Invasion Of The Body Snatchers

Year: 1956

Grade: B+

Country: USA

Director: Siegel

Review

the first of three films with the same story and similar title. it’s a good horror story because it is about both isolation and claustrophobia. isolation because you are the only person you can trust; and claustrophobia because it takes place in a small town where everyone knows each other thereby making it impossible to slip away unnoticed. it does a good job of jumping right into the action and then using voice-over narration to retell the story. we know that there’s something wrong, but we don’t know how it happened or how bad things really are. despite starting off so dramatically, the film is able to establish a sense of normalcy in the first couple minutes. we see how nice and friendly the town is and it’s important to establish that early so we have a contrast later in the film when the shit hits the fan. some good camera movement and off-kilter shots add to the unnerving energy of the film. the score is also well done. check out other don siegel directed films – dirty harry, hell is for heroes and the 1964 version of the killers.