Invasion of the Body Snatchers

What are Americans, individuals, and human-beings fearful of? This question could pose an array of answers. Everyone, regardless of their class or where their loyalties lie, has their own unique fears. However, as each individual has their own unique set of fears, belonging to a group also poses a new set of fears. Such as being a parent could lead to a fear of a child’s death. Almost all parents share the same unique fears. Just as fads change throughout time, fears do as well. With each day in age, individual fears tend to be encompassed in the modern fear of the time. For example, after the Great Depression the masses were fearful of banks, the federal government, and the idea of another economic depression. However, today most people trust the institution of banks as well as the federal government. Don Siegel’s 1956 horror/sci-fi film, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, is a prime example how individual fear mimics the fear of the masses.

In Invasion of the Body Snatchers, the main character, Dr. Miles Bennell tries to stop the spread of the terrifying pod people. Alien-like pods from outer space land in the small Californian town of Santa Mira. The pods hatch to near exact replicas of the town people. The pods then proceed to take over their bodies. In turn, the masses transform into emotionless bodies meandering through the town, people’s lives, and society.

Most critics argue that Don Siegel’s film is an allegory for either McCarthyism or Communism. It is hard to disagree with these interpretations. During the time that Invasion of the Body Snatchers was written and filmed, the Red Scare was sweeping the nation. The idea of Communism overruling Democracy haunted every red-blooded American’s mind. The president at the time, Andrew McCarthy, made it his political agenda to stop the spread of Communism in the United States. He did this by creating an intense fear for Communism. People were encouraged to turn over the names of American Communist to the HUAC. In turn the masses became terrified with either the thought of Communist in the United States or the chance that they may be tried as one. Neighbors turned against neighbors, co-workers against co-workers, and friends against friends.

The intensely growing fear of Communism and McCarthyism haunted American’s minds. In turn, they became fearful. Sure, people still had their own individual fears, such as death, sharks, or heights, but the masses shared the same fear of the Red Scare. While Don Siegel filmed Invasion of the Body Snatchers he did not necessarily intend for it to be a political allegory, but it certainly can be interpreted as that. According to Tim Dirks review, “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”, Dr. Miles Bennell is a symbol for McCarthy who undergoes an “heroic struggle of one helpless but determined man of conscience… to vainly combat and quell the deadly, indestructible threat.” The protagonist is McCarthy who battles against the antagonist, the idea of Communism. However in, “Invasion of the Body Snatchers A Tale for Our Times”, John W. Whitehead’s interprets it somewhat differently. He views the antagonist of the film to be McCarthy. “The mob hysteria, the sense of paranoia, the fascist police, the witch hunt atmosphere of the picture certainly mirrors the ills of McCarthy’s America.”

Regardless of whether the protagonist mimics McCarthyism or Communism, the basic principle is the same. The general public feared both ideas and therefore both can be seen in the film. Siegel did an excellent job in creating the “bad guy.” Sure, the literal antagonist of the film is the pods, but on a allegorical standpoint, he kept it vague. No where did he define who represents who; if the pod is an allegory for McCarthy or Communism. By doing so, more than one select group of people can be terrified.

Even in today’s world, Invasion of the Body Snatchers can be seen as terrifying piece of cinema. Not the Z-grade horror aspect of it, but once again from an allegorical standpoint. As a literal film, it can even be viewed as a bit cheesy. The more than obvious piano scores and the B-grade acting, would land the film on the back-burner for an Academy Award. However, to fit the films theme with modern day occurrences and fears seems to blend homogeneously. After the attack of the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001 the general fear at the time was terrorism. The thought of terrorism looming in the United States sent the masses into a frenzy. Automatically any American from Muslim descent was without an explanation declared a terrorist. Like in the film, the terrorist were seen as sneaky blending in with everyday people, converting them to their cause and in turn destroying democracy.

It is somewhat amazing to think that a film made in the 1950’s could be viewed as relevant to today. Invasion of the Body Snatchers could be relevant in any situation where there a small minority trying, or seemingly trying, to take over the majority. Don Siegel’s work is an excellent of example of how film can be used as a political allegory not only for the time that it was created but for decades to come. The central theme of fear allows the film to fright not only audiences in the 1950’s but also audiences in the twenty-first. Every human has fears, we have unique fears and we share other fears with the masses, to find a piece of cinema that can terrify in both aspects is a treasure in itself.



Works Cited

Dirks, Tom. “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.” 2007. 12 Oct. 2007. .


Whitehead, John W. “Invasion of the Body Snatchers A Tale For Our Times.” Gadfly Online. 2007. Gadfly Productions. 12 Oct. 2007. .