Friday, October 12, 2007

The Over Analyzed Movie

Any movie, piece of artwork, or work of fiction can be taken out of context and be made to be more than it was intended to be. Sometimes these people’s interpretations seem very believable, but many times these people have a personal or political agenda. These people want to prove their point or make their opinion seem like the right one. It is clear to see that the movie “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” was made to scare people and had no intention of containing hidden meanings of communism and McCarthyism.

This movie was made during the time of McCarthyism and communism, so naturally people read their point of view into the movie and thought that was what the movie was trying to say. People saw different meanings when they watched it. Some people thought “Siegel’s film addressed the dehumanization of individuals—a sensitive subject in an age filled with tales of political brainwashing of American soldiers by the Koreans” (Whitehead). Although the aliens did take over people’s bodies and mind, you have to sit back and wonder if this is what Don Siegel was trying to say. If Don Siegel had made the alien’s come to earth and brainwash the people themselves (similar to what was being done to the soilders)then it would be more believable that he made the movie about communism. Instead, Siegel made pods come to earth and make a replica of the person’s body and take over their lives, this concept is too veiled to be a picture of communism. Some interpretations of this movie are laughable, Tim Dirks said one of the themes could be “the spread of an unknown malignancy or virulent germ” (Dirks). This is a very far out interpretation because he is trying to compare the pods (something that takes away your body and makes you a different person) with a virulent germ (something that makes you sick), they don’t even compare. All these different crazy interpretations are just another reason to make you believe that Siegel did not make this about communism and McCarthyism.

I read many reviews and different interpretations of this movie before I saw it, so I was ready to watch this movie that was going to be full of many symbols of McCarthyism and communism. As I was watching I was looking really hard for these themes and couldn’t find one thing that related back to them. All the criticisms and reviews I read were blown way out of proportion. It seemed as if someone had too much time on their hands and decided to compare this movie with what was happening in real life around them. I could have watched the movie and said that Siegel was trying to relate this to 9/11 and terrorists taking over, or the pods being democrats and trying to make us one mindless politically correct town. These ideas are just as crazy as the ones relating McCarthyism to the movie. Siegel himself “denied an anti-Communist motive” (Whitehead). This proves he made the movie to be a horror movie and that is exactly what it will remain.

If you are watching this movie, and not trying to find some type of symbolism, it’s an enjoyable movie. Trying to put this movie in a certain genre is hard to do because it doesn’t fit into just one genre. It doesn’t really fit the bill as a horror film because there are no gory scenes. There are a couple of scary parts in the movie which qualifies it a little as a horror movie. It also has some sci-fi movie qualities in it like when the humans grow out of pods that have bubbles. I would put this movie in a genre called “Scary Scientific”. This is one of those movies that if you watched it home alone at two in the morning you would be kind of scared, but if you watched it with a group of friends you would probably get a good laugh out of it. Invasion of the Body Snatchers isn’t a waste of time to watch though, it might be a little cheesy and lack any type of special effects but it is what is expected from a movie in the 1950’s. I find it fun to watch movies that were made a long time ago because you see what the audience expected from a movie compared to what we watch now. You can tell by all the remakes that the main idea of the movie (pods taking over people’s bodies) makes for an interesting movie.

Works Cited:
Whitehead, John. “A TALE FOR OUR TIMES.”
Gadflyonline.com. 01 October 2007
http://www.gadflyonline.com/11-26- 01/film-snatchers.html.

Dirks, Tim. “Invasion of theBodySnatchers (1956).”
Filmsite.org 01 October 2007
http://www.filmsite.org/inva.html.

The Extremes of Fear: An Analysis of Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Now reviewed as a B-rate horror film, the 1956 movie, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, contains a plethora of fear symbolism. The movie depicts the mass panic that swept the nation during the Cold War with subtle references to both McCarthyism and Communism. Many critics try to focus it on one or the other, but in fact it is actually demonstrating the fear caused by both groups. The protagonist, Dr. Miles, and the antagonist, the pod people, are misinterpreted as heroes and villains. In reality, the pod people and Dr. Miles represent two opposite responses to fear; Dr. Miles being overly cautious and the pod people being to relaxed. Neither achieve a happy medium that understands that some things should be feared, but should not control there life style. Both attitudes have been reflected recently in history. The overly cautious Dr. Miles represents people’s attitude during the Cold War and the pod people illustrate desensitized version of our nation six years removed from the tragic incident of nine-eleven.
Fear can not be allowed to control ones life and that is exactly how Dr. Miles reacts to the pod peoples threat. His attempt to warn humanity of the impending alien takeover gains him the inaccurate title of hero, because his over cautious approach to fear is no more heroic than the pod people. Opening in a mental hospital, the doctor is ranting and raving about the aliens and the need to be wary. His tirade is very similar to a McCarthy follower who would have gotten all worked up about the threat of communist infiltrating the nation. Dr. Miles, finally slightly calmed down, gets to explain his story and tells the gentleman that he had just returned from a trip out of town. His opening monologue screams paranoia and fear. “As soon as I had arrived, I knew something was different. Something evil had taken possession of the town,” said Dr. Miles. As in the Cold War, neighbors would become suspicious of friends and co-workers almost entirely on a whim. As the story progresses, the doctor uncovers the pod people’s plot and as they grow in numbers so too does his fear. His panic grows to the point where he stops sleeping because he realizes that he is one of the last people not taken over by the pod people. This is just another example of how fear has completely altered him and his life style. At the end of his story, he is running down the interstate screaming, like a madman, that the aliens are coming to take over. Throughout the Cold War, people feared a nuclear threat that never surfaced and it altered there entire life just like Dr. Miles. People should let fear affect some decisions in there life; however, the doctor’s approach is far to extreme and life altering.
The pod people are the alien invaders that take over human’s minds and bodies as they sleep by forming copies of their victims in pods. While they are seemingly the same person, family members realize a subtle difference. “He looks the same, he has the same memories, and acts the same, but something is different.” This minute difference is that pod people show no emotion; they have become desensitized. At the doctor‘s office, a small child realizes the difference between his real mother and the pod impersonator and screams, “Don’t let her get me.” He is still fearful, yet when the pod people get a hold of him he is completely changed. His fear has completely disappeared because he ignores it. Expressing no emotion, the pod people rationalize that emotion is the cause of all the world’s problems and without it world peace would ensue. Jack, one of the doctor’s friends, stumbles upon his pod before it has taken his spot. The only difference is that he the pod has no distinct features such as finger prints. There lack of features is symbolic to there dehumanization because they lack passion. It is also another similarity to communism. To be a uniform emotionless society, most critics believe is symbolic to communist ideals, but it just an extreme way in dealing with fear. By dismissing the problem, it does not just disappear. Currently, we are debating, on a daily basis, whether or not to stay in Iraq and, just as the pod people, we hope that by pushing it aside and returning home it will simply go away. The problem with this philosophy is that no problem is ever solved by ignoring it.
While the black and white color might be a turn off to most modern day viewers, this movie still has a very relevant message for audiences today. Not only does it apply to fear, but to any emotion. It also sends a powerful message about finding a happy medium in any goal you strive to achieve. A majority of the time, extremes are never a positive. A skinny kid that does nothing, but sit around and play video games is hurting his body by not doing anything. A body builder that takes steroids is slowly destroying his body by trying to be too fit. Both these are extremes that have to do with taking care of yourself. So, if nothing else this movie gives a valuable life lesson in the way you go about trying to accomplish something.
Fear is a necessity of life. Some fear should be pushed aside like a child fearing the monster under the bed, but even animals experience fear to aid them in survival. To be completely fearless puts people in harms way. However, to let it completely control you causes the individual not live their own life. Since, both McCarthyism and Communism are apparent it is an injustice to specify this movie to just those two ideals. This movie is meant on a much broader scale of coping with fear. Dr. Miles and the pod people extreme approaches are both understandable approaches as proven with there application in history, but that does not make them appropriate. This movie’s message more than precedes its time.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers

“Something evil had taken position of the town,” Miles. Sea pods are not what someone would consider to be scary or a political allegory but in this particular movie Invasion of the Body Snatchers, they could be either. Since the movie was made in the 1950”s a ton of political innuendos are seen throughout this film but are they meant to be that or just a horror/sci-fi movie.
After reading the critics reports on the movie I have to say I fully agree with John Whitehead. When I first saw this movie and knowing information previously before watching it, I think john Whitehead really hit this one on the head. His Criticisms of the movie is fair analysis and it was very relevant to the movie. I know back in the 1950’s the scare of world domination and control of another country was a very big scare. This movie I think conveys that terror perfectly but just using a different metaphor. In his essay John Whitehead talks about his views of the people on cold war of the 50’s.The invention of the atomic bomb transformed the American people’s way of thinking about death. As John Whitehead as stated the fear of knowing there is something out there can could just destroy the whole world with just one blow had the people in hysterics. Before death was like a normal thing. People knew they were going to die inevitably and there was nothing anyone could do, but with this new horrifying invention hanging over their heads, a sense of fear rose and sent the American people into hiding. Another Criticisms I read was one by Tim Dirks. He stated how he thinks its just a movie. And that’s it. There is no real connection to McCarthyism, its just a horror/sci-fi movie.
After watching this horrible movie and reading the criticisms, I can definitely see where John Whitehead is coming from. When I first read his criticism, I was very confused and didn’t really know what to expect from this sea pod eating horror film. But now after watching it twice I can see the political allegory the director is trying to convey. Because of the fact it was made in the 1950’s, a time of fear and terror of the communist government overtaking the world, there can only be a connection with that theme and they American people. I don’t think this movie is just a horror/ sci-fi movie at all, it shows way too much characteristics of the theme of McCarthyism, to conform to the new “American way”. The sense of fear, not being able to trust anyone and the fascist police are all important parts in the movie. I don’t think they are making too much out of the McCarthyism theme. After reading up on McCarthyism, you can see that the movie conveys those types of fears. They fear about communist influence on American Institutions and spy’s of Soviet agents. The part in the movie that really stuck out to me as being a crucial part is when Miles and Becky escape and they are in the doctor’s office and the philologist and their friend Frank finds them and tells them they have to conform. To just go along with what everyone does and be satisfied with that new way of life. They want miles and Becky to like the new “American way” and to just let it go. This is a very similar theory that the anti- communistic people thought they way the solvates were conducting their mission. This movie may not have been meant to be about the fear of communism but it definitely is a metaphor of the McCarthyism view. The sea pods are the Russian soviets who are trying to change the American way and Miles and Becky are meant to be the American people trying to fight back. John Whitehead really goes into much detail and examination of this movie. I think sometimes John goes overboard with analyising this film. With reading all his full criticisms he was able to make a connection to almost everything with the anti-communistic way of thinking. I can see some of his points but a lot it I think is overblown. There is a point when I think this movie could have been just made to be a horror/sic-fi movie with the underground theme of McCarthyism and I think that’s what John Whitehead is trying to prove.
I definitely believe this movie is a political allegory but it does not relate to us today. People should absolutely see this classic movie but as far as relating it to us today it’s a theme of the past. Invasion of the Body Snatches was an exaggerated theme of McCarthyism and in a way it makes fun of the American people in the 50’s, I think we as Americans can look at this movie and laugh at the absurd way we thought of the Communistic governments. The American people have learned that the McCarthistic view was a little ridiculous and now we just look at it as good vs evil. After the scare of 9/11 there were some people who thought that going on a man-hunt for anyone who was of Arabic dissent would clear out all of the terrorism in the United States that is somewhat the view of McCarthyism, but it didn’t last long. I think our Situation today is unique and different from the past government scares we have had. I would like to think we have learned a lesson for the 1950’s and we can just grow on that.

"Invasion of the Body Snatchers": A Terror in Two Worlds

Invasion of the Body Snatchers is a sci-fi/horror film from 1956 set in Santa Mira, California. The movie begins with a hysterical local doctor Miles Bennell screaming of a mass invasion from outer space. Soon the doctor is calmed and tells his story by flashback. He tells the police and psychiatrists whom are restraining him that one day the town just wasn’t the same, as if it were taken over by something evil. Many of his patients come to him saying that their loved ones just aren’t the same anymore, that they are emotionless. Baffled by this thought, Dr. Bennell investigates by going to visit the estranged patients and also notices the differences in their personality, or lack thereof. With the help of his friend the scientist Jack Belicec, the two discover that these people are being taken over by plantlike pods that produce a replication of their victim’s body while the victim is asleep. The pod people work together to spread more pods throughout the city until everyone is replaced. Dr. Bennell, Belicec, and Becky Driscoll, Dr. Bennell’s sweetheart, work frantically to warn the FBI outside of Santa Mira but are unable to, and they are forced to get on the run. Meanwhile Jack Belicec’s body is taken over and Dr. Bennell and Becky Driscoll are left on their own, against the entire pod race. Becky is also taken over while on the run, leaving Dr. Bennell alone. Overcome with fear and trying to warn anyone he can, he runs into the highway screaming,”They’re here already! You’re Next!” This is the end of his story and we return to the insane asylum where his story is confirmed to the police and psychiatrists.

Critic John W. Whitehead reviewed Invasion of the Body Snatchers and argues that it is a political allegory of communism during the Cold War era. In 1956 when this movie was released, the idea of communism was in everyone’s mind, whether they were a follower or not. The Red Scare had swept the nation, causing everyone much fear of Soviet spies, nuclear warfare, and the possible communist takeover. Communism is a political system in which everything is owned by the government in an attempt to eliminate social classes and poverty. Although it sounds good on paper, it always ends with a dictatorship. With a dictatorship in place that means simple freedoms such as the right to own property are taken away, thus creating fear within all Americans. Whitehead says that the pod people very closely resemble the profile of the communist Russians in that they are “ice cold, outwardly peaceful but very authoritarian and emotionless. Many Americans even considered Russians a different species who, because of their disbelief in God, were soulless and wanted to destroy Americans or turn them into Communist clones.” (Whitehead) Another critic by the name Tim Dirks reviewed this movie and argued the same theme of nationwide paranoia due to the communist scare and its attempts of “numbing our individuality and emotional psyches through conformity and group-think.” (Dirks) There are several other ways to interpret this movie other than it being a political allegory, but it is hard to disagree with the above two criticisms. The terror present in Invasion of the Body Snatchers rivals that terror felt by the world during the communist reign of the Cold War.

Having read the criticisms from Whitehead and Dirks prior to watching Invasion of the Body Snatchers, I had a general overview of the plot and what to expect. Their reviews focused mainly on the parallels between the film and McCarthy’s America so that is what I tried to read deeply into while watching it. After watching the film I concluded that their reviews were very accurate with the McCarthyist theme. They describe the widespread fear of conformity and reduction of individuality, similarly to the terror felt by Dr. Bennell and Becky Driscoll. In contrast however, the pod people completely take over their victims, leaving them soulless and to do the bidding of their kind. Although the communists wish the same, to convert others to do their bidding, the victims are still left with a mind of their own but within communist boundaries. The two critics made excellent reviews and by no means did they read too far into the McCarthyist theme. Director Don Seigel says that Invasion of the Body Snatchers was not meant to be a political allegory, but it is very easily interpreted as so. The similarities of resistance from conformity are so strong in both the movie and in McCarthy’s America that it is hard to believe that Seigel did not intend the movie to be about the communist reign.

With this movie being a political allegory, it is not completely relevant to today’s world in that it is paralleled to the communism during the Cold War. However it is relevant in that communism and dictatorships still run strong in some countries. It is often said that history repeats itself, leaving us to think that perhaps one day another communist scare will occur. A similar scare has already occurred after the terrororist attacks on the United States on September 11th. A nationwide fear was sent down every American’s spine, and the government took quick action declaring war on Iraq. The government also interrogated many people as suspects of being involved in terrorism, similar to the McCarthy witch-hunts. Invasion of the Body Snatchers is not only a political allegory but is actually a very eerie and creepy sci-fi film, which is what makes a science fiction film what it is, and I recommend it if you’re into such films. The movie communicates the importance of individuality by showing the fear of having your body “snatched,” encouraging everyone to be unique in their own ways. Freedom is an excellent thing and should be used to its fullest, that’s why our government fights for it. Without it we might as well just be pod people.


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.

Defining History

Don Siegel’s, 1956 Invasion of the Body Snatchers was a classic science fiction/horror movie based on the plot that pods from outer space were taking over the small town of Santa Mira. This black and white movie scared many people due to its plot that mirrored Senator Joseph McCarthy’s fears of the spreading of communism and that the world would soon be taken over by communists and that everyone would suffer as a consequence; however, in the movie the people who were actually harmed felt no emotion, pain or love as if it was a better world. John Whitehead supports the view of McCarthyism in Invasion of the Body Snatchers, in his essay.

Whitehead states in his famous essay “A Cultural History of Horror” notes that the film, which pretended to scare viewers, actually comforted them. Audiences found the more understandable world depicted as being reassuring, even if such an understanding was only a monstrous plot or cover-up. “Joseph McCarthy and his anti-Communist banter used the same rationale” (whitehead essay). This comfort was shown in the movie by the people after being affected by the pod. Affected people felt no emotion, they could not love, cry, or be angry. They felt as if it was a perfect world. Becky, Dana Wynter, was frightened to go to sleep because she loved the doctor, Miles Bennell, yet once she was taken over; she believed everything was ok.

Tim Dirks reviews the movie stating that it was “very effective in eliciting horror with slow-building tension, even though there are no monsters (just indestructible plant-like pods), minimal special effects, no violence in the take-over of humans, and no deaths. The film had a few preliminary titles: Sleep No More, Better Off Dead, and They Came From Another World before the final choice was made” (Tim Dirks review). The movie was written so well that there was no need to add high quality special effects, people dying, and lots of violence.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers, in black and white is still interesting today. Although we have not repeated the days of Joseph McCarthy and his paranoia regarding the spread of communism, we have had our trends that could arguable mimic the plot of the movie. For example, the free loving sixties with rampant drug abuse could fit this bill or the money and cocaine addicted eighties might as well. In the late nineties, many thought that the Internet would provide a means of greater government control and intrusion into our lives.

Having read about McCarthyism and watched the movie, I agree that the movie was based on McCarthyism and its over the top fear of communism. McCarthyism is a term used to describe, “a period of intense anti Communism suspicion in the United States that lasted roughly from the late 1940s to the late 1950s”(wikipedia). Invasion of the Body Snatchers does seem to have been influenced by McCarthyism in many ways.

In Invasion of the Body Snatchers, everyone in the town but two innocent people have been taken over by pods that came from outer space. Of those taken over by the pods, they immediately felt safe and protected, they showed and felt no emotion, and everything was just simple and plain. Those who had not been taken over felt a sense of fear, they wanted to love and feel. During the height of McCarthyism, people were accused of being communist and were not accepted, as were those who had not been taken over by the pod. Those accused of communism lost everything: jobs, families, and many were taken to jail.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers is science fiction and horror but also has a sense of history due to the McCarthyism and its anti-communist references.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers is definitely a good movie and people should watch this film today. Its message is still relevant in that it shows how people deal with disastrous events. Just a few years ago we had national disaster with 9/11. There were real people being killed and real people killing; things like this do not just happen in movies. There are immoral people in this world and you never know when or where a disaster could happen again. We must always be prepared in this unpredictable world.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers shows unprepared people not knowing how to face the invasion of the pods and simply giving in, turning into a shell of a person with no fear or emotion. This movie is unquestionably science fiction, but it is good and I recommend it to everyone. I struggle watching black and white movies and I thought it was surprisingly good.

Overall I think many older people would enjoy this movie because they can connect easier with the McCarthyism theory due to their age and time; whereas younger audiences may not understand the history behind Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

Workscited

Dirks, Tim. “Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1956).” Rev. of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Invasion of the Body Snatchers. 2007. 12 Oct. 2007 http://www.filmsite.org/‌inva.html.

“McCarthyism.” Wikipedia. 9 Oct. 2007. 12 Oct. 2007 http://en.wikipedia.org/‌wiki/‌Mccarthyism.

Whitehead, John W. “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.” Rev. of A TALE FOR OUR TIMES. Gadfly Online. 2007. 12 Oct. 2007 http://www.gadflyonline.com/‌11-26-01/‌film-snatchers.html.

Thinking to Deep

Invasion of the Body snatchers, in my mind, was one of the great classic horror films of all time. Like most producers in the American film making industry they want their movies to be a hit. Most directors are looking for the chance to make one of the greatest movies ever in a particular genre and make millions. One of the easiest ways to make a movie a hit is to incorporate controversy. In the American society most people love to argue and always have to be right. Look at today’s ongoing war, the media cannot get enough of it. Some media stations bash the fact that America has engaged themselves in a war that some people call the second Vietnam, meaning that there is a lost cause. Even though these media stations bash the war they love the attention. Think about it, whenever there is a big story in the Middle East the media has to rush so they can get the first interview so that their rankings will go up and make more money. The same is true with the film industry. If you make a controversial movie then people will talk more about it and comment about it on the news. Doing this, your movie gets more attention even if it is being criticized; making more people interested in watching the movie so they too can see what the fuss is all about. As crazy as this idea sounds look at Michael Moore and most of his movies. Many people hate Michael’s theories and some like them. Michael has made his living off of controversial movies. Every time I see a Michael Moore movie add I want to puke because I think he really does not care about all of his political views. I think he is just trying to make money. Event though I may be wrong nonetheless his movies are extremely controversial. I think his movies are not very good or interesting. Take an article I read from Merissa Marr, she said that “Controversy has become a key ingredient of marketing Mr. Moore’s work, and the backers of “SiCKO” hope that the new movie will stir up emotions and help generate the kind of buzz that made his last movie, “Fahrenheit 9/11,” both a topic of national debate and an unprecedented blockbuster in the documentary genre” (Marr). The fact is he makes movies about things he knows are going to arouse people’s emotions. It is a genius plan. He makes a lot of his money because people want to interview him and ask him why he has to be so controversial.

I feel the director of the 1956 Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Don Siegel, did the exact same thing that Michael Moore is doing right now about political views in today’s society. Siegel knows that during his time period people were terrified about Communism. The fact that there could be a nuclear war scared the American public. Also people were terrified of the thought that they could be going to be accused of being communist because of McCarthyism. I think Siegel knew that if he made a controversial movie that was symbolic to the political problems of his time period he would not only make a lot of money but also have a hit movie.

The movie “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” was perfectly made. I think Siegel wanted to make the movie in a certain way so that people would think that he was referencing to communism and McCarthyism. In the review by Tim Dirks he says that the movie is “An allegory for Communism and McCarthyism; the traits of being “one of them” is being cold, unable to express emotion or closeness” (Dirk). Anyone during this time period who knew anything about communism knew that the main way to tell if you were a communist was if you were emotionless and coldhearted. Siegel knew that if he made the aliens in his movie all the same and emotionless and coldhearted that people would think he was referencing to communism. I just think that this was Siegel’s impression of being an alien. Another example is when everyone who has already been overtaken by the aliens meets at the center of the town early in the morning to get their instructions of what they have to do for the day. This could easily be mistaken for a reference to communism, but Siegel is smart. He knew that most of society knew that if you were communist everyone was basically the same and did everything the same as everyone else. Now in my opinion Siegel was trying to show that the aliens were not smart beings. He thought that they had to be told by the king alien what they had to do every day. No one has ever met an alien so everyone has their own interpretations of how aliens are. Siegel wanted to show the world his interpretation of how he thought an alien was. Now do not get me wrong. I think Siegel knew that his interpretations of aliens were very similar to that of communism, but he did not make his movie to be related to communism.

Every director’s dream is to make a movie so big that people will still be talking about it more than fifty years later. Siegel knew how to make his dream come true and he did it. He knew that making this movie was going to be very controversial. The fact that is was controversial made everyone talk about it and in doing this he became famous and more than fifty years after the movie was made I am writing a paper on it. Siegel accomplished what every director dreams of.

Work cited
By MERISSA MARRThe Wall Street JournalMay 18, 2007; Page B1. Physicians for a National Health Program29 E Madison Suite 602, Chicago, IL 60602. http://www.pnhp.org/news/2007/may/for_michael_moore_c.php
Dirks, Tom.”Invasion of the Body Snatchers.” 2007. 12 Oct. 2007

Invasion of the Body Snatchers - Essay 3

Invasion of the Body Snatchers – Essay 3


Dr. Miles Bennell sits in a stark white mental hospital, furiously rambling off details of the supposed alien invasion that has occurred in the quiet town of Santa Mira. He pleads with the doctor, “Make them listen to me before it’s too late!” Miles’ warning was not just the doctors in the psychiatric ward, but also a warning to the public, who, gripped by fear and panic, had become numb to death in the nuclear age. The 1956 film “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” is a commentary on the reality of death and accompanying hysteria that became prevalent in America after World War II.


Many critics argue that “Invasion of the Body Snatchers" is about Senator Joe McCarthy’s fanatical “witch hunts” against supposed Communists in the 1950s. This interpretation is often attributed to the frantic townspeople who are consumed by the fear that someone, or something, has possessed their relatives. Jimmy, a young boy in Santa Mira, is convinced that his mother isn’t really his mother at all. Hysterical and crying, Jimmy pleads with Miles, “Don’t let her get me!” When Dr. Kauffman and Miles discuss the recent occurrences in Santa Mira, Dr. Kauffman refers to the dozens of paranoid patients having been consumed by “an epidemic of mass hysteria.” Parallels to McCarthyism, which resulted in a frenzied search and the subsequent blacklisting of suspected Communists, can certainly be found in the film.


Critics also believe that “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” is an analysis of Communist Russia. Tim Dirks says that the movie’s “main theme was the alien dehumanization and take-over of an entire community… And it told of the heroic struggle of one helpless but determined man.” During the Red Scare, Communists were portrayed as heartless, emotionless, and cold, much like the pod people were. Those who fought against these forces were brave and heroic, similarly to Senator McCarthy was in his battle against Communism. Later in the film, Miles and Kauffman have this brief exchange, occurring after Kauffman has been taken over by a pod person.


Kauffman: “You’ll be born into an untroubled world.”
Miles: “Where everyone’s the same?”
Kauffman: “Exactly.”


This conversation demonstrates the belief that Communism was a force that removed all differences from a population, making them exactly the same. “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” presents an anti-Communist message, but this is not the only issue that the movie is commenting on.


While the arguments that “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” is about McCarthyism and Communism are valid, I think that the movie’s meaning has a greater scope. World War II exposed the reality of death that had not been fully grasped before that time. John W. Whitehead points out that the dropping of the atomic bombs at the end of WWII showed Americans that “…death was no longer a wispy, terrifying phantom that chose its victims at random but instead became a calculated, mechanical weapon that obliterated humanity en masse.” In “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”, the people of Santa Mira are virtually being killed off – the aliens take over their positions in society without explanation as to what happens to the peoples’ bodies. The concept that some foreign enemy could swoop in and destroy the masses became a pronounced fear for scores of Americans in the 50s.


Miles is the hero of the film, but he still brutally destroys several pods. The audience accepts his stabbing of a pod and the burning of several others without protest. Since Miles is the assumed ‘good guy’, it seems pretty harmless that he is killing the ‘bad guys’. Likewise, most Americans saw nothing wrong with the dropping of the atomic bombs or the death of millions of Axis soldiers because thei end result was to defend good from bad. Death was not always some haphazard happening, but it was a carefully planned and executed event. While Americans were fearful of this happening to them, they saluted it was a triumph when their enemies took heavy casualties. “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” depicts the numbing effect that World War II had on the American conscience.


The hysteria that occurred in the post-World War II years is reflected in “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”. Nuclear war was a concern for America during this time, and Miles even mentions it as a possibility for the appearance of the strange pods. When a bubbly pod begins to open Miles’ greenhouse, he remarks that, “Maybe the results of atomic radiation” have caused the pod to form. Critics at the University of Michigan call “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” “ a film that echoes cold war paranoia”, citing the assimilation of the townspeople into the society of pod people. Western democracies were afraid of Communism because it seemed to be a death of freedom; it was a form of government in which assimilation was not a choice but a requirement. “Invasion of the Body Snatchers’” scenes of mindless pod people gathering in the town center showed how many thought the Communist Party would operate.


“Invasion of the Body Snatchers" was first released more than fifty years ago, but it is still a relevant film today. World issues and politics have changed since 1956, but many of the fears and problems are the same. Threats of terrorism are just as real and dangerous as Communism, if not much more so. Fear is still prevalent today, and hysteria does exist on some levels. The United States even has different ‘threat levels’ that are raised and lowered according to global occurrences. A raised threat level tells us to be on guard and to be fearful. Even today, “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” can be seen as an interpretation of how desensitized our nation has become to the ideas of death and the fear we still show to the unfamiliar.


Works Cited:


“Promise of Science: Alien Life.” Science Fiction Film Site. 12 October 2007.
http://www.umich.edu/umfandsf/film/promise/alien_life.html


Whitehead, John W. “Invasion of the Body Snatchers: A Tale For Our Times.” Gadfly Online. http://www.gadflyonline.com/11-26- 01/film-snatchers.html


Dirks, Tim. “Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956).” Greatest Films. 2 October 2007. http://www.filmsite.org/inva.html

Invasion of the Body Snatchers

The 1956 movie Invasion of the Body Snatchers prompted many questions at the time of its release. Some said it was a statement on McCarthyism and the Red Scare in United States. Others interpreted it as being about the spread of a disease like AIDS. These all seem like quite a stretch to be read from the movie. While certain acts of the Pod People could lead either towards communism or McCarthyism, it does not seem to contain enough evidence to back this theory. I believe that true message of the film is the desensitization of American society. Is desensitization a good thing? Does it still apply to American society today?
The theory that the movie is a symbol of the Red Scare is not uncommon. People argue that the Pod People represent the McCarthyism view of communism. People arguing for this point do present some good evidence to back their theory; they present the parallel between the pod peoples’ soulless actions and the way the communists act as a single entity. The pod people also make public announcements like the communists (Dirk). Though there are pretty strong links between the Pod People and American perception of communism there is no link between the protagonist Miles and McCarthy.
The more believable interpretation of the film is that it is a statement of the dehumanization of people. The Pod People represent that future of what people will be, while Miles represents what people used to or should be. The concept of dehumanization or desensitization is stated fairly clearly towards the end of the movie when Miles tells Becky, the woman he loves, that “In my practice, I've seen how people have allowed their humanity to drain away. Only it happened slowly instead of all at once. They didn't seem to mind...All of us - a little bit - we harden our hearts, grow callous. Only when we have to fight to stay human do we realize how precious it is to us…” Since it is so specifically stated that this is a problem that the protagonist is especially concerned with and recognizes in the Pod People it is clear this is a significant message in the film.
This brings up the question of whether this can apply still today and if it is good or bad. First, let us approach the question of whether this can still apply to people nowadays. We must ask if this problem still presents itself in society. When we look at our society, we see a lot of things that should be disturbing to people, especially in the entertainment industry. We always see shows that present us with images like dead bodies or violence, but instead of being shocked or appalled by these images we take them simply as entertainment. We even find things that should be disturbing as funny; people find humor in some of the strangest places. This shows that the theme of this movie can still be related to society today.
Now, the question of whether this is a good or bad thing is much harder to clarify. Losing sensitivity can have its advantages in that people will not be as strongly hurt by bad things in their life, and will be more prepared to deal with adversity. However, the classical criticisms of desensitization cannot be ignored. It is commonly held that desensitization makes people numb to actions and events that are generally considered unacceptable, like violence, sexual promiscuity, and devaluation of human life. In this respect, the stance the film takes on desensitization is certainly a negative one. But it may not be necessarily true in the real world. We have to ask ourselves if being sensitive is truly the best way to live. If we were strongly affected by every bad or scary thing we saw we could not function effectively in the world we live in. To me this means that perhaps desensitization is not defiantly a good thing but a necessary change.
The main conflict, the struggle between Miles and the Pod People, represents the struggle of the good in America against the decline of feeling and sensitivity. Invasion of the Body Snatchers serves as a timeless warning to the modern world: we must protect our humanity, because it is the keystone of man’s uniqueness. While this message is one to be wary of we must also be able to find the prefect medium in order to function in our world. This is shown in the movie when Miles and Becky must act as the Pod People do in order to survive. Perhaps life would be easier if we did not feel but since life is not simple we have to live in a way that is both efficient and allows us to not lose our humanity.

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

Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Invasion of the Body Snatchers is a unique slice of 50’s entertainment. It’s a classic horror movie concerning the invasion of earth by enigmatic alien pods that can take the form of humans. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the movie and thought it was a wonderfully eerie yet cheesy at the same time. There have been several interpretations of the movie over the years but the first has got to be my favorite. The original Invasion of the Body Snatchers is a sci-fi horror flick that seems harmless enough but seems to draw the overblown opinion that it is an allegory for McCarthyism and the Red Scare. Several articles depict it thus, but I feel like it's just a classic thriller especially when compared to the world of today.
McCarthyism was widespread throughout the 50’s which was the time period that Invasion of the Body Snatchers was produced. McCarthyism is defined as an intense mass-hysteria involving communist suspicion and the subsequent blacklisting of anyone involved with communism. This is the proclaimed theme of Invasion of the Body Snatchers according to many critics. The movies’ critics claim to have strong evidence supporting their hypotheses but I believe otherwise. “In Body Snatchers, the pod people, who, like McCarthy and the other red-baiters, look like typical, fine upstanding Americans, search out rebels like Miles who refuse to conform to what has been newly defined as the "American Way"—just as McCarthy and HUAC destroyed the lives of those who refused to knuckle under to their directives. 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.”(Whitehead) This Observation by John W. Whitehead of Gadfly Online seems to paint the perfect picture of McCarthyism but to truly understand you need a general understanding of psychiatric thrillers like Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The film preys on the viewer’s minds and instills a feeling of paranoia, but this is a classic tactic of movie makers to create an audience pleasing atmosphere. Paranoia is even used in the films of today even if it doesn’t have such a profound impact.
Another concept to consider was the addition of an epilogue and prologue to the original movie. The prologue begins the film at the “end” so to speak painting you a picture of Dr. McCarthy (the main protagonist) in a hospital being accused of insanity over his insane tales then the movie really begins. The ending of the movie is also slightly altered. The original film ended with a panic stricken Dr. McCarthy screaming, “Look, you fools. You're in danger. Can't you see? They're after you. They're after all of us. Our wives, our children, everyone. They're here already. YOU'RE NEXT!”(Dirks) Thanks to the epilogue we are brought back to the hospital to find a vindicated Dr. McCarthy thanks to the slip-up of one of the pod people of the movie. The pod-person was found in a truck wreck covered in strange seed pods thus proving Dr. McCarthy right and the proper authorities are notified and the film ends on a happy note with the world being saved. Some people may say that this looks like a classic display of communism by stepping on the freedoms of the director, but to me it just seems like a good way of protecting the minds of America in a more innocent time period.
Horror movies today are all about the shock value and amount of gore they can fit into one to two hours of carnage. Paranoia is still a useful tool in the films of today but it isn’t the tool it used to be. Invasion of the Body Snatchers was created in a time where gore was not accepted and shock value was the use of a curse word or seeing a UFO silhouetted against the backdrop of the dusky sky. If you can watch Invasion of the Body Snatchers and apply it to the world of today you receive a simple, low-budget, b-movie horror flick that most people would find quite gratifying. America today may have a similar enemy today as it had in the 50’s i.e. terrorism, but today’s movie goers young and old are desensitized or comfortably numb to these concepts. Invasion of the Body Snatchers is just a classic example of early horror made purely for enjoyment.





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.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Popcorn in your hands steadily moves towards your lips until at the last moment you jump and the popcorn flies away to hit someone behind you. The movie Invasion of the Body Snatchers tries to show the American public the dangers of conformity in a time of fear. This movie released in 1956 was a sci-fi horror and seem to have parallels to an issue called McCarthyism.

The movie was set in a small town where everyone knows each other. The doctor of the town returns from a conference to find the town a bit strange. While the doctor was away at the conference some of the town’s residents are changed out with alien that have no emotions. The way the aliens change out the humans is with giant seed pods during the sleep of the unsuspecting human. His paranoia seems to subside after being proven wrong. When the alien invaders begin to change out him and his girlfriend, the two struggle to fight against the group of alien invaders. The movie was made around the height of the red scare in America.

The red scare was a belief that communism would lead to the destruction of the American democracy. The red scare was started by Senator Joseph McCarthy in series of hearings where the infamous senator accused individual of being communist. McCarthy was able to force Americans into groups of either with or against America. Even though the hearings by McCarthy lasted for a brief time some people lives could be ruined. A way to avoid McCarthy’s destructive power was to conform and help him find communist. The director of the movie, Don Siegel “saw the conflict between society and the individual as a perpetual one-more a metaphysical battle than a political one…the real enemy was, therefore, totalitarian conformity”(Whitehead 5).

The movie which in its time would have been a good movie to see with a date could be seen as a B+ movie. The special effects were few but well done and the dialog would be slightly above average. Someone from any generations could watch and enjoy this movie without knowing anything about McCarthyism but still see how the individual fights against conformity.

The movie seems to draw certain parallels at the time it was made to McCarthyism. The alien invaders had no emotions and McCarthy had said the Russians where cold and emotionalist. Also the aliens where a group forcibly changing everyone and McCarthy had changed public opinion to find anyone who was a communist supporter. Certainly McCarthy was scaring decent Americans who had an individual stance on communism into hiding just the way the doctor was forced to hide out in the cave towards the end of the film. The aliens were a group that had to have everyone changed in order to complete their goal and McCarthy was searching everywhere there was power to move people’s opinion. Since movies could be the best way to talk to the American public McCarthy attacked Hollywood aggressively.

McCarthy blacklist Hollywood writers, actors, and directors. “No more than 10 percent would be able to return to careers in Hollywood” (Georgakas). McCarthy had made a huge impact on the movie industry. McCarthy had really been able to deal out this damage only because people were conforming to his ideas without questioning them. With democracy the people are given a freedom to think and act according to their beliefs not the beliefs of the majority. Democracy is protection of the minority, but McCarthy was attacking the minority and no one thought otherwise. The alien invaders were hunting out the doctor and his girlfriend off the simple fact they wanted not to become an alien.

In society when someone gets a strong hold of the public’s opinion fear can be fabricated. McCarthy was belting out stories of how the Russians were bent on getting rid of the American democracy with the communist party. Much of what happens in times of fear and crises is people will give up certain freedom to feel safe. During the red scare Americans gave up the freedom to be associated with any type of political party. After the terrorist attacks on the world trade center Americans allowed the federal government to spy on anyone’s conversations over the telephone. Just as it was then in the 1950’s and today with the Patriot Act society bends to the will of few to protect them from a threat.

This movie stands as a fight against conforming to the will of the majority. Ether a threat far away in space or in the very town you live in the actions of the society hasn’t changed in fifty years. People need to realize that giving up their freedoms is no way to protect their selves from an alien attack.

Work Cited

Dan Georgakas, “The Hollywood Blacklist” Encyclopedia of the American Left (Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1992)

John Whitehead, “Invasion of the Body Snatchers: A Tale for Our Time” 2001

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. .

Body Snatchers

In the early 1950s, America had seen many new technological advances in society and in the military. These new advances put many people in fear of the unknown. “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” is a political allegory about communism and the wide-spread hysteria of the 1950s.

Don Seigel’s 1956 “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” is a perfect example of a political allegory. In almost every scene of the movie, there is an underlying theme of communism. This movie was made at a very fearful time in American history. A time where mass hysteria flooded the United States and where everyone had a fear of communism taking over America. This movie was produced shortly after the end of World War II. Following World War II, the atomic bomb and the Korean War, Americans were confused and neurotically preoccupied with the international political events- much like they are today. (Whitehead). Also the Cold War was beginning. All these events put most Americans in fear of what might happen or what could happen. This wide-spread fear was captured perfectly in this movie. In the opening scene we are introduced to this same fear when Dr. Miles Bennell says, “Something evil has taken possession of this town.” When Becky returns to town she tells Miles, “Coming home, I feel like a stranger in my own town.” This statement foreshadows the Pod take over of the town. The first character that we notice in the movie that is obviously a pod is the police officer. This symbolizes communism getting into the government. Once it takes over the government it can then take over the people. This is because in a communist government the government runs everything and pretty much tells people how to think, what to do, and how they should live. Everything about the pods are the same except they do not show any emotion; similar to Soviet soldiers. When asked by Dr. Miles what was going on in the town, Dr. Kauffman replied, “Epic mass hysteria.” “Worry about what’s going on in the world today.” Dr. Kauffman’s statement could just as well have been the thesis statement for this review. An example of the constant worry is displayed when the clock dings and Becky jumps and screams in fear. Another example is when the gas man was in the basement and Becky and Miles heard him down there and they were very frightened. They were paranoid about everything just as the American people were in that time period. The way the police officers walked and talked could easily been mistaken for the Soviet communist government and military during the late 1940s and early 1950s. In one scene, Miles and Becky were crouched below the window of a closet door and a policeman walked in very slowly and all one could see was the top of his head through the window. When I saw this scene I immediately thought of a communist government hunting someone who was a threat to them. One can see the resemblances between the local government of Santa Mira and a communist government. The government of Santa Mira forced the people to live just how the government wanted them to. The best example of communism in this movie is when all the people of Santa Mira gather on the corner of the street and get orders from the town officials over a loud speaker. Each person got seed pods to place all over the country. This is a direct representation of communist governments distributing rations to citizens of communist countries. Miles says, “It is a disease spreading throughout the whole country.” Similar to that of a communist government, the pods would not allow Miles and Becky to leave the town because they were a threat.

John W. Whitehead’s “A TALE FOR OUR TIMES” in an accurate criticism of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.” I agree with John Whitehead. “Body Snatchers” is not just a sci-fi/horror film. Not only does he find that communism is a major theme of this movie but also the wide-spread hysteria of the 1950s. Don Seigel’s 1956 classic “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” captured the ideology and politics of this time period perfectly (Whitehead). He also says that the new advances and new science findings contributed to the making of this movie. “Body Snatchers” brought respectively to the science fiction genre that emerged in post-war era, a genre that was exploding on screens around the country, partly due to the numerous post Roswell UFO sightings (Whitehead). The other view of the film is an allegory for communism and McCarthyism (Dirks). Contrary to Whitehead’s perspective of hysteria playing a role, Dirks feels that the film is more about the dehumanization of the human race. It is also interpreted as the numbing of our individuality and emotional psyches through conformity (Dirks). After watching the movie, Whitehead and Dirks made too much out of the McCarthyist themes.

This movie is relevant to today’s society and I would recommend watching it. This movie can be interpreted to fit any generation because of the fact that people tend to get scared when there is a war or a big event in the world. Today it fits in our society because of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the war on terrorism, and the anthrax scare. Just as Miles and Becky were paranoid about everything in the movie, many Americans today are paranoid because they think that every middle-eastern person is an American hating Islamic terrorist.

Whitehead, John. “A TALE FOR OUR TIMES.”
Gadflyonline.com. 01 October 2007
http://www.gadflyonline.com/11-26- 01/film-snatchers.html.

Dirks, Tim. “Invasion of theBodySnatchers (1956).”
Filmsite.org 01 October 2007
http://www.filmsite.org/inva.html.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Essay #3

The 1956 film Invasion of the Body Snatchers, is a film that critics have been analyzing and interpreting for many years. The main character is a small-town doctor in California named Miles Bennell. When he returns from a convention, he finds that a few people in the town have had instances where they don’t recognize their relatives anymore. They look and act the same, but they say there is just something different about them. It is later found out that alien pod plants are being planted and grow humans that replace people’s bodies when they go to sleep. When the people wake up they realize what has happened and enjoy it. They then try to recruit more people. Dr. Miles Bennell is the only person who is trying to fight against the pod plants, and save the Earth from being dehumanized. When first watching the film, I was going to argue it was a B-grade sci-fi/horror film, but by the end of watching the film and reading some research, I decided it is definitely a politically charged film. Although Invasion of the Body Snatchers has been a film of much discussion throughout the years, I believe it is a perfect example of Communism.

The essay written by John Whitehead explains many of the different theories and arguments, like Communism and McCarthyism that have come from Invasion of the Body Snatchers. He talks about how people have interpreted the movie in a variety of ways. Some of them seemed legitimate while others seemed ridiculous, such as the spreading of AIDS. During the Cold War, many people were worried about the atomic bomb and feared death. This lead to the threat of the communism, which scared many Americans that the government might take away simple freedoms. The essay by Tim Dirks explains the film the same way, as an allegory for Communism and McCarthyism. Communism is defined as, “a theory or system of social organized based on the holding of all property in common, actual ownership being ascribed to the community as a whole or to the state” (dictionary.com). I believe this is a perfect definition for Invasion of the Body Snatchers because all the people are in common after being taking over by the pod plants. McCarthyism is described as, “the practice of making accusations of disloyalty, especially of pro-Communism activity, in many instances unsupported by proof or based on slight, doubtful, or irreverent evidence” (dictionary.com). I don’t think McCarthyism explains the movie as well as Communism because McCarthyism is described as the accusation of disloyalty, whereas Communism described a common social organization.

After reading these essays and then watching the movies, my expectations were mostly met. At the beginning of the film, I couldn’t really see the political aspects. I just saw it as a B-grade sci-fi/horror film. It wasn’t until the end of the film when Dr. Miles Bennell is running wild through the road screaming, “Look! You fools! You’re in danger! Can’t you see? They’re after you! They’re after all of us! Our wives…our children…they’re here already! You’re next” (McCarthy), I started thinking as the film as a political allegory. That line makes it sound like he is warning people that the communists are already there and taking over people, so to watch out because they will be taken over next. It happens to them while they are asleep. It is like they are unconscious and don’t know what is happening to them. He says that they can’t do anything about it, because it is almost like they are brainwashed. Once they are brainwashed, they enjoy what has happened to them. While some of the thoughts that were discussed in the reviews seemed overblown, I think that particular one is reasonable.

I don’t think this film is relevant to people today. There was the scare after September 11 pertaining to all the new rules stated in The Patriot Act, but it doesn’t seem to me like the same loss of freedom as they are speaking of in the movie. The earlier issues seemed to deal more with dehumanizing people and having a monotone society, whereas The Patriot Act is theoretically safety precautions, and today we are more diverse than ever. The Patriot Act has the potential to violate civil liberties, whereas the Invasion of the Body Snatchers involves the loss of people’s thoughts and identity. I think people today should watch this movie for fun, but not as a political allegory. It had an interesting plot line, and it was also pretty humorous. The fact that there were no special effects and the acting was horrible, definitely classified the movie for people today as a B-grade sci-fi/horror film that they should just watch for pleasure. People could also watch it as maybe learning some of the political views of the time or if they are interested in that time period. They shouldn’t watch it expecting the movie to be relevant to political views today.

Works Cited
dictionary.com. 10 October 2007 .
dictionary.com. 2007. 10 October 2007 .
Dirks, Tim. Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1956). 1996-2007. .
Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Dir. Don Siegel. Perf. Kevin McCarthy. 1956.
Whitehead, John W. Gadfly Online . 1998-2007. .

Body Snatchers

In the movie “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” there are many parallels drawn to the idea of McCarthyism, these similarities I feel are made out to be much more than they are worth in that to enjoy this classic sci-fi thriller, there is no requirement of understanding McCarthyism. While this movie might have an underlying theme that suggests a double reading to the movie, I feel that the critics are reading too much into this movie and that while there are hints of McCarthyist actions in the movie, overall this is a classic black and white horror film.


“Invasion of the Body Snatchers” is perceived through the eyes of most critics as a metaphor for the Cold War and the threat of communism that plagued the world in the 1950’s. During this time of international scare there arose a term for this terror that had spread across the world, McCarthyism. This term was coined by US Senator Joseph McCarthy and stuck in the minds of Americans as the threat of communism increased. Most critics that watch and analyze “Invasion” see it as a movie based on the terror that was plaguing the world. ““Body Snatchers” invokes at least a double reading. It was both a mirror of a particular moment in history and a compass indicating the symptoms of a growing societal illness”(Whitehead). John Whitehead sees this film purely as a representation of the way society was during the Cold War as well as the terror that was apparent in the lives of people around the world. Whitehead relates the communist scare during the Cold War to the invasion of the “pod people” in the movie. He sees the pod people as an organization from far away intent on destroying the ideals of a normal society and turning the world into a cold, emotionless abyss.


I believe that this movie, being perceived by most as a representation of communism and the world as it was during the Cold War, is made out to be much more than it truly is. While Whitehead and other critics make valid arguments as to why “Invasion” should be watched as a double reading, I believe that this movie is merely a great movie. It depicts the human race being taken over by pod people; people bred as emotionless, somber people, just like the scare that swept through America as the threat of communism increased. The only reason that this movie is seen as a representation of American society during the Cold War is because the movie was produced in the 1950’s. If this movie had been created during any other time in American history, people would still draw parallels to some event in history, however the movie would be more famous for the amazing film that it is as opposed to being known for its double reading.


While the movie may invoke a double reading to some critics, I believe that this movie is simply a classic movie. This 1956 black and white classic is full of the essentials to any great film. Not only is this one of the all time great black and white films, but also this movie was shot in only 23 days and is still one of the most respected films of the 1950’s (Whitehead). This movie was shot with no special effects and the cast had a mere five weeks to rehearse and film the movie in its entirety. “Invasion” not only has a great cast but also includes a great plot full of ups and downs that the movie watcher never sees coming. The movie takes you on wild chase as Dr. Miles Bennell tries to prevent the town of Santa Mira, California from being overtaken by pod people. He and his mistress Becky are sent throughout the town attempting to save as many people as they can from becoming pod people while avoiding the clutches of the pod people at the same time. This movie, although it is marked with the representations of the Cold War, will always be one of the greatest black and white sci-fi films of all time.
I believe that even though critics see the movie “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” as a double reading into American society during the Cold War, this movie is relevant to today’s generation because of the impact the movie has had on society. This movie has been influential not only as one of the greatest sci-fi thrillers of all time but also as an insight into how the world once was. It was relevant to American society when the movie was first produced because it showed how the conflict with the communists was being perceived. “Invasion” not only showed American society how their conflict was being displayed but also revealed, like the destruction of the pod people, that the threat of communism would soon be eradicated as well. I feel that this movie was relevant to American society, as the movie relates to the Cold War, when this movie was produced. I feel that the only relevance that this movie has in the lives of people today is its importance as a classic black and white film. I feel that this movie should be shown today as insight into how truly great films once were. “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” is a truly great black and white sci-fi horror film that is wrongly portrayed as a representation of American society during the Cold War.

Review of the Invasion of the Body Snatchers

The fear of communism is a prominent theme in the classic 1954 film the Invasion of the Body Snatchers. This classic film was made during the cold war era when a rising fear of hidden communism began to sprout up within the United States. When this rising fear is closely similar to the theme of the Invasion of the Body Snatchers in which people are silently being replaced with unemotional and unfeeling replicas of themselves as they sleep. Communism is defined as 1A) a theory advocating elimination of private property 1B) a totalitarian system of government in which a single authoritarian party controls state-owned means of production with the professed aim of establishing a stateless society. In the Invasion of the Body Snatchers Dr. Miles Bennell, the main character of the film is a local doctor that begins to realize the silent takeover of the pod people and tries to thwart their takeover of his town. The doctor fights for his freedom to do as he pleases and his ability to love and be loved. In a communist country the citizens lose all sense of individuality as well as their basic freedoms and rights. In the movie this dehumanization is known as being “one of them” or being unable to express emotion or closeness.

Tim Dirks review of the Invasion of the Body Snatchers is mostly a background check of how the movie was made along with the original dialogue and then the added prologue and epilogue test. Dirks does give the themes and descriptions of this movie and its three remake counterparts. Dirk views the theme of the movies as a battle between group think (communism) and individualism.(Dirks) In my opinion I personally do not see Dirks review of the movie as in depth as Whiteheads where he covers theories, ideas and other peoples reviews of the movie as well. Dirks does not in my mind give his own theory or reasoning for the making of the movie. I do agree with Dirks idea of the theme being a type of allegory between Communism and McCarthyism.

John Whitehead’s review of the Invasion of the Body Snatchers “A Tale for Our Times” tells of how he thinks this movie parallels largely to communism and McCarthyism. His article also compares the movie to mob hysteria and fear of aliens due to space exploration. In his article Whitehead describes the Russians as “ice cold, outwardly peaceful but very authoritarian and emotionless” this description fits the pod people of the movie almost hand in hand, which shows that the idea of the movie was in fact based to compare and scare people of the communist U.S.S.R. (Whitehead) I agree with Whitehead where he states that people in the United States feared the communist country U.S.S.R. largely in part to the development of the atomic bomb and its ability to obliterate humanity in the masses. I disagree with some of the theories that this movie was about a widespread breakout of AIDS or that it is solely about invading aliens .Despite how this movies theme was derived this movie is what it is a movie and I believe the message it sends and the criticism it has received is extremely overblown.

This film probably would not appeal to most audiences today but the message it sends could be related between the Cold War hysteria between the United States and the U.S.S.R. to today’s tension between the United States and Iran who is a rising nuclear power. Audiences today have the ability to watch three or four different versions of this movie so if this black and white version of a sci-fi thriller does not fit their taste they have a few newer versions to choose from. In my personal opinion I enjoyed the movie and each scene kept me on my toes wondering what would take place in the next scene. I also think this movie can help us remember to be individuals and remind us not to conform to others people’s actions or beliefs.


Works Cited

Dirks, Tim. “Invasion of the Body Snatchers(1956).” 1996-2007. 7 October 2007 www.filmsite.org/inva.html

Whitehead, John W. “’Invasion of the Body Snatchers’—A Tale for Our Times.” Gadfly Online. November 2001. 4 October 2007 www.gadflyonline.com/11-26-01/film-snatchers.html
Jeffrey Aycock
Review of the Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Is Joseph McCarthy crazy for railing against communism in the 1950’s? Is Dr. Miles Bonnell crazy for trying to warn people about the seed pods and their taking over of human being’s bodies and lives? Are these two people one in the same? Is the movie “The Invasion of the Body Snatchers” telling the story of Joseph McCarthy?
The movie, “The Invasion of the Body Snatchers” could be simply a very good science-fiction movie made in the 1950’s. Many film critics proclaim “that this movie is a thrilling; disturbing classic science-fiction/ alien film from veteran producer Walter Wanger.” (Tim Dirks) Some people interpret this movie as an example of McCarthyism or “paranoia toward the spread of a harmful ideology such as socialistic communism.” (Tim Dirk) Another interpretation of the movie is the “numbing of our individuality and emotional psyches through conformity and group thinking.”(Tim Dirks) I believe that the movie is an analogy of what Joseph McCarthy was trying to convey to the American public in the 1950’s, which was communism is here and we must stop it.
In the 1950s Joseph McCarthy was a Wisconsin senator that was not well known and wanted his name to get out to the public so that they would know who he was. Joseph McCarthy asked his friends how to get his name known and they suggest that he should take an anti-communist stand. So in 1950, to get his name out there he decided that he would try and tell everyone that there was communist in our country and that we need to do something about this. McCarthy produced documents that contained a list of known communists working for the state department. He actions made a lot of people in Hollywood lose their jobs because of their supposed association with communism.(Wikipedia) McCarthy was telling the public that some people in the movie industry were putting communist messages in the movies that were being produced. McCarthy is most famous for this quote “I have here in my hand a list of 57 people that were known to the Secretary of State as being members of the Communist Party, and who, nevertheless, are still working and shaping the policy of the State Department.” Even though he did sound as though he was trying to help the country by educating them about the advancement of Communism right before their eyes, many believed he was doing all of this more for himself and his ultimate goal of increasing his name recognition rather than trying to stop communism.(Wikipedia)
In the movie “The invasion of the body snatchers” was Dr. Miles Bonnell playing the role of Joseph McCarthy? Dr. Miles Bonnell was trying to warn people that the seed pods were not good and the authorities needed to do something about them. The people would not listen to Dr. Bonnell. The local authorities and doctors that he was telling his story to were calling him crazy and thought he was telling them a nightmare of some sort. They refused to believe his irrational fears of the coming problem. Not until a complete stranger came into the hospital emergency room where Dr. Miles Bonnell was being questioned and began telling the authorities what had happened and what he had just seen involving the seed pods did they believe Dr. Miles. This is very similar to what happened in the 1950’s with Joseph McCarthy when he tried to warn people that there were communist in our country. Even though McCarthy had told people that there were communist in our country and produced lists of these names, many people did not believe him and were very skeptical of his message. History and the release of classified documents years later would verify many of his concerns to be true.
In this movie communism was represented by the seed pods or the people who were transformed from them. I say this because communism is when a society has no control over what they do, what they say, or how they live their lives. Their world is socialistic and controlled by the government. In the movie the seed pods are described as dehumanizing and eventually will take over of an entire community. The seed pods are essentially robots of people that have no emotion, don’t think for themselves, and are told what to do. That is again is essentially what Communism is. It is the government telling everyone what to do, when to do it, and how to live your life. For example in the movie when the Doctor looks out the window in the morning to see what is going on and sees way to much activity for that time of day. He watches as the body snatchers gather and grab seed pods out of the trucks that arrive there. This is a great example of how it is related to communism, because the body snatchers were TOLD by someone that they had to go and grab the seed pods out of the truck and they had to listen and do it.
In the 1950’s McCarthy was trying to tell the United States that communist were in our country and that we needed to do something about it and to stop it. Joseph McCarthy shocked the United States with wild stories about the coming of communism. In the movie Dr. Miles Bonnell shocked the local authorities with wild stories of the coming of the seed pods. I believe that the movie “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” has a direct correlation to the actions of Joseph McCarthy in the 1950’s and the coming of Communism. McCarthy was a “crazy man” trying to spread the word about communism in the United States.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers

In Tim Dirks’ article about the movie, he says the movie, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, is “open to varying interpretations, including paranoia toward the spread of harmful ideology such as socialistic Communism, or the sweeping mass hysteria of McCarthyism in the 1950s and blacklisting of Hollywood, the spread of an unknown malignancy or virulent germ, or the numbering of our individuality and emotional psyches through conformity and group-think” (Dirks 2). This quotation demonstrates how in Dirks’ review of the movie he does not give a main argument to the meaning of the movie. At one point he states that the main theme is communism but he does not state any arguments as to why communism is the main theme over any of the other ideas that he mentioned in his article. Instead, in his review Dirks’ first talks about the plot of the movie and then enters into the epilogue and prologue of the story. In the prologue of his article he gives the basic ending. He does not go into full detail as to how the movie ended instead he states a quote that shows the reader what situation he is in and then states how they discovered that Miles, the main character of the movie who ends up being the only man to escape, is not psychotic. In his epilogue, Dirks’ starts from the beginning of the movie when Miles returns home to close to the end of the movie when Miles has discovered the about these pod creatures and is trying to escape from them. In Dirks’ epilogue and prologue he does a good job of not only telling the actions of the movie but also using quotes to support and follow his writing. This is Dirks’ best quality of the review; how he told the story. Dirks’ review was poor in anglicizing the purpose of the movie unlike the other review we read by John Whitehead. John Whitehead’s article goes into detail about each possibility of meaning for the movie. Whitehead also makes connections to the American timeline. He speaks about the events surrounding the time this movie came out and then relates it to the nine-eleven. Whitehead also differentiates from Dirks’ by giving only an overview of the movie while continuing on about metaphors. In my opinion I enjoyed Whitehead’s article more than Dirks’ because Whitehead told me about the overview of the movie so I knew what was happening but spoke more about the possible meanings of the movie. Whitehead’s review allowed me to know going into the movie what were the meanings and why people believed them which helped me form my own ideas while watching the movie.

After reading the reviews and seeing the movie, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, for myself, I believe that the movie has a double-meaning of being a science fiction movie while demonstrating America’s lifestyle during this time as a fear of communism. The movie came out as a science fiction horror film. It was then that people began trying to explain the metaphors of the movie. Many tied it to communism as the director saw it as a “conflict between society and individualism” (Whitehead 5). However, both of the reviews that we read believe that the movie has some communist connection while the director’s idea can be tied to communism. The movie displayed a sense of “loss of individualism” and paranoia. Both of these communist traits are true. Each person was losing their individuality as the pod creature took over them. The pod was an alien creature hatched out of a shell-like form. This pod was created into the human it was replacing. It would become the exact replica of the human except now the human would not have any emotions. The pod people were just trying to survive. The loss of emotion stood for the loss of their individuality. Now the people were all the same just different on the outside. As Whitehead states, “without freedom of thought people are vegetables” (Whitehead 5). This quote shows how that each person now was just like a vegetable because it is dead on the inside. Paranoia was the other main characteristic of the communist idea and the movie. The movie displayed the paranoia of the people as they found out that there was something different happening to the town and as people were changing. Paranoia was also happening during this time to the American people as they realized that communism was a threat. Some people were changing towards communism as others fought against it. Another similarity to communism was a scene in the movie when the pods were being delivered and the whole town came to the town square to hear orders for the day. This scene demonstrated to me the communist connection to the movie. The uniformity of the town and the control of one individual allowed me to make my opinions of the movie and unravel the metaphors of the movie.

Invasions of the Body Snatchers is a science fiction horror film that can be relevant to us today. It can in the sense that although there is not the threat of communism or McCarthyism there are still threats of one losing their individuality. There are also still threats of one taking over America; Attack on the World Trade Center as an example. I think it is good for audiences today to watch this movie because not only does it satisfy ones entertainment but it also shows the viewer the threats around us. It also teaches the viewer the importance of individuality. This movie contains many different ideas and morals through an amusing and unique plot.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Invasion of the Body Snatchers

One may think Invasion of the Body Snatchers is based on Communist or McCarthyism, but I believe the whole thing is a conspiracy of the pod people. I think the pod people are trying to take of the town, and are forming a conspiracy.
I do not think this movie shows McCarthyism, because I do not think there is any form of heroism in the movie. I think the pod people are wrong and do not show any sings or hero qualities. I do not see how the movie has anything to do with Communism either, because I do not feel that the pod people are trying to compete with the people of the town. I think the pod people are forming a conspiracy to take over the whole population.
When this movie was first released it was reviewed as a horror/si-fi film. It is known as a “classic” film. I do not see the movie as a “really” scary movie, or a si-fi film. I think today movies are a different kind of scary. When I think of a scary movie I think of movies like The Ring. I know things were a lot different when this movie came out, but I do not think it was too scary to be shown.
The original script of Invasion of the Body Snatchers did not start out the way it was released, and the one we saw. In the original, the beginning did not show the doctor, but in the revised one they added the doctor in the beginning to show he survived the pod people. I do not see how adding that part was so significant in changing the movie in making it not seem as scary as it was.
I would not tell people to watch this movie today, but I do think it is a classic movie. I do not think the movie shows McCarthyism, I believe it is a thing of the past. When I watched the movie, I thought the pod people were trying to corrupt the town and make a conspiracy. I do not think it is related to communism, because even though the pod people are trying to make everyone into one of them, I do not see that as communism. I do not think you can classify Invasion of the body Snatchers as just a horror or a si-fi film. Today it would not be considered a horror film. When I think of a horror film or si-fi film I think of a scary true story, for example The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Even though the movie gives the vibe of a dark scary movie, I do not see it as scary. It is filmed in black and white and most of the scenes are set at night. In the movie, the way you are attacked by the pod people is by falling asleep. Once you fall asleep, you are doomed. The pod people come into your house and take over your body. At the beginning of the movie, the doctor returns to town, and his nurse lets him know that there have been a lot of patients needing to see him because something is wrong.
Overall I thought this movie did not relate to McCarthyism or communism. I do not think it should be considered a classic horror film even though to some people it is. I think the pod people were forming a conspiracy in the town and one way the movie could have been better in my opinion is if they would have taken over. I do not want to watch this movie again, but I would tell someone else to watch it and have an open mind about it.

“Invasion of the Body Snatchers” from a Younger Generation’s Point of View

In my opinion, movies are for entertainment. The movie audience likes to be scared, thrilled, mesmerized, laughing hysterically, or crying uncontrollably at what is being projected on the screen. When I go to a movie, I am simply there for enjoyment. Despite reviews that suggest a deeper meaning, I find “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” to be an entertaining horror flick.



By today’s standards, the simplicity of this movie would turn off the young viewers even though Dr. Bennell’s message can be applied in today’s society. The substance of the movie lies in the following quote from Dr. Bennell. After reading it, it is easy to determine that his message in this movie can intersect any point in time.
“In my practice, I’ve seen how people have allowed their humanity to drain away. Only it happened slowly instead of all at once. They didn’t seem to mind. .All of us—a little bit—we harden our hearts, grow callous. Only when we have to fight to stay human do we realize how precious it is to us, how dear.” (Dirks 5)


There have been numerous critical reviews of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.” This essay will take a look at two of these reviews, one by Whitehead and the other by Dirks. These reviews suggest a parallel message of Communism and McCarthyism that today’s youth would find difficult to relate to.


“Invasion of the Body Snatchers” was filmed in the 1950’s during the height of the “Communist witch hunt” led by Senator Joseph McCarthy. McCarthy’s “Committee on Un-American Activities” saw Communists under every rock and around every corner. No individual or segment of our society could escape the McCarthy mentality sweeping across the country during this era. Free-thinking individuals were the hardest hit. The movie industry, and in particular, the Hollywood establishment, felt the wrath of “McCarthyism.” Hollywood was in shock and shambles after film industry personnel were sent to jail and black-listed as being Communist. Actors, writers, directors, and other members of the film industry were asked to sign loyalty oaths swearing they were not Communist sympathizers. If they refused to sign such an oath, for whatever reason, their lives were destroyed. (Whitehead 1)


John W. Whitehead’s article, “A Tale for Our Times,” states that “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” “captures the ideology and politics of this timeframe perfectly.” (Whitehead 2) This article compares the mass hysteria, paranoia, police state, witch-hunt mentality of the movie to the climate surrounding the McCarthy hearings. (Whitehead 1)


Tim Dirks’s review of this movie shares some of the same political interpretation of paranoia toward the spread of Communism and the mass hysteria associated with the McCarthy hearings (Dirks 2). Dirks suggests that the movie’s main theme was the alien-communist takeover turning people into emotionless individuals unable to express love, desire, ambition, or faith (Dirks 2)


I have a hard time drawing any comparison between “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” and the time of McCarthyism of the 1950’s. I was not even born then so there is this big disconnect using horror as an allegory for Communism. Art does imitate or mirror life. If this film was made in the 1930’s, some would surely make the comparison to Nazi Germany and Hitler’s goal for a super German master race. The comparison today would be with the hysteria surrounding terrorism and the threat of weapons of mass destruction that led to the war in Iraq. Also, one might conclude that “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” has a direct link to our present day society that is over medicated on prescription drugs.


For pure entertainment, “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” was a good movie. However, it fails with horror movies and sci-fi movies of my generation. No special effects, black and white, no violence, no deaths, just the invasion and snatching of your body while you sleep. Give me “Jeepers Creepers” or “The Ring” for true horror and fright.


“Invasion of the Body Snatchers” does depict the basic fear of dark and night. Most scenes are shot in the dark or at night. The audience does not know what to expect in the dark. The break-in through the basement window when Dr. Bennell finds the developing pod of his girl friend, Becky, is in the dark with the only light coming from a lit match. The greenhouse scene of pods that resemble Dr. Bennell was in the dark or low light. When the Doctor and Becky attempt to escape from the pods, it is at night. Becky and the Doctor hide from the townspeople that are chasing them by hiding in the hole under boards in a dark cave or tunnel. Even the closing scene where Dr. Bennell tried to warn all the passing motorists about the pod takeover was filmed during the nighttime. The anxiety of falling asleep adds to the fear of the dark. The pods take over your body when you are asleep. The eavesdropping scene on a house where a married couple is discussing the baby states, “Is the baby asleep yet?” “No, but she will be soon. There will be no more tears then,” sends cold chills down your spine. A classic moment occurs in the scene when the girlfriend draws the Doctor down into a slow kiss, and the camera moves in close to her face showing her blank expressionless eyes as you realize she, too, has been taken over by the pods. The moment is climatic to the movie.


In the end, the audience is not really sure of the final outcome. Are we safe or is it too late? Even though Dr. Bennell successfully persuaded authorities of the eminent danger, and the FBI and the state police were called in and the nation was put on alert, was it in time to protect the human race?
From my point of view, the movie, “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” is a science fiction, horror movie meant to entertain. The movie has a simple, straight forward plot that requires no serious mental debate. Enjoy it for what it is.


Works Cited
Dirks, Tim. Home page. “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.” 1996-2007. 7 October 2007 www.filmsite.org/inva.html
Whitehead, John W. “’Invasion of the Body Snatchers’—A Tale for Our Times.” Gadfly Online. November 2001. 4 October 2007 www.gadflyonline.com/11-26-01/film-snatchers.html