The original "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" from 1956 is one of my all-time favorite movies- a true classic. And it's a lucky classic at that. Because it can honestly boast of an excellent remake. The 1978 version takes the same story to San Fransisco, only this time substituting small-town paranoia with urban paranoia.
The 1970's (and 80's) were a truly inspired and magical period in filmmaking, especially in the horror and science fiction genres. This is a wonderful example. Some may argue that "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" is a science fiction film, but I say no way. There might be slight sci-fi undertones, but like "Alien", it's firmly out for one thing and one thing only. To freak us out. And it wholly succeeds.
Philip Kaufman took a great story and really did it justice, in my opinion. This is exactly how a remake should be done. It's packed to the brim with some truly eerie and unsettling moments, and Danny Zeitman's pulsating score only makes it spookier. I thought the camera work in "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" was brilliant- the sometimes hand-held approach gives the whole production a wobbly, slightly out of control feel.
Mixed with the superb performances and creepy story, it's a overall frightening film and a whole helluva lot of fun to watch. It starts off with a bang and just keeps going full blown to that horrifying and claustrophobic climax (which is a doozy, by the way...), if you've never seen it. This is a horror classic, folks, and out of four filmed versions of this story, this and the original are the only ones worth experiencing.
"Invasion of the Body Snatchers" comes across as totally, 100% believable, as unbelievable as it all is. And the movie has a dream cast to die for- Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Jeff Goldblum, Veronica Cartwright, Leonard Nimoy, and a brilliant cameo by Kevin McCarthy, who's still raving about the overtaking of aliens in the original. Good, scary stuff.
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