Invasion of the Body Snatchers: A breath-taking nightmare of an alien invasion

Everyone has probably had a nightmare, or a hidden fear, of the world changing inexplicably one day or of being the last person on the planet and being surrounded by zombies or aliens. What would happen if you were actually in such a circumstance? Or if you were leading up to this circumstance and had to survive, what would you do? This is exactly the fear which is played upon in Don Siegel’s 1956 film Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

The story begins with a psychiatrist rushing to a hospital where a man is yelling at the top of his voice. The psychiatrist agrees to listen to his story as the man, presumed to be insane, reveals himself to be a doctor by the name of Miles Bennell from a small town called Santa Mira. Miles had just returned from a long trip and was greeted by his nurse with the news of countless patients waiting for his counsel. Peculiarly, all the patients had recovered mysteriously and no longer required a doctor. Miles was then faced with complicated situations as people in his town claimed that their loved ones were no longer the same; that they looked and acted the same but were somehow emotionless. Miles paid no heed to their claims as his psychiatrist friend assured him that it was an epidemic mass hysteria and Miles himself was busy getting reacquainted with his lost love, Becky Driscoll. Soon Miles figured out that the claims were in fact true and that the town was in risk of being run over by alien beings and he had to try to save himself and the ones he loved.

The screenplay of the film was adapted from a 1954 novel called The Body Snatchers. It is a classic in the science fiction genre with very little need for special effects and a film which relies heavily on a brilliant plot. The film was made on an extremely small budget which goes to show that good quality need not have great effects and technology. Every second of the film is captivating and the film as a whole is absolutely enthralling.

Although the film does not fall typically under film noir, it has many elements of the genre. It lacks the theme of crime and a plot with revolves around it, but it does have the use of shadows and background scoring which can place it effectively under the film noir genre. The film also employs other interesting techniques like the Dutch angle which helps build the tension in the particular scenes, the iconic shot of two characters driving in a car – which is done from both sides of a 180 degree axis – and a background score which helps modulate the mood according to the setting of the scenes in the film.

The film is a thriller from start to finish. It is a well made horror film which you cannot peel your eyes, or ears, away from even for a few seconds. It captures its audience with a brilliant story, good performances and a very good production value. It definitely deserves to be considered among the list of the most iconic of films made in the sci-fi and horror genres.