The topic of unplanned pregnancies has been central to several prominent films this century. Generally, they are comedies, and titles like Juno and Knocked Up spring to mind. The comedic situations are conventional and straightforward. No comparison spins in ultimate extremes while also being provocatively funny. This brings me to Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant, a sharply written script that uses an alien conception as a means to tell a story about expectation, choice, and parenthood. Sprinkle in at-times shocking body horror, and this has the makings of a film that, at a minimum, will have people talking.
While set in New Zealand, the movie could take place anywhere. And that is by design—accidental pregnancy leads to a wrinkle in plans, but what if the pregnancy was alien? We meet Mary (Hannah Lynch), an underachiever who has become a sort of shut-in while living with her mother. When she gets her life in gear, fate has an unexpected happening in the form of her new neighbor, Boo (Arlo Green). Mousy and unconfident, Boo is hiding a secret. We learn that as a result of his own mother’s alien insemination, he is born with a peculiar situation in the downstairs department. After an impromptu self-stimulation meeting with Mary goes awry, the latter becomes pregnant thanks to a projectile insemination on the part of Boo. In what becomes the epitome of an unplanned pregnancy, Mary fights to reclaim her life before nature takes an alien course.
Now, after what you have read above, you might be both disturbed and intrigued at the same time. Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant is unashamed of leaning into the body-horror elements. In fact, the film’s unabashed embrace of showing us alien testicles and an alien igloo of vagnial mucus are among its strongest points. Through its absurd framing, the story is working to make a point about pregnancy and bodily autonomy.
Unlike the conventional route, the film follows Mary as she decides not to become a mother. She does not want to be a mother, much less the mother to an alien baby. To some, the idea of a woman shirking her maternal urges or desires may seem blasphemous. Still, I applaud the film for having the courage to wash away the expected redemptive arc of Mary. We have seen time and again a story in which the expecting mother does not want to have a child, only to decide she wants to be a mother ultimately.
The story makes a personal statement: not everyone wishes to be a mother, and that is okay. Even putting aside the outrageous, at times downright Cronenbergian trapping, the film speaks to the role of choice. As women wrestle with the expectations of previous generations and the pressures of society, it is refreshing to have a movie that embraces the mantra my body, my choice.
In a somewhat clever reversal, the spotlight here is on the father. We meet Boo as a bit of a bumbler and underachiever. His mother covers for him, allowing him to coast through life without taking much charge or accountability for his actions. The film shows him developing more prominent alien traits and creating his own dynamic with this otherworldly baby. As an aside, the technical prowess is quite impressive. You will be left both squemish and amazed by the contortions and otherworldly horror. David Cronenberg would approve!
The movie, in its own unique way, is forcing us to have a conversation. The shock and awe of the alien pregnancy and the visual theater are brilliant conversation starters and give the movie an extra weight and unique insight. Outrage and out-of-the-box thinking are excellent tools in this story’s toolbox. Films like The Fly are lovingly tributed here as this story writes a love letter to the eccentric 80s body-horror romps, while at the same time writing its own unique, twistedly beautiful signature.
Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant had its World Premiere in the Midnight section of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.
Directors: THUNDERLIPS
Writers: THUNDERLIPS
Rated: NR
Runtime: 95m
a sharply written script that uses an alien conception as a means to tell a story about expectation, choice, and parenthood. Sprinkle in at-times shocking body horror, and this has the makings of a film that, at a minimum, will have people talking.
Writing & podcasting, for the love of movies.
His Letterboxd Favorites: The Dark Knight, Halloween, Jaws & A Christmas Story.
