bold colouring present in the film, as this was the intention of the Director. He clearly aimed for a look consistent with the first film and avoided bold colours altogether for fear that they would beautify the picture and detract from the effects and tension. The transfer doesn't contain any bleeding or rendering glitches and maintains a reliable consistency throughout.

    Artefacting is limited to some noticeable hairs and dirt in the first two minutes, but aside from an ugly, large black artefact at 42:02 it remains relatively controlled for the remainder of the film. There are no major MPEG compression or aliasing issues to speak of.

    Both English and English for the Hearing Impaired subtitle streams are included, among many other languages. The subtitles are moderately accurate and free from any obvious spelling or grammatical errors.

    This disc is single layered (DVD5 format).

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    There are four soundtracks accompanying this film on DVD. The default soundtrack is English Dolby Digital 1.0, while French and German are also included. A Director's commentary makes up the fourth soundtrack.

    The quality of the English dialogue is as average as the first film and suffers from a few slightly annoying flaws, most notably a distinct drop in level at 10:18 from the line "may I touch it?". There is little ADR present as the soundtrack is mainly comprised of location audio. As I stated in my review of the first film, Cohen believes looping vocal performances in post production removes the immediacy of the performances. Unfortunately the production of this film was marred by constant heavy rain, which can be heard in some scenes. Audio sync is perfect.

    Bernard Herrmann passed away before production of this film began, however his chilling score from the first film is reprised here with bold new arrangements by Laurie Johnson - despite the original recordings being lost between films. The compositions by Herrmann were re-recorded by Johnson with a slightly grander scope, but the feel remains.

    There is obviously no surround activity or subwoofer response in this mono soundtrack.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Menu

    The menu page is static and 16x9 enhanced, accompanied by an audio clip from the film's theme. The feature begins playback automatically after two rotations of the main menu.

Feature Commentary-Larry Cohen (Writer, Director)

    As with the commentary on the first disc, Cohen offers plenty of interesting insights into the making of this sequel, the various locations, his relationship with the studio and his friendship with the crew. Cohen also supervised this DVD transfer and shares a lot of anecdotes from the film's production, some of them amazing. Interestingly, Cohen reveals his unique scriptwriting methods and his plans to remake the first It's Alive! film in New York. There is a bit of info repeated from the first film's commentary, however anyone who is familiar with Cohen's films or 70s low budget cinema will still find a lot to gain in this commentary.

Trailer

    The theatrical trailer for It Lives Again is included, complete with 16x9 enhancement.

    This boxed collection of the three It's Alive! films is identical across all regions. Given the modest local price, I don't see any need to import this title.

    The video transfer is good.

    The audio transfer is faithful to the original mono soundtrack.

    The extras include a great commentary and a trailer.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

It's Alive III: Island of the Alive (1987)

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General		Extras
Category	Horror	Main Menu Audio Audio Commentary-Larry Cohen (Director) Theatrical Trailer
Rating	?
Year Of Production	1987
Running Time	90:27
RSDL / Flipper	No/No	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	2,4,5	Directed By	Larry Cohen
Studio Distributor	Warner Home Video	Starring	Michael Moriarty Karen Black Laurene Landon James Dixon Gerrit Graham MacDonald Carey Neal Israel Joanne Lara Art Lund Ann Dane William Watson C.L. Sussex Patch Mackenzie
Case	?
RPI	?	Music	Laurie Johnson Bernard Herrmann

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s) French Dolby Digital 1.0 (192Kb/s) German Dolby Digital 1.0 (192Kb/s) English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.85:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English French German Norwegian Swedish Greek Dutch Arabic English for the Hearing Impaired German for the Hearing Impaired	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

    The third film in Larry Coen's It's Alive! franchise sees the return of Lieutenant Perkins (James Dixon), the only character to appear in all three films. This instalment was produced ten years after the second, and as a result the quality and overall appearance of the film is superior to its predecessors. The same cannot be said for the plot, I'm afraid - although this film is quite a bit more humorous in comparison.

    A lengthy court case over the rights of mutant infants results in Judge Milton Watson (played by the late Macdonald Carey of Days of Our Lives) granting the creatures a safe haven (or quarantine) in which they can live out their natural lives without human intervention. Five years after the ruling, the Judge dies and the new administration dispatches a team to ascertain the fate of the island's inhabitants and bring back a live specimen for study. The mission is a dismal failure and the creatures hijack a vessel bound for the mainland. I'm sure you can guess the rest.

    This story builds upon a number of plot threads that were raised in the first two films and adds a lot of subtle gags that give the whole film a very different feel to the other two. The gore factor is also heavily increased, a stark contrast to the tense focus of the first two films. The cast features Michael Moriarty who recently starred in television's Law & Order and also appeared in Cohen's excellent Q: The Winged Serpent. A much younger Karen Black also stars, who recently appeared in Rob Zombie's fiendish House of 1000 Corpses.

    Writer and Director Larry Cohen is responsible for penning the recent Colin Farrell hit Phone Booth and countless b-film classics such as Q: The Winged Serpent and Black Caesar. Cohen is currently in the process of producing a remake of It's Alive! with a New York setting, which should prove interesting. There are three films in his original Alive series, all of which are presented in this box set.

Video

    This third instalment in the It's Alive! trilogy was produced ten years after the second, so as a result the video transfer is noticeably different.

    The transfer is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. This is close to the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1.

    Sharpness and general clarity is superior to the first two films, and shadow detail seems more realistic. There is no low level noise evident in the transfer.

    The colour scheme is much bolder and less muted than the other films in the series. There are no instances of bleeding or oversaturation to be seen.

    Film artefacting is most concentrated during the first three to four minutes of the feature, while the remainder of the film sees only a few minor specks here and there. Aliasing appears to be well controlled, as are MPEG artefacts.

    English and English Hearing Impaired subtitle streams are included, among many other languages. The subtitles are moderately accurate and easy to read.

    This disc is single layered.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    There are four soundtracks accompanying this film on DVD. The default soundtrack is English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo, while French and German Dolby Digital mono soundtracks are also available. The fourth soundtrack is a highly worthwhile Director's commentary, also presented in Dolby Digital 2.0.

    The English dialogue is primarily comprised of location audio and is of a surprisingly good quality. Audio sync is virtually flawless.

    The score by the late Bernard Herrmann is as outstanding as always and suits the violent mayhem of the film superbly. As with the previous film It Lives Again, Herrmann's score was rearranged by Laurie Johnson with a slightly grander feel, however the overall tone remains.

    This stereo soundtrack is obviously the best of the three films and offers a much clearer, modern sounding mix. The soundtrack is free of pops and crackles and has a surprisingly realistic depth for its age.

    There are many examples of panning within the stereo soundtrack such as gunfire and certain special effects. At 78:50 a creature can be heard screaming loudly from the left channel. Pro Logic processing didn't do the soundtrack any favours.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Menu

    The menu page is static and 16x9 enhanced, accompanied by an audio clip from the film's theme. The feature begins playback automatically after two rotations of the main menu.

Feature Commentary-Larry Cohen (Writer, Director)

    Cohen does a great Hitchcock impersonation and offers plenty of interesting insights into the making of this sequel, the locations, his relationship with the studio and his friendship with the crew. Cohen supervised this DVD transfer and shares a lot of anecdotes from the film's production, as well as his extensive knowledge of cinema. There is a bit of info repeated from the other commentaries and there are some very long pauses, however anyone who is familiar with Cohen's films or 70s low budget cinema will find a lot to gain in this commentary.

Theatrical Trailer (0:37)

    This looks much more like a TV spot and is identical to the It's Alive III trailer on disc one. This is presented in 1.33:1 full frame, with Dolby Digital stereo audio.

    This boxed collection of the three Alive films is identical across all regions. Given the modest local price, I don't see any need to import this title.

    The video transfer is pretty good.

    The audio transfer is good.

    The extras amount to a trailer and a great commentary from the Director.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall