Vampiros de Almas

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 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.

I feel like I've seen so many movies with this kind of concept. People aren't themselves, something fishy is going on. Eventually, the evidence is too much to ignore but our main characters are already outnumbered by tens or hundreds. It's similar to the zombie genre except that here the "possessed" or "infected" ones act normal which is far more unnerving. This has to be one of the earliest and most effective versions of this kind of story.

It is legitimately creepy and has many memorable moments. Blank, "dead" bodies turning up out of nowhere. Alien pods giving birth to proto-humans. A convergence of strangers in the middle of town as if they all have telepathic powers. You begin to suspect people constantly, are they really on our side? Are our heroes being lured into a trap? Are they safe here? The build-up is excellent as well. People urgently seeking a doctor and then abruptly canceling and feeling much better. A boy terrified of his mother because she is not really his mother and then suddenly he is okay again. A woman swears that her uncle is no longer himself but can't quite prove it. Your imagination starts to fill in the gaps.

It's effective to show the main character flustered and babbling at the start. It contrasts greatly with how calm and reasonable he was only a few days ago as he recounts what happened. We figure that it must have taken something very disturbing to drive him to that level of mania. This builds our anticipation for finding out what he went through.

It's funny that the main actor's name is (Kevin) McCarthy. There are certainly parallels that could be drawn with the communism scare of the 1950s. Are we too suspicious about our neighbours? Are we becoming paranoid and seeing everyone as being against us? Or perhaps our freedom is being taken away and we are being forced to robotically follow traditional American values.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers wastes no time at 80min. It builds the way a good suspense/horror film should and the turn of events are satisfying. It isn't too predictable and it really had me on the edge of my seat, apprehensive about where the story was going and how it could possibly be resolved. Less is more and this movie only shows what it really needs to. It plants the seeds of fear in your mind and you do the rest.

'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!

Invasion of the Body Snatchers is the quintessential sci-fi film of the 50s, praying on the particular fears and paranoias of the time as well as more basic, instinctual phobias within each of us. The story is simple enough about a benevolent, intellectual doctor returning from vacation only to find that some weird, unexplainable feelings have been generated in the small town of Santa Mira. Some people say that relatives are not who they seem to be, despite being exact duplicates physically and mentally. This leads to one discovery to another for the good doctor, his girl, and two friends, and what we have through each discovery is one more piece to the puzzle that an alien presence is at work. What makes this film so successful is the pace and frantic mood it creates. We are caught up in Dr. Bennel's work, his fears and anxieties, his discoveries, and his uncovering of the truth. We feel confined, betrayed, and even suspicious of everything he encounters. Credit for this certainly must go to director Don Siegel and his outstanding ability to create this almost claustrophobic atmosphere, as well as to Kevin McCarthy who does an outstanding job playing the doctor. There are scenes in this film that live on long after viewing it...and the last one in particular has forever been etched into my mind. For a good fright, see Invasion of the Body Snatchers...They're here! They're here!