Film: Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Invasion of the Body Snatchers

An allegory of Cold War fears which became an icon of cinematic science fiction.

For what is essentially a B-movie, Invasion of the Body Snatchers has thoroughbred credentials. It's directed by Don Siegel, who later went on to form a legendary partnership with Clint Eastwood (creating Dirty Harry, among other films), and co-written by an uncredited Sam Peckinpah (adapted from a novel by Jack Finney). It has become one of the most discussed science-fiction films ever, thanks not only to its superbly creepy atmospherics and an ending that is either downbeat or optimistic depending on which of the two cuts you happen to be watching, but also because of wildly differing interpretations as to its meaning. Is the invasion - which replaces humans with emotionless replicas - supposed to represent Communism or McCarthyism?

The 1978 remake is an off-kilter classic in its own right, making new points about the alienation of big-city life and culture; whereas, for his 1998 version, director Abel Ferrara relocated the action to a military base.