"Invasion of the Body Snatchers" is both horror and sci-fi, but it is a psychological thriller foremost. Though some say it is a product of its time, based upon the specific fears of its time, the film is really rooted in the basic fears of every person. If you want to know what those basic fears are, look to the nightmares that are common to all people.The story involves a small town doctor (Kevin McCarthy) who begins to notice a pattern in the unusual behaviors of his patients. Given no prior experience with such behavior, he has to look for explanations outside his usual (medical and personal) experience. This leads him to a preposterous truth. As the viewer watches Dr. Miles Bennell and his beautiful girlfriend (Dana Wynter as Becky Driscoll) unravel the mystery, there is suspense, and fear rooted in the unknown.The doctor becomes frustrated because no one will believe him. This is a common dream theme; it produces anxiety in the viewer as the paranoia ratchets up, especially because the stakes are so high. Being chased is another common nightmare theme and it is well exploited.Director Don Siegel said he only wanted to create a scary film. Music, effects and excellent directing produce that result. Notice the way the director plays with the size of the spaces as the story progresses. The acting is solid, especially by the leads. And I enjoy watching King Donovan.This is a classic film. Its central theme has been copied or modified many time since.

INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS is an science fiction horror, which is, among other things, a kind of an allegory of the political situation of that time in the United States.One doctor returns to his small town in California to continue his practice. However, strange things start to happen in the city. Some of the citizens become emotionally cold and heartless. The doctor reveals a chilling truth about his neighbors...Mr. Siegel skillfully and gradually builds tension in very anxious atmosphere. Of course, this approach leads to strong and "warning" climax. Paranoia is so obvious and pronounced that at times harms the story. The story is just modest. However, the director pays attention to small details throughout the entire film. It is very important for a good horror movie. The soft lighting and frames that emphasize the horror, fear and excitement are the main advantages of this film.Romance is an integral part of the story, but it is quite prude and unconvincing. The chemistry between the two main actors is superficial.Nevertheless, this is a very intelligent movie. It gives us a certain view of the history of American social clubs and viewers can enjoy in the exciting moments of paranoia and hysteria.

Dr. Miles Bennell (superbly played by Kevin McCarthy) suspects that something might be amiss in the sleepy small town of Santa Cruz after various people start behaving in an odd and detached manner.Director Don Siegel grounds the fascinating fantastic premise in a thoroughly believable workaday rural reality, adroitly crafts a supremely creepy and unsettling atmosphere, and likewise creates with equal expertise a quietly unnerving sense of mounting dread and paranoia that gradually builds to a shattering fever pitch in the harrowing last third. Daniel Mainwaring's ingenious script makes a profound and powerful statement on how our capacity to feel all kinds of emotions and desire for individual identity are two key important traits that make all of us special and human (if deprived of these two traits, we are reduced to the level of bland and emotionless automatons). McCarthy and Dana Wynter as the smitten Becky Driscoll make for personable leads; they receive excellent support from Larry Gates as the skeptical Dr. Dan Kauffman, King Donovan as the worried Jack Belicec, Carolyn Jones as the shaken Theodora, and Virginia Christine as the distraught Wilma Lentz. Both the crisp noir-like black and white cinematography by Ellsworth Fredericks and Carmen Dragon's spirited shivery score are up to par. Worthy of its classic status.

Being a teenager in the Fifties, we went to see movies with the most outlandish titles. Expecting the usual rubber monsters and hackneyed plots, you can imagine our near- speechless response at movie's end. (We were relieved by the upbeat ending.) Despite the film's breath-taking accomplishments, it soon faded into obscurity, undone no doubt by the catch-penny title and B-movie budget. Revived periodically on TV, it quickly attracted a cult following, finally emerging from the late night underground to become the widely recognized classic that it is. There are few movies that connect at a deeply subconscious level with the audience. This is one of them, and can now be seen as a parable, not only of the 50's Red menace (Scriptwriter Dan Mainwaring was briefly blacklisted), but of the many depersonalized encounters that fill the ordinary day. The movie's one flaw - the "pop-out" replicas that make a distinctly rubbery sound as they pop from the pods in the greenhouse scene, a technical defect that may have inspired the f-x'ed remake. Frankly, I'm concerned that contemporary teens may not find this a scary or affecting movie. Styles do change as does technology, but the underlying theme that Bodysnatchers renders so effectively is timeless. Perhaps the mind- snatching forces of commercialism are winning after all. Nevertheless, for this now 60- something, my teenage quarter was never better spent than on this film, nor will yours if you haven't seen it.