Larry Cohen’s brilliantly cheesy (yet pretty freaky) 1974 horror flick is a campy and bloody good time for genre fans, but it also managed (and still manages) to be an interesting bit of debate material if you watch it with someone who takes its messaging too seriously. I say keep it down with the heated discussion and try not to get caught up in real-life arguments about big pharmaceutical companies using people as guinea pigs with horrifying results and/or the usual pro-life and pro-choice issues, camp out on the sofa with some popcorn and beverages and enjoy this one for what it is. Buried under that bloody good fun and Bernard Herrmann score is a classic that got a few funky sequels made, all of which are worth checking out (despite being of slightly to moderately lesser quality as time went on). That and hell, the 70’s vibe in this one is in full effect thanks to some fine casting and scenery chewing by the principals… and that REALLY hideous monster baby…

The film works best as a horror/satire, as the parents of the killer baby (designed by Rick Baker) go from fear to a bizarre acceptance of their fang-faced progeny (even after it’s killed quite a number of people). John P. Ryan gives a great, wild-eyed performance as the father, Frank, as he goes from initially joining the hunt for his kid to becoming Daddy of the Year as the film progresses. There are some nicely bloody bits and the baby remains mostly hidden for the bulk of the picture, but there’s almost always a jump scare when he pops up and starts swinging those claws. Like a few of Cohen’s other horror flicks (God Told Me To, Q: The Winged Serpent), any social commentary here is used by the director to kick the plot forward more than it is to raise any hackles, but if you find yourself offended or sympathetic to a cause here, that’s the director doing his job.

As for the other two films in the series? Well, as you can see above, the law of diminishing returns is in full effect, but all three manage to get their hooks into you if you let them. I still find it incredible that the original film was rated PG, but then again, the violence and gore is light here – it’s just the whole “That hospital team just got killed by a mutant baby!” thing that will set some people off in one way or another. That and I really HOPE that was a Caesarian the mother had, as that’s one damn HUGE infant when you do get to see it (insert “It’s like throwing a hot dog down a hallway” joke from Knocked Up here). Wow. Still, it’s a classic of the era, so I say check it out. Just leave your critical and political brain in the freezer and you’ll enjoy this one all the more.