Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

Dr. Miles J. Bennell: 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.

It is amazing how much horror can be created with with a simple story and limited special effects.

Dr. Miles J. Bennell (Kevin McCarthy) has been called back to his small town practice urgently because of the large number of patients who insist on seeing him.  When he arrives, however, many of these have cancelled their appointments.  He does see one woman who believes the man who is occupying her uncle’s body is not really her uncle. He refers this patient to a psychiatrist.  These stories seem not to be uncommon.  Miles already encountered a little boy who ran screaming from a woman he said was not his mother.

A high point to Miles return is running into his old high school sweetheart Becky (Dana Wynter).  In the years since graduation, both have married and divorced.  They rekindle their relationship immediately.

They don’t have much of a chance to enjoy a romance, though.  Miles is summoned to a friend’s basement where the friend has discovered a blank faced corpse lying on his pool table.  The corpse is beginning to look more and more like the friend.  Gradually, Miles discovers that the whole town seems to be infected by a mysterious ailment.  And something seems determined to add the doctor and his girlfriend to their number …

This movie is everything science fiction should be, tightly paced at only 80 minutes and creepily disturbing.  The script and direction always have me believing in the good doctor’s predicament.  There is an interesting sub-text but whether it is anti-Communist or anti-McCarthy is hard to work out.  It may just be a commentary on how social pressures can rob us of our humanity.  Highly recommended.

Trailer