It Lives Again (aka It's Alive 2) (1978) *** [Killer Babies Triple Feature Pt. 2]

In Larry Cohen's It Lives Again (aka It's Alive 2) (1978), the sequel to his 1974 film It's Alive, Frank Davis (again played by John P. Ryan), the father of the mutant baby from the first film, returns, assisted by doctors keen to his cause—to help a husband and wife soon to deliver another mutant baby. In the tradition of horror sequels, It Lives Again ups the number of monsters and the gore (again delivered by Rick Baker), while still retaining the familial drama at the heart of these stories. It's Alive 2 (as it's also known) is still a slow moving horror film by today's standards and it's not quite as good as the first in some regards but benefits from the improved f/x from Baker, as well as Bernard Herrmann returning to score. Cohen does a good job of retaining the feel of the first film without repeating it.