- 1991movierewind
Episode #35: The Unborn
Listen to Episode 35 of the Podcast here while you enjoy the show notes.
SUMMARY - In The Unborn, a married couple have been trying to have a baby for five years with no success. At the recommendation of a co-worker, they go to a fertility clinic and have an in-vitro fertilization performed. As the baby continues to grow, the mother (played by Brooke Adams) experiences strange sensations and exhibits unexplained behavior. After discussing her troubles with other patients, she learns that she’s not the only one.
Screenplay by John Brancato and Michael Ferris, both credited under the pseudonym Henry Dominic; Directed by Rodman Flender, and released on March 29, 1991.
FILM DISCUSSION
The movie starts out very slowly and aside from the scene in the very beginning, spends the first 30 minutes showing a normal relationship between the leads.
While waiting for the horror action to pick up, we talk how this features an early role for Lisa Kudrow
And Kathy Griffin. It's not uncommon to see improv/stand-up people in some of these low budget horror movies.
After a bunch of establishing stuff, we start to get into the meat when this child kills her older brother (off-screen).
We weren't impressed by the effects. Everything looked rubbery and over-the-top fake.
A lot of the characters decisions made little sense as well. That's par for the course in horror, though. Why listen to the tape your doctor gave you if you're suspicious of him?
Things do kind of pick up later, but its all a little too late.
This climactic scene was the best in the movie. It was a long road to get there.
We also discussed how this was shot by Oscar winner Wally Pfister, longtime Christopher Nolan collaborator. His talent did not come across.
Awards Talk: There were some nominations from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films. They give out the Saturn Awards. It did not win any of the four categories
TRUE CRIME & POP CULTURE
This week we don't have any true crime segment to talk about so we jump right into music.
Here are your Billboard Top 5 Songs for the week of March 30, 1991
Coming Out of the Dark - Gloria Estefan
One More Try - Timmy T
This House - Tracie Spencer
Hold You Tight - Tara Kemp
I’ve Been Thinking About You - Londonbeat
And in case you're wondering, Whitney Houston's Star Spangled Banner charted at #20.
On to TV, here's what people may have been watching that night instead of this:
We also took a brief look at the relatively forgotten series True Detectives - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098934/
We also talk about this Johnny Carson episode from February 1991 where he talks to Brooke Adams and reviews some toys that were at that year's Toy Fair.
RANKINGS & RATINGS
Nikki 1-5 star scale - 1 out of 5
Jon 0-4 star scale - 1 1/2 out of 4
Would you watch it again? - No, while it's fun once it gets up to speed, it takes far, far too long to accelerate up to that point. There is a sequel and the experience of watching this actually soured us on possibly visiting that as well.
If you want to watch The Unborn, as of this recording in October 2021, it’s available on Tubi, Digital Rental, VHS, DVD. Check your local listings.
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