A doctor learns that his small town has been taken over by alien
lookalikes that have replaced the entire population apart from him. HORROR/SCI-FI
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Invasion of the
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Invasion of the Body Snatchers is a timeless political allegory that also happens to be one of the best horror films of the 1950's. It was made during the red scare, where everyone and their neighbors were accusing each other of being communists. The fear was that communism would sweep through small-town America and destroy American values like happiness, decency, and love. Of course, that's certifiably insane, and a lot of careers were ruined because of it. But this film remains one of the few good things to come out of McCarthyism.
Dr. Miles Bennell (McCarthy) is a small-town general practitioner in the town of Santa Mira. He's reconnected with his old girlfriend Becky (Wynter) and is well-liked in the community. But when people start reporting that their family members aren't acting like themselves, Dr. Bennell uncovers a massive conspiracy of pod people who are slowly replacing everyone in town. And he and Becky are all that's left. It's surprisingly creepy, mostly due to the implications. There are few things scarier than being the only one not in on the joke, and this film pulls that off very well. The 1950's was pretty restrained in regards to film, with the Hays Code dictating America's cinematic well-being. Horror especially suffered, because you can't be scary when the rules say you aren't allowed to be. Invasion of the Body Snatchers pulled it off by exploiting the fears of everyone in the country, and showing us the worst case scenario of a world run by communists. It still holds up, because the fear of being replaced will always be in the back of our heads. |