The Baby (film)

Lore & Background

The film follows Ann Gentry, a social worker wracked with guilt over a severe car accident that left her husband with the mental capacity of an infant. She is assigned to the eccentric Wadsworth family, whose youngest member is an adult man in his 20s called only 'Baby.' The family keeps Baby in a state of perpetual dependency, forcing him to wear diapers, never speak or walk, and punishing him with beatings and an electric cattle prod. Ann discovers that Baby's condition is not physical or mental but caused by the family's neglect and abuse.

Reader's Guide

The Baby is notable for its bizarre and disturbing premise, blending psychological horror with themes of manipulation and control. Despite a limited theatrical release in March 1973, it gained a cult following. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds an 88% approval rating based on 16 reviews. Critics praised its twist ending and genuinely disturbing scenes, though some criticized over-the-top performances and use of footage of mentally disabled children. The film was adapted for the stage in 2013 and has been released on home video multiple times, including Blu-ray and DVD by Severin Films in 2011 and Arrow Films in 2018.

Did You Know?

• The film was directed by Ted Post, who also directed the Dirty Harry sequel Magnum Force and The Harrad Experiment in the same year.
• The Baby was released on Blu-ray and DVD by Severin Films in 2012.

Narrative Architecture & The Twist

The Baby unfolds as a slow-burn psychological horror that builds its dread through the gradual revelation of domestic cruelty. Ann Gentry, a social worker haunted by guilt over a car accident that left her husband with the mental capacity of an infant, is assigned to investigate the enigmatic Wadsworth household. What begins as a routine case assignment quickly reveals a family whose entire existence orbits around "Baby," a man in his twenties who is never permitted to speak, walk, or act for himself. His mother and two sisters enforce his infantilism through beatings, restraints, and even an electric cattle prod, all while the family depends on his disability payments for survival. The narrative's devastating turn arrives in the film's final act: after Ann escapes the Wadsworths' murderous attempt on her life and takes Baby into her own home, the audience learns her motivations were never altruistic. She wanted Baby not to free him, but to serve as a companion for her disabled husband. The film ends with Baby still trapped in dependency, merely under gentler hands, with Ann's husband as his "brother."

Ted Post's Bizarre Interlude

For a director whose résumé already included the science-fiction spectacle Beneath the Planet of the Apes and the horror picture Night Slaves, The Baby represented something qualitatively different: Ted Post's first foray into what one description called "the utterly bizarre." Written by Abe Polsky, the film is a compact drama of family dysfunction that sits apart from Post's more conventional genre work. It arrived in 1973 as one of three theatrical features he directed that year, sandwiched between the Dirty Harry sequel Magnum Force and The Harrad Experiment, an adaptation of a once-controversial bestseller about college students in coed dorm rooms. The ensemble cast, led by Anjanette Comer as the socially ambitious Ann Gentry and Ruth Roman as the suffocatingly overprotective Mrs. Wadsworth, is rounded out by Marianna Hill and Suzanne Zenor as the Wadsworth sisters, with David Manzy (credited as David Mooney) portraying the silent, diapered Baby. The film's tight, claustrophobic focus on a single household and its grotesque power dynamics set it apart from both Post's other 1973 releases and the broader landscape of American horror that year.

Critical Response & Audience Reception

Critics have generally embraced The Baby as a quietly effective piece of psychological horror, though opinions on its execution vary. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an 88 percent approval rating across sixteen reviews with a weighted average of 7.3 out of ten. TV Guide awarded it three of five stars, praising its competent direction and "truly surprising twist ending" while acknowledging occasional lapses into bad taste. Dennis Schwartz of Ozus' World Movie Reviews gave it a B, noting its ability to hold attention and its genuinely startling conclusion, yet he criticized the performances as over-the-top and raised concerns about the film's use of footage involving mentally disabled children. Brett Gallman of Oh the Horror lauded the strong performances and disturbing set pieces but found the pacing "plodding and listless." Perhaps most notably, the YouTube channel Red Letter Media, in their Best of the Worst series, singled out The Baby as the best film they had ever reviewed in that context, suggesting it should not be lumped in with truly terrible cinema and urging viewers to watch it blind to the ending so its themes of manipulation and control land with full force.

Cult Status & Afterlife

The Baby has maintained a devoted following as a cult classic since its initial limited theatrical run by Scotia International in March 1973. Its home-video journey has been steady: Image Entertainment brought it to VHS and DVD in 2000, Severin Films issued a Blu-ray and DVD transfer from the original negative in 2011, and Arrow Films re-released it in 2018, ensuring each new generation of genre fans could encounter the film in high quality. The story's afterlife extended beyond the screen when playwright Dan Spurgeon adapted it for the stage in 2013. That theatrical production earned the "Best of Hollywood Fringe" award and a spot on the "Top 10 LA Theatre Production" list, before being remounted in Toronto in 2015. The stage adaptation demonstrates that the film's core premise—a social worker's twisted relationship with a family that has imprisoned an adult in perpetual infancy—translates powerfully into live performance. For many viewers, The Baby endures not as a jump-scare horror but as a slow, unsettling meditation on dependency, control, and the ways love can become a cage, themes that continue to resonate in both film and theater.

Gallery