It’s Alive III: Island of the Alive *** (1987, Michael Moriarty, Karen Black, Laurene Landon) – Classic Movie Review 8296

Michael Moriarty stars as the monstrous tot’s daddy Stephen Jarvis, who tries to stop the killing of all killer babies segregated on a desert island, in writer-director Larry Cohen’s 1987 horror second sequel It’s Alive III: Island of the Alive. Naturally (or unnaturally) they reproduce and return home to rampage again.

This belated Part III, which follows the 1978 It’s Alive II [It Lives Again], is a strong black comedy horror yarn with serious undertones for those who want to notice them, or perhaps it can be seen as a strong serious-toned horror yarn with black comedy undertones for those who want to enjoy them. Moriarty and Karen Black apart, the acting and effects are not quite up to the predecessor films, but both Cohen’s screenplay and direction are on form.

Bernard Herrmann’s original score for the 1974 It’s Alive is again reworked by Laurie Johnson, as it was for the 1978 It’s Alive II [It Lives Again].

Also in the cast are Laurene Landon, Gerrit Graham, James Dixon, Neal Israel, Art Lund and Macdonald Carey.

RIP Larry Cohen (1941–2019).

RIP Larry Cohen (July 15, 1941 – March 23, 2019), best known for It’s Alive (1974), God Told Me To (1976), It’s Alive II [It Lives Again] (1978), The Stuff (1985) and A Return to Salem’s Lot (1987) and his screenwriting works, including Maniac Cop (1988), Phone Booth (2002), Cellular (2004) and Captivity (2007).

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8296

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