THE UNBORN (1991) (Scream Factory Blu-ray Review)

THE UNBORN (1991) 

Label: Scream Factory 
Region Code: A
Rating: R
Duration: 96 Minutes
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)
Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Stereo with Optional English Subtitles
Director: Rodman Flender
Cast: Brooke Adams, James Karen, Lisa Kudrow, Kathy Griffin

The Unborn (1991) is a creepy sci-fi thriller about an infertile couple, children's author Virginia (Brooke Adams, Invasion of the Body Snatcher) and her lawyer husband Brad Marshall (Jeff Hayenga) have tried for several years to bring a baby into the world. After years failure, miscarriages and a nervous breakdown for Virginia they join in on an experimental in-vitro fertilization program developed by Dr. Richard Meyerling (James Karen, The Return of the Living Dead). The process is an immediate success much to the surprise of the couple, but several months into her pregnancy Virginia begins to experience some strange happenings associated the pregnancy which cause her to look deeper into the career of Dr. Myerling, and soon after she begins to suspect that the doc may have impregnated her with some seriously strange semen - but to what end?. 

Brooke Adams is pretty darn good in the role of the expectant mother, she plays vulnerable and strong without resorting to cliched hysterics, plus she plays the paranoia of the situation really well, egged on by the experiences of the other expectant moms in the same experimental baby-making program who, with what turn out to be - SPOILER ALERT  - an evil breed of super-human buns-in-the-oven.

This flick has a decently creepy vibe and some occasional lite body-horror elements, and a fun cast including James Karen who plays the overly-nice but still creepy doc, I love this guy and he always brings a smile to my face. Also be on the lookout for comedienne Kathy Griffin (she of the decapitated Trump effigy infamy) as one-half of an over-the-top lesbian couple/birthing coach, and we even an get a rare horror appearance from Lisa Kudrow (Clockwatchers) who went onto star in the TV mega-hit Friends a few years later. 

There's a lot of pregnancy-horror tropes on display in the flick, the story is not exactly original but I liked it enough, thanks in large part to charms of James Karen and Brooke Adams, who keep things interesting even when the threadbare story might not. As I tend to enjoy schlock more than the cream of the crop I liked that this is more It's Alive than Rosemary's Baby, and this one falls somewhere in between with a 90's veneer that has aged better than expected. I've always thought a lot of 90's cinema looked bland the first time around, but re-visiting them lately I find that they have a new found patina I agree with. One of the strangest moments in the film, aside from the threat of a super-intelligent offspring, is a bizarre rocking chair sex scene that while not played for laughs  is certainly a strange, the movie has a few choice scenes of weirdness like this that kept it interesting for me.

  
Just as the talent onscreen is notable so too are the names behind-the-scenes, the film was also the start for director Rodman Flender (Idle Hands), and early entries in the careers of cinematographer Wally Fister (Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy) and screenwriters John Brancato and Michael Ferris who went onto write the Bruce Campbell-starring apocalypse thriller Mindwarp (1995) before penning the more prestigious The Game (1997) for David Fincher. Notably, the score was also co-composed by 70s/80s new-waver Gary Numan, for those not in-the-know might be most familiar with his new wave classic "Cars", adding some atmosphere to the proceedings. 

The Unborn covers a lot of familiar territory as far as evil-fetus stuff goes, but it does so with a steady hand, delivering creepy paranoia and sci-fi thrills along with some body-horror elements that make for a solid watch, feeling a bot like an extended version of an X-Files episode, this is definitely a slice of 90's terror worth re-discovering. 

Audio/Video: The Unborn (1991) arrives on Blu-ray from Scream Factory with a new 2K scan from original elements, the 1080p HD image is framed in 1.85:1 widescreen, it has a nicely filmic look with a consistent layer of fine grain, color reproduction is solid and the black levels are deep with good shadow detail. Some of the latex appliances show up more than I would have noticed on TV airings of the film, but overall this is a very pleasing image with good clarity and modest amount of depth. 

Audio on the disc comes by way of an English DTS-HD MA stereo track, dialogue and effects sound good, the score from new-waver Gary Numan sounds terrific in the mix, optional English subtitles are provided. 

Extras are slim but appreciated, we get a brand new audio commentary from Producer/Director Rodman Flender and filmmaker Adam Simon who give us a nice candid account of working for Roger Corman, plus we get an HD trailer for the film. The single-disc release comes housed in a standard Blu-ray keepcase with a 2-sided wrap featuring the original one-sheet artwork on the cover and the reverse image is a scene from the film, the disc also features the same key art as the cover. 

Special Feature:
- NEW 2K scan of the original film elements
- NEW Audio Commentary with Producer/Director Rodman Flender and filmmaker Adam Simon
- Theatrical Trailer (2 min) HD 

The Unborn (1991) is a decently creepy prego-horror, feeling like a 90's update of Rosemary's Baby by way of It's Alive, and enhanced by a solid cast and some creepy body-horror stuff, not a classic but definitely something ripe for re-discover now that we have a great looking Blu-ray from Scream Factory.