It's Alive III: Island of the Alive

This endearingly twisted continuation of the insipid horror franchise sticks primarily to the paternal lineage. Cohen also remains faithful to the concept of very rarely showing the mutant killer babies and the results of their attacks, because he doesn’t have the resources to make them look good. Therefore, in the first instalment of the franchise, he relied on developing the absurd premise into a trashy parental drama and on drawing out the suspense before the confrontation between the father and his spawn. While this may seem surprising in the case of a series of movies about murderous mutant infants, it’s not until the third instalment that Cohen really sets out into the realm of understated WTF that becomes an attraction in and of itself. Here the narrative unfolds through unexpected peripeteias that surprise viewers with their randomness and the characters’ suddenly finding themselves in grotesquely warped situations. The fact that the film’s protagonist is an unlikable asshole who irritates those around him with moronic one-liners and by singing annoying hackneyed songs only adds another level of goofy unpredictability, as the characters can suddenly find themselves in Cuba or throwing up on someone in a car. Cohen took an utterly serious approach to trash, which gave his films a uniquely likable and appealing aura. It’s hard to say whether he let go of the reins here because the franchise was already in the toilet or because he knew he could actually get away with anything in the third instalment of this phantasmagoria. Maybe both, because Island of the Alive turned out be annoying and entertaining at the same time. (18.11.2022)