Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Splendid Sci-Fi picture which achieved tremendous and unexpected success on its appearance . Science Fiction and fantasy is presented in its most horrifying form . A genuinely frightening , chilling exercise in nightmare dislocation in which hideous creatures from outer space arrive on Earth with plans of conquest by means of pods and being based upon a novel by Jack Finney . There are not monsters only the residents of a town , as their wills , minds and bodies taken over by a weird form of life from outer space . This is the first adaptation , still very scary and creepy about a vintage novel deals with a little town residents who are being replaced by duplicates hatched from weird pods . It creates an altering the human behaviour in the new invaders . Meanwhile , a doctor (top-notch Kevin McCarthy as an angst-ridden medic) must protect his girlfriend (significant role for gorgeous Dana Wynter) and soon aware that pods from outer space are duplicating and menacing everyone there . The doctor may hold the means to avoid the extraterrestrial invasion as he discovers their friends are being taking over by cold human-duplicates , as one by one are turned into aliens . The mysterious epidemic from outer space is spread her friends and known people (Larry Gates , King Donovan , Carolyn Jones , Sam Peckinpah) and small California town people , everybody are being taken over by emotionless , cold behaving beings . The mysterious seeds from outer space are growing and destroying a little town at an alarming attack.

This scary Sci-Fi displays a tense screenplay based on Jack Finney novel titled ¨Body snatchers¨ that can be considered truly disturbing . Packs eerie suspense , chills , thrills , spectacular scenes , chilly events and pretty turns and twists . A ceaselessly inventive , ghastly rendition of the alien take-over paradigm , including a a nice built-in paranoia so well tuned for the times that some saw it a parable Communist Witch Hunts. The one and only post-McCarthy paranoid fantasy epic , where a small California town is infiltrated by pods from outer space that replace and replicate human beings . It profits from a winning and intense acting by Kevin McCarthy along with an enjoyable Dana Wynter ; furthermore , a perfect direction by maestro Donald Siegel who proved himself master of the eerie clutch at the base of one's spine . Appropriately exciting and frightening musical score by Carmen Dragon . Very good cinematography and evocatively eerie ambient , including appropriate production design . The motion picture was professionally directed by Donald Siegel . Director Siegel brought an entirely new approach to the Sci-Fi field . He filmed an excellent story and it has emerged as a cinema classic that brings astonishing nightmares . Lovers of the thriller/chiller should no miss this remarkable Sci-Fi , everybody will have fun being scared by this expertly crafted film .

Other versions about this known story are the following : 1978 new version , being one of few instances where a remake is an improvement on the original , directed by Philip Kauffman with Donald Sutherland , Brooke Adams and features cameos by Don Siegel and Kevin McCarthy from the original , realized with great originality in spite of being a remake concerning again about mysterious seeds duplicating people . And yet another inferior rendition in which the horror is diminished , being shot by Abel Ferrara(1994) that takes place in a military base in which turns out to be invested with pod people , starred by Forest Whitaker , Meg Tilly, Terry Kinney and Gabriella Anwar , it is regular version as is slow-paced with few jolts of horror . Lately recent version that results to be the least satisfactory titled ¨Invasion¨ with Daniel Craig, Nicole Kidman , Jeffrey Wright and directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel , this so-so take on , it takes advantage of the advances in FX , sound technology and some interesting visual effects . Rating : Better than average . Worthwhile watching .

A chilling motion picture, well directed by Don Sigel, with a script co-written by Daniel Mainwaring and (uncredited) Sam Peckinpah, based on the novel "The Body Snatchers" (aka "Sleep No More") by Jack Finney.

The excellent musical score is by Carmen Dragon. Kevin McCarthy and Dana Wynter head the cast of this four-star classic in which the inhabitants of a small California town are being replaced by alien look-alikes. The aliens come to Earth in the form of "seed pods" that burst open and spew out a foam which grows into human duplicates, complete with all the memories of the original. The best scene in the film takes place in a greenhouse where several alien pods burst open and disgorge the half-formed copies of the horrified humans.

A prologue, a new ending, and a voice over-narration were added after the film's initial release, to help the audience follow the strange plot. In the added scenes, the story opens with Kevin McCarthy being brought into a hospital, raving about alien invaders. Two doctors (Whit Bissell and Richard Deacon) listen to McCarthy's strange story, which the audience sees as a flashback. At the end of he movie the doctors are understandably skeptical about McCarthy's weird yarn, but an unexpected event lends credence to his story.

Many film reviewers criticize these added scenes as unnecessary, an unwise attempt to conclude the story with a happier ending. But these scenes serve a valuable purpose, increasing the viewers sympathy for McCarthy and his efforts to convince someone that mankind is in danger. The alleged "happier ending" does not establish that mankind will win the battle against the aliens. It simply implies a Chapter Two in this epic struggle. Mankind will have a fighting chance in the war, but the outcome is definitely open to debate.

The decision to make this fascinating novel into a noir thriller worked very well on its own merits as an "adventure" with mostly-implicit ideas as motivations; however, I believe the film could have been made into a dramatic work of unusual power, It is B/W, swift-paced, intelligently acted and unusually- well-directed by Don Siegel, with a literate script by Daniel Mainwaring. The project is also interesting and disturbing for a number of reasons. Jack Finney wrote a novel in the 1950s which some read as a loss of American individualism, and others as an attack on Cold-War mentality realpolitik. Whatever the wellsprings of this fine idea, Finney's story treated of "seeds from space"; the idea is that these came to Earth and have the power to reproduce themselves into any living thing's form, right down to its thought patterns, memories, etc. But of course they have no emotions--they are merely replicas, not the originals. A mass hysteria grips the town of Santa Mira, California, shortly after their secret arrival on our planet; and Dr. Miles Bennell is called home from a conference because a dozen people claim some relative or beloved friend is not who they were before. When this seems to die down, Miles has time to pursue old flame and lovely Becky Driscoll, now that both their divorces are final. But the problem does not disappear and cannot be explained away by a psychologist friend of Bennelle's, thoughtfully played by Larry Gates. Bennell and his friend Jack Belicec and his wife Teddie find a body on Jack's pool table; his wife think's it's an alien thing--to replace Jack. They three flee to Miles's house, and Bennell goes to get Becky--carrying her off into the night. The next day looks sunny and normal, except that they find huge seed pods in Bennell's greenhouse, turning into--something else. Or someone? The remainder of the film consists of Bennell trying to call for help, observing the distribution of seeds in trucks in the small town's center, being trapped in his office, overcoming two guards, fleeing, and losing Becky to the monsters, before he finally convinces authorities that he is not insane; this requires an accident--to a truck carrying giant seed pods, from Santa Mira. As Bennell, Kevin McCarthy is quite good if not ideal. Dana Wynter is classically good as Becky; King Donovan and Carolyn Jones are the Belicecs, she doing a great deal with little to work from. Ralph Dumke as the Police Chief and Virginia Christine as Becky's Aunt Wilma are also standouts. Others in the cast include Kenneth Patterson, Tom Fadden, Guy Rennie and Jean Willes as Bennell's nurse. The production values are all good, by my standards, but only the direction is outstanding, except for the special effects. Carmen Dragon supplied eerie music suitable to the action. The loss to the film occasioned by its being made as a frightening adventure can be gauged best perhaps by comparing the qualities of Raymond Chandler's The Little Sister with the enjoyable adventure-level film "Marlowe" made in the 1970s. What we have here is a taut and often moving entertainment; what we might have had could have contained every element here, but could also perhaps have been even more intriguing. The theme of the film is "what makes a person human"; and no stronger idea for an idea-level fantasy can perhaps be imagined. But what we have here is a famous and interesting thriller in its own right; I like the envelope involving Richard Deacon, Whitner Bissell and others as the doctors at a mental hospital to which a raving Bennell is taken when he escape Santa Mira's nightmare. The original "They're here!" ending to me would have been unacceptably alarmist.

'Invasion Of The Body Snatcher's is my favourite 1950s science fiction movie alongside 'Forbidden Planet'. Both are very different movies. 'Forbidden Planet' is arguably the first SF blockbuster, an intergalactic adventure, in colour, with a large budget and impressive special effects. 'Invasion Of The Body Snatcher's is a smaller movie, a low budget black and white paranoid thriller that is a classic of its type. Many subsequent movies have been influenced by this one, and there have been at least two remakes (Philip Kaufman, Abel Ferrara), but it still takes some beating! Director Don Siegel is best known for tough guy crime dramas like 'The Killers' and 'Dirty Harry', but shows his versatility with this extremely effective and disturbing horror story. The legendary Sam Peckinpah had an uncredited hand in the script, and (keep an eye open for) a small cameo as a meter reader. Kevin McCarthy is terrific as the small town doctor turned hero. His performance is excellent, and made him a legend to SF and horror fans everywhere (he reprises it briefly in Kaufman's excellent 1970s remake by the way). The lovely Dana Wynter leads a strong supporting cast, and buffs will get a particular kick out of seeing Carolyn Jones (a.k.a. Morticia Addams) and Whit Bissell. ('I Was A Teenage Werewolf', 'Creature From The Black Lagoon' and too many others to mention!) This movie has aged very well, much better than say, 'The Thing From Another World', and still stands as THE 1950s paranoid SF/horror movie. An absolute classic that I guarantee still packs a punch! Highly recommended!

A doctor comes to a hospital on a late night call to hear a man whom everybody else deems insane. The doctor persuades the man to be patient and tell his story. The man then tells the doctor about how a small California town has been invaded by some sort of alien seeds that grow into human clones...

Coming straight from the McCarthy era and general Cold War paranoia this is one scary movie. There is not a gun fired, not a drop of gore shed but the final effect of the film will stay with you for a good while. More contemporary film viewers might recognize the concept from John Carpenter's "The Thing" which itself was an update of the 1951 film. However, the themes of paranoia and tension are just as nail-biting and intense here.

There is a lack of visual punch that so many people are used to today, but just think of the historical context and the implications, basically use your mind! Then you'll see why the film scared studio executives so much that they forced Don Siegel to add an intro and outro to help soften the overall effect. It wasn't the best play in the book, but the film remains a great classic chiller. --- 9/10

Not Rated. It would most likely receive a PG from the MPAA, there are several tense moments, though no violence.