Michael_Elliott The Unborn (1991) * 1/2 (out of 4) A couple (Brooke Adams, Jeff Hayenga) unable to have children of their own go to a doctor (James Karen) who is experimenting with fertilization. The experiment works and the woman finds herself pregnant but soon she begins losing her mind fearing that the baby is pretty much eating through her. THE UNBORN is a pretty bad movie from start to finish but I can admit that there are a few effective things in it as well as several good performances. I thought the actors were about the best thing going for the movie and this includes Adams who is extremely good and believable as the mother who soon realizes that all of her fears are coming true. I thought she did a very good job at showing the fear in the character. Hayenga is also good in his bit and of course Karen is always worth watching no matter what he's in. I think the biggest problem with the film is the screenplay. I think the film gets off to a very bad start because we're supposed to like this couple but I must admit that I didn't care for them a bit. This really hurt the Adams' character because I really didn't like her and I certainly never cared about her. I think the film is borrowing from ROSEMARY'S BABY but instead of Satan we've got evil DNA working. I thought there were a few effective scenes including some of the murders, which were quite dark and chilling. I'd also say that director Rodman Flender at least builds up a dark atmosphere. With that said, even at 80-minutes this thing drags pretty badly and in the end it's best to just watch the Polanski classic or even IT'S ALIVE instead. Of course, if you do decide to watch this you'll get to see both Lisa Kudrow and Kathy Griffin years before fame.

TheExpatriate700 At times, The Unborn comes across as two separate films that got spliced together. On one hand, there is a genuinely disturbing psychological thriller / satire with great performances, while on the other there is a cheap B-level gore film.Adams and her husband have been unable to conceive a child, so they go to James Karen's fertility clinic. Boasting a 100% success rate, he quickly fixes Adams's problem. Unfortunately, the child she conceives has some issues of its own.At many points, the actors, particularly Adams, appear to be acting in an entirely different movie. Her meltdown scene, had it been in a straight drama rather than a low budget horror movie, would have earned her an Academy Award nomination. The film itself has a number of satirical touches on maternity culture, and could have been an interesting feminist piece in different hands.Unfortunately, it turns into an uninspired gore film. I like gory horror movies, but it steals from It's Alive and Rosemary's Baby so blatantly it's not even funny. The special effects budget is so low that the film comes across as funny rather than scary.

unicornmist74 i watched this film many years ago and have searched for it ever since in my opinion although very raw it is very educational as to what the future can hold i enjoyed the movie and to this this day rate it very high sorry to all those that disagree but a movie should always be judged each to there own and in my opinion its great give it a go with all the cloning and test tube babies that are happening today who are we to judge this film, this may be a dramatised event of what is to become but there you go. All the horrors of today are so far fetched even i laugh but this one gets me thinking and it scares me as a mother what if i was desperate,after watching this movie i would think twice sorry but i love the movie make your own mind up don't watch the movie making- just aknowledge the story and ask yourself this how far would you go for a child?

drhackenstine A couple who cannot have children decide to go to a clinic for a little help conceiving a baby. Before long, the mother starts having eerie symptoms hinting that something is not right with the fetus, and soon after she discovers that she is the victim of a heinous genetic engineering experiment involving the creation of super-human babies. A somewhat drowsy approach to the killer baby genre, the first hour moves along well with a descent story about an unstable woman who thinks a monster is growing inside of her, but may just be going insane. The last bit relies on cheesy shocks and takes some of it's cues from It's Alive. The killer baby is quite fake looking, and nothing really seems to happen in the big finale. The final scene, however, is good. Brooke Adams carries the movie, and James Karen is good in his role as the evil doctor, even though he is given little to do. Lisa Kudrow appears in one of her early pre-Friends B-movie roles, and Kathy Griffin co-starred in this before she broke through with her stand-up "comedy" act. She gets whacked with a hammer, in a horribly staged fight scene. Two Stars.