It’s Alive III: Island of the Alive 1987
Directed by
Larry Cohen
Made by
Larco Productions
It’s Alive III: Island of the Alive Plot Summary
Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for It’s Alive III: Island of the Alive (1987). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.
Several years after the events of the first two films, Ellen Jarvis, Karen Black, finds herself in a tense moment of chaos when a woman goes into labor in a cab on a rain-slick night. Panicked, the cab driver seeks help from a nearby police officer and scrambles to find a public phone to call an ambulance. While the driver is away, the woman gives birth to a mutant baby, and the newborn’s hostile reaction to danger leads it to kill both the officer and the mother. By the next day, the mutant baby’s corpse is discovered inside a Catholic church, where it has dragged itself to die.
In a courtroom, Stephen Jarvis, Michael Moriarty pleads for mercy, arguing that the child’s aggression stems from the harsh world around him. The baby breaks out of its cage, but Jarvis manages to calm it and convinces the judge, Judge Watson, Macdonald Carey, to spare the child and four others by quarantining them on a remote island. The verdict fractures Jarvis’s life: he becomes a social pariah, unable to work his former acting job, and Ellen, wanting a chance to live apart from him, seems determined to start anew. The root cause of the mutation traces back to a medication produced by Cabot’s pharmaceutical company, a connection exposed by Dr. Brewster, Neal Israel, who has been drawn into the corporate conspiracy.
Five years pass before a new turn arrives. Lt. Perkins, James Dixon approaches Jarvis with news that Dr. Swenson, Art Lund has recruited him to lead an expedition to the island to study the growing mutants. Jarvis joins the perilous voyage, but the mission quickly unravels: only Jarvis and Perkins survive, with Perkins being deserted on the island while Jarvis remains on the boat as the mutants’ captive, as the telepathic children press forward toward Cape Vale, Florida. Jarvis soon realizes the mutants have grown into adults and even birthed a new child, with the implication that his own son may be the father. The mutants communicate with each other through telepathic links, and Jarvis suspects that his survival hinges on the bodies of the sailing crew and, more importantly, on the protection offered by his unseen son.
Captured and transported back toward home, Jarvis awakens in Cuba and uses his wits to convince his captors of his identity and the danger the mutants pose, persuading them to take him back to the United States. Meanwhile, the mutant children have reached American shores, where they kill several people they see as threats to Ellen while also stepping in to defend a woman under assault by a gang of punks. The reunion with Ellen follows, and the mutants urge Ellen to care for their child. After a hesitant start, Ellen agrees to take the child, swayed by Jarvis’s insistence that the mutants’ actions come from a deep, parental love and their current inability to care for the infant due to measles and their fierce instinct to protect. With Ellen’s acceptance, the mutants die, and a final distraction by the last surviving adult mutant clears the way for Jarvis and Ellen to escape with the child. The movie closes as they drive away together, seeking a safe place to raise their unusual family.
It’s Alive III: Island of the Alive Timeline
Follow the complete movie timeline of It’s Alive III: Island of the Alive (1987) with every major event in chronological order. Great for understanding complex plots and story progression.
Mutant baby born in a cab during a rainy night
During a rainy night, a woman goes into labor inside a moving cab. The driver searches for a police officer and a public phone to call an ambulance. While he is away, the baby is born and reveals itself as a mutant, and the officer shoots at it; the infant retaliates by killing the officer and the mother.
Mutant baby's corpse found in a Catholic church
The mutant baby's corpse is discovered inside a Catholic church the following day. It drags itself as it dies, highlighting the creature's eerie persistence and otherworldly nature.
Courtroom plea to spare the mutant child
In court, Stephen Jarvis pleads for his mutant son's life, arguing the mutation is a reaction to hostility and chaos around him. The baby breaks out of its cage, but Jarvis calms it, and the judge decides to spare the child and four others by quarantining them on a remote island.
Jarvis becomes a social pariah; Ellen's life diverges
After the trial, Jarvis becomes a social pariah, unable to work and shunned by society because of the mutation's stigma. Ellen, the baby's mother, wants to live her own life, as if the birth never happened, deepening their estrangement.
Cabot and associates travel to the island to kill the babies
Cabot and his associates travel to the remote island where the quarantined babies are kept, intending to kill them to manufacture the drug under a new label. The babies fight back, killing and consuming the entire party.
Five years later: expedition to study the babies
Five years after the earlier events, Lt. Perkins recruits Jarvis to join an expedition to the island with Dr. Swenson to study the mutant babies. The voyage proves disastrous: only Jarvis and Perkins survive; Perkins deserts, and Jarvis remains a captive on the boat as the mutants head toward Cape Vale, Florida.
Mutants mature and a baby is born; father implied to be Jarvis's son
During the voyage, the mutants have grown to adulthood and one has given birth to a baby, with the father implied to be Jarvis's son. The children appear to communicate telepathically and move with a shared will. Jarvis realizes he has survived thanks to the ship's crew's bodies and because his son is protecting him.
The ship encounters another vessel; the son sacrifices his father
The voyage leads to contact with another vessel. In a bid for survival, Jarvis's son throws his father overboard to save himself, hoping the other ship will rescue him.
Jarvis wakes captive in Cuba and is taken home
Jarvis awakens to find himself captive in Cuba. He convinces his captors of his identity and argues that the mutant children pose a danger, persuading them to take him back home.
Mutant children reach the United States and strike and defend Ellen
The mutant children arrive in the United States and kill several people they consider threats to themselves or Ellen. They also defend a woman who is being attacked by killing a gang of punks.
Mutants locate Ellen and press her to take the child
The children locate Ellen and try to persuade her to take the child. Ellen is initially reluctant, but Jarvis convinces her that the mutants act out of love and that the child needs a caregiver.
Measles claim the mutant parents; Ellen and Jarvis escape with the child
The mutants die of measles, leaving Ellen to care for the infant. The final adult mutant distracts the police, allowing Ellen and Jarvis to escape with the child. They drive away together, searching for a safe place to raise it.
It’s Alive III: Island of the Alive Characters
Explore all characters from It’s Alive III: Island of the Alive (1987). Get detailed profiles with their roles, arcs, and key relationships explained.
Stephen Jarvis (Michael Moriarty)
A once-celebrated actor turned father who becomes bitter and ostracized after his mutant son is spared in a controversial trial. He fights to protect his child and others like him, navigating hostility from society and the medical-industrial complex. His resolve and sense of responsibility drive the core moral conflict of the story.
Ellen Jarvis (Karen Black)
The mother of the mutant child, she seeks autonomy while confronting fear and societal rejection. Her feelings oscillate between wanting a life apart from the chaos and choosing to care for the child out of love. By the end, she contributes to a fragile sense of family and safety for the child.
Lt. Perkins (James Dixon)
A law-enforcement officer who becomes a key ally in launching the expedition to the island. He endures the dangers of the mission and survival on the sea, representing pragmatism and duty in the face of the mutants’ threat. His arc includes resilience and a critical role in guiding the group back toward safety.
Dr. Swenson (Art Lund)
A physician-researcher recruited to study the mutants’ growth. He embodies scientific curiosity and the push to understand the mutation, sometimes intersecting with the executives’ profit-driven motives. His presence brings a clinical lens to the ethical questions surrounding the children.
Mutant Child
The quickly maturing offspring of the initial mutant, whose existence and development reveal the rapid consequences of the mutation. The child’s interactions with others—sometimes protective, sometimes dangerous—highlight the complex humanity of the mutants. The father’s implied paternity adds a layer of personal stakes to the journey.
It’s Alive III: Island of the Alive Settings
Learn where and when It’s Alive III: Island of the Alive (1987) takes place. Explore the film’s settings, era, and how they shape the narrative.
Time period
Late 1980s
The events occur several years after the earlier films, with a five-year gap before the expedition to the island. The era reflects biotech anxieties and corporate intrigue characteristic of late-80s storytelling. The timeline shifts from a courtroom decision to a dangerous voyage and rescue, highlighting a transition from legitimacy to survival.
Location
Remote deserted island, Cuba, Cape Vale (Florida), Catholic church, courtroom
The core setting is a remote, desolate island where the mutant children are kept and studied. The narrative also moves through a rainy city cab ride, a Cuban capture, and the coastal town of Cape Vale, Florida, culminating in a courtroom and a church scene. These locations establish a contrast between legal proceedings, religious spaces, and desperate survival environments.
It’s Alive III: Island of the Alive Themes
Discover the main themes in It’s Alive III: Island of the Alive (1987). Analyze the deeper meanings, emotional layers, and social commentary behind the film.
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Mutation
Mutations serve as the central premise, turning medical experimentation into a moral battleground. The film follows the consequences of biotech work on real people, blurring the line between victims and threats. Telepathic links among the mutants complicate who is considered human or monstrous. The narrative probes responsibility, accountability, and the potential harms of unchecked science.
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Motherhood
Ellen’s relationship with the mutant child anchors the emotional core, exploring how love and nurture persist under fear and stigma. The mothers’ agency is tested as society rejects them, yet maternal instincts drive decisions that affect survival. Ellen’s shift from isolation to acceptance underscores a critique of social judgment. The film uses motherhood to question what it means to care for the vulnerable.
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Corporate Greed
The pharmaceutical company Cabot embodies profit-driven motives that threaten human life for financial gain. The plot reveals attempts to exploit the mutants for drug development and rebranding, showcasing exploitation within corporate power structures. Ethical boundaries are painted as negotiable when money is at stake. Public health concerns collide with corporate ambition.
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Isolation & Survival
The island setting creates physical and moral isolation, forcing characters to confront danger without the safety of society. Survival hinges on fragile alliances, quick thinking, and a willingness to confront monstrous consequences. The voyage back to civilization tests loyalty and the limits of parasocial bonds. Isolation amplifies the tension between mercy and necessity.
It’s Alive III: Island of the Alive Spoiler-Free Summary
Discover the spoiler-free summary of It’s Alive III: Island of the Alive (1987). Get a concise overview without any spoilers.
In a world where scientific breakthroughs have given birth to a new kind of humanity, a handful of mutant infants become the focus of a frantic public gaze. Their existence is treated as both a terrifying curiosity and a political pawn, prompting a courtroom decision that seals them away on a remote island—an isolated laboratory of nature and fear. The film’s atmosphere is drenched in a cold, unsettling tension, blending the stark clinical horror of bio‑ethics with the relentless glare of media sensationalism. Every frame feels like a study in how society isolates what it cannot understand, turning a legal ruling into a chilling backdrop for what might come next.
Stephen Jarvis once stood at the center of the controversy that birthed these children, a man whose scientific genius is now shadowed by personal loss and public vilification. Stripped of his former life and labeled a pariah, he wrestles with a profound guilt that the very beings he helped create are now condemned to an artificial exile. His resolve is driven not just by a scientist’s curiosity but by a desperate need to redeem himself in a world that has turned its back on both him and his creation. The tone surrounding him is one of quiet determination, underscored by a lingering sense of dread that the legal system’s cold calculus may have overlooked a deeper, more humane truth.
Ellen Jarvis, his estranged partner, occupies a fragile space between compassion and self‑preservation. Their strained relationship adds an intimate layer to the broader moral questions, as she must decide how much of her own future she is willing to sacrifice for the children who are simultaneously victims and symbols. Their dynamic is a study in conflicted loyalties, reflecting the larger societal split between exploitation and empathy.
When the decision to confine the mutants becomes a catalyst rather than a resolution, Stephen orchestrates a daring foray back to the island, intent on confronting the very forces that have sealed the children’s fate. The expedition promises to peel back the veneer of institutional indifference, hinting at hidden connections among the mutants and the world that condemned them. Dark, suspense‑laden, and rife with moral ambiguity, the film invites the audience to question how far one will go to rescue the voiceless when society has already decided their destiny.
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