The Baby

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Mike P SPOILERS...Disturbing horror drama about INFANTILISM...It's about an adult man who, even at age 21; is in full throttle INFANT MODE...He sits there sucking his thumb, playing with dolls... Going "goo-goo" and "ga-ga" like Jonathon Winters in one of his infamous baby impressions..(And then they even dub the actor's voice with a 2 year olds' speech; and crying; which makes it MORE disturbing!)...And it's all the result of vicious and severe abuse from his parents and siblings...Not genetic or neurological issues...And what's worse, his mother and older sisters continue to horrifically abuse him throughout the story, in EVERY WAY imaginable!...Until eventually a do-gooder social worker kidnaps him fom his abusive family...Just to put him in another abusive/exploitative situation; where he's going to be playmate to her brain damaged husband!!...Still playing the "baby" to please everyone!!...And as a thriller this is all silly; but it is also extremely creepy and disturbingly effective; and does work. It's also an obvious screed about the horrific effects of abuse and exploitation; and it definitely works on that level too. Recommended...👍 Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 10/14/24 Full Review michael b Very-Very Sick Movie. Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 09/11/23 Full Review Audience Member I remember watching this years ago and it left an unusual impression Director Ted Post disguises a dark family drama as a horror film, one that fits more in the trashy cinema genre even after 50 years with him being a tv director mostly The title would suggest it's about an infant like any other but this is a special case in itself...the baby is actually a full-grown adult! Yep he's been raised since childbirth to keep the mental capacity and mannerisms of an actual baby by his crazy mother Mrs. Wadsworth and her two daughters Her husband was in a car accident and she tries to make ends meet with the social services income A social worker Anne comes to their house taking a special interest but right away sees this family's screwed up lifestyle This movie is way more messed up than you'd imagine, it's not scary or bloody but psychologically unnerving; 'Baby' as he's called played by David Manzy gives quite a lasting performance being someone who can't grow up He's sympathetic yet tragic at the same time He conveys the right amount of confusion, longing, and desperation You can certainly tell who's really the unstable individuals as Mrs. Wadsworth is fine with the way she's looking after her son even when someone from the government is genuinely concerned It's easy to tell when someone is clearly being exploited or abused The film is very deranged in various aspects with many scenes of the mother punishing her boy if he can't behave or do what he's told We are allowed to carry the absurdity of demented parenting And the family dynamic is more along the lines of horror flicks of the 70s heyday This comes off as way more psychosexual drama of women taking control over the man in their life using dark maternity They even lay out the cons Baby has the luck of avoiding not developing normally, he's spared court dates, desk jobs, etc. The ending is just wow...after it's all over it leaves quite an impact This won't be for everyone given how dark the premise is but man is it hard to forget It's must-see cult 1970s cinema Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/13/23 Full Review Renee R This is a little gem from the 1970s I hadn't heard of until today. And now I am happy I have seen it. The less you know in advance about the plot, the more enjoyable your first watch will be. I'll just say that the acting, writing and direction are top, and that the story gets you hooked the more bizarre it gets. A must-see for movie lovers. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 11/20/22 Full Review Audience Member Classic. One of my favorites. The acting is, at times, poor but, overall this picture portrays the struggles, discrimination, stereotyping and liberation of man-babies and their handlers in the early 1970's Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review delysid d Inside the world of 70s man-babies and the murderous women who love them. Really weird! Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/02/17 Full Review Read all reviews

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