PopHorror Let's Get Scared
New Zealand has a history of gooey horror comedies such as Dead Alive, Bad Taste, Black Sheep, and Deathgasm. The latest film in this long running tradition is Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant, a unique mix of body horror and slacker humor. I’ve been ridiculously excited for it ever since I saw the trailer. Did Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant meet my high expectations?
Read on to find out.
Synopsis
When a messy millennial underachiever accidentally gets alien-pregnant she must overcome sceptical doctors, a useless baby-daddy, and her oversharing mum in order to survive and reclaim her life.
Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant was written and directed by THUNDERLIPS. The film stars Hannah Lynch, Yvette Parsons, Arlo Green, and Jackie van Beek.
Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant is everything I wanted it to be. It’s very gooey, it’s funny, it’s surprisingly sweet yet at times uncomfortable. if Clerks and Knocked Up had an alien baby, it would probably be something like this. Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant follows Mary, played by Hannah Lynch. She’s a jobless millennial who still lives at home with her mom and spends most of her time sleeping, eating snacks, or masterbating to hentai. After a very weird late night run in with a awkward new neighbor Boo, played by Arlo Green, she quickly finds herself alien pregnant. What follows is her attempt to terminate her rapidly developing pregnancy and the chaos that comes with it.
I really enjoyed the performances, the characters, and their relationships with each other. Hannah Lynch is the heart and soul of the film. She plays Mary as a woman who just wants to be left alone and do her own thing. Her life changes completely after meeting Boo. I loved the developing relationship between them. They both come from mothers who are very protective and a tad overbearing so they don’t really know how to take care of themselves, let alone how to support each other or a baby. Their interactions are frequently hilarious and almost always awkward, though over time they develop a sweetness to them.
Arlo Green’s Boo is a very weird and neurotic person. He’s been sheltered and hidden away for his whole life so he’s very hesitant around people, though you can tell he desperately craves connection, as the only person he has is his mom. Speaking of moms, I loved Yvette Parsons (as Mary’s mother Cynthia) and Jackie van Beek (as Boo’s mother Ann) as the main characters mothers. I was cracking up watching them try to help things along and supporting their kids.
I loved that Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant dove head first into body horror with the changes your body go through during pregnancy, which are exacerbated by an accelerated alien pregnancy. The film is full of gooey bodily fluids, strange bodily transformations, and hilarious gags involving the two. In addition to just being a ridiculously fun and gross horror comedy, it also looks at what people expect of women when it comes to being a mother. It pokes fun at society’s expectations of woman’s bodily autonomy and traditional gender roles and explores a woman’s right to choose as well as consent. It does in a way that feels nature given the subject matter. It doesn’t come off preachy or overdone but it’s there for those who choose to pay attention.
Final Thoughts
Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant is a hilarious and gooey horror comedy that manages to be pretty sweet despite the awkwardness of the characters. It’s a ton of fun. Highly recommended.
