Sundance ‘26: ‘MUM, I’M ALIEN PREGNANT’ Is a Gross, Slimy Kiwi Hootenanny That’s Not Entirely Full Term

Mary (Hannah Lynch) isn’t up to much. Mostly, she loafs around and jerks off to hentai porn. When a new neighbor, Boo (Arlo Green), around her age, shows up, the antisocial underachiever befriends the socially awkward loner because he’s got tentacles on his dong. Turns out he’s probably an alien, as the title unsubtly suggests. And when she winds up preggo (also in the title), the pair turn to their mums to help them navigate this unusually goopy body horror scenario in Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant.

This synopsis might all make a bit more sense once you realize it comes from a director duo who go by the name “Thunderlips”. Their debut is low-budget B-movie schlock, more indebted to Troma and early Peter Jackson than to the sleek psychosexual dread of Cronenberg or the high-concept polish of The Substance. It stitches together a wholly different breed of body horror and pregnancy comedy, moving with the chaotic energy of a live-action hentai porn cum gross-out farce, proudly trashy and totally committed to its ooze-soaked vision.

The sicko creation from Thunderlips is one without much restraint. None of the characters have any boundaries, they’re all “jilling” off in front of each other or pulling out their tits whenever the occasion calls for it – or doesn’t. In the grand tradition of gross-out Kiwi horror (yes, Dead Alive is playing in the background at one point), Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant is slimy, silly, and awkward. It’s the kind of jokey body horror that lives in a different galaxy from the prestige seriousness that has come to define the genre. Case in point: the film drops the phrase “alien penis” at least a couple dozen times, and it never stops being delighted by itself.

Somewhere beneath the gunk, it turns into a nasty little satire about how humiliating and bureaucratic women’s health care can be, especially when it entails decisions about pregnancy. Even though Mary is impregnated by alien genitalia, she still can’t get an abortion no matter how hard she tries.

For some, the film may start to feel like a sketch stretched beyond its limits. The argument could be made that it runs out of material and ends up retreading the same terrain again and again. But its delights are undeniable — Mary’s overbearing but oddly supportive mum, Cynthia (Yvette Parsons), is always funny, its whole DIY sheen screams passion, and Lynch is a capable lead performer — even if there are also stretches where you’re not entirely convinced that Thunderlips had quite enough to power a feature-length runtime. Still, for those on its wavelength, this is a weirdly original creation, zapped with life and verve, made on the cheap with elbow grease and dedication. It’s fun, weird, and proudly its own vibe; a celebration of its B-movie roots, with all the goo that implies.

CONCLUSION: ‘Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant’ may not stick every landing, but it oozes enough charm, filth, and DIY spirit to earn its place in the Sundance midnight movie canon. Troma fans need apply.