Night 9: ‘Invasion of the Body Snatchers’ (1956)

This is part of the ’31 Nights of Horror Classics’ series, which I’ll be doing for Halloween 2017. Every night of this month, I’ll be watching a horror film made before the 90s and I’ll be posting a short review here.

What would you if the people you love most are not them anymore?

Doctor Miles (Kevin McCarthy) leads an ordinary and happy life in his small town. But after his patients and neighbors start displaying some odd behaviors, he is forced to discover a ghastly truth: they have been replaced by mysterious creatures.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers is the second film about aliens that makes it to my 31 Nights of Horror Classics. Compared to its predecessor –It Came from Outer Space-, it has a less optimistic view of what an alien invasion would entail for humanity.

In this version, the aliens are also emotionless creatures capable of imitating our appearance. But these beings take it even further, as they aim to replace all humanity.

Faced with this apocalyptic challenge, it’s interesting that the film chooses a Doctor as the main hero. Although he represents science and technology, it’s ultimately up to him to defend non-scientific things like emotion and faith against an external attack.

Much like It Came from Outer Space, this movie also presents emotion and individuality as the decisive human characteristics. The aliens follow a collective consciousness. They talk, move and act in the same way, with none of the variety that characterizes humankind. It’s uncomfortable and interesting to see, and it acquires an almost parasitical nature.

Unfortunately, one of the downsides of the film is that it’s hard to truly differentiate between humans and aliens, mostly due to the quality of the acting. And it’s especially noticeable in secondary characters, once they are under the spotlight.

On the other hand, the process used to hijack the humans’ identities is a little muddled. Is it through the bodies coming out of cocoons? What happens to the originals? Is it a parasite that activates during sleep?… It’s all a little too confusing.

However, the movie makes up for it to a certain degree. It does deliver some great moments of tension, and it has a wonderful ending that will leave you reeling.

Grade: 6/10. Enjoyable.

Scare Factor: low on the scares. High on the tension

Gore/Violence: a bit of violence. Not too graphic.

Nudity/Sexual Situations: none.

Previous Night: ‘The Wolf Man’ (41)

Next up: ‘The Black Cat’ (34)