1990
6
6.1K
R
views
saved
Trailers/Videos
Baby Blood
1990
6
6.1K
R
views
saved
A cruel circus owner beats and abuses his pregnant wife. One day the circus receives a leopard newly captured in Africa, but the animal soon dies. However, an evil creature that was inside the leopard bursts out of the animal's body, burrows into the wife's body and takes over her fetus. It soon starts demanding blood, and the woman goes searching for victims for her new "baby."
Countries:
FR
Languages:
French
Content Rating:
R
Runtime:
1hrs 28min
Status:
Released
Release date:
1990-01-24
Release format:
Streaming
— Oct 01, 2022
Unfortunately, I watched the dubbed version of this movie, and it had some truly terrible acting. That is enough to bring this movie down quite a lot. It is an otherwise very enjoyable movie. It reminds me of 1988's Brain Damage—different theming, similar execution. It is especially interesting considering this movie emerged decades after the evil child boom of the 60s and 70s, with movies such as The Omen and Rosemary's Baby leading the way.
Those 60s and 70s movies were influenced by the growing anxiety accompanying childbirth at the time. Now, childbirth has always implied specific anxieties, but the 60s specifically were a time of unrest for mothers across America with the introduction of thalidomide. Thalidomide was an anti-nausea drug for late-term mothers, which resulted in severe birth defects. The children born with these defects were dubbed Thalidomide babies.
Another thing that influenced these movies was the first FDA-approved contraceptive: The Pill. The first test tube baby, which happened in 1978, as well as the new-wave feminist movement during the 60s, eventually led to the Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade in 1973, which legalized abortion. These historical events all led to women feeling more empowered, essentially powerless, and looked over due to the political turmoil of the time.
Though this movie is French, it was clearly influenced by these movies and, in turn, influenced by the American feminist movement, but what was the political landscape of the time in France? Through the 60s and early 70s, French feminist movements made great strides, resulting in the legalization of abortion in 1975, a mere 5 years after the start of the French abortion movement, which started in 1970.
Other themes are going on in this movie too, of course. A big one is the anxiety of a mother whose child's father is an evil man. Will that baby, too, be an evil person? I won't bother talking about the more apparent analogies of the film, as I'm sure if you've watched it, you've picked up on it. However, We also start the movie in a circus, where animals and people are displayed to be watched and amused. Women, in general, feel watched constantly, but especially pregnant women, though for possibly different reasons. Like caged animals in a circus. 3 ½ stars.