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IMDb > Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
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Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) More at IMDbPro »

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Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) -- A small-town doctor learns that the population of his community is being replaced by emotionless alien duplicates.

Overview

User Rating:
8.0/10   12,629 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 7% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Don Siegel
Writers:
Daniel Mainwaring (screenplay)
Jack Finney (Collier's magazine serial)
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Contact:
View company contact information for Invasion of the Body Snatchers on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
5 February 1956 (USA) more
Genre:
Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller more
Tagline:
... there was nothing to hold onto - except each other. more
Plot:
A small-town doctor learns that the population of his community is being replaced by emotionless alien duplicates. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
1 win more
NewsDesk:
Movie Reviews: 'The Invasion'
 (From Studio Briefing - Film News. 17 August 2007)

User Comments:
The simplicity of the horror is what "makes" this film so brilliant... more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Kevin McCarthy ... Dr. Miles J. Bennell

Dana Wynter ... Becky Driscoll
Larry Gates ... Dr. Dan 'Danny' Kauffman
King Donovan ... Jack Belicec

Carolyn Jones ... Theodora 'Teddy' Belicec
Jean Willes ... Nurse Sally Withers
Ralph Dumke ... Police Chief Nick Grivett
Virginia Christine ... Wilma Lentz
Tom Fadden ... Uncle Ira Lentz
Kenneth Patterson ... Stanley Driscoll
Guy Way ... Officer Sam Janzek
Eileen Stevens ... Anne Grimaldi
Beatrice Maude ... Grandma Driscoll
Jean Andren ... Eleda Lentz
Bobby Clark ... Jimmy Grimaldi
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Sleep No More
They Came from Another World (USA) (working title)
Walter Wanger's Invasion of the Body Snatchers (USA) (complete title)
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Runtime:
80 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Sound Mix:
Mono (Perspecta Sound encoding) (Western Electric Recording)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Throughout the years, Sam Peckinpah (who appears briefly in the film as the meter reader) claimed that he had done work on the script ranging from modifications to major overhauls. Those who worked on the film claimed that if Peckinpah had made any changes to the script, it was limited to a few lines of dialog. Peckinpah's claims became so inflated that the actual writer, Daniel Mainwaring, threatened to file an official complaint with the Writers Guild of America, so Peckinpah backed down. When Peckinpah died in 1984, many of his obituaries still carried the claim that he had rewritten the screenplay for this film. more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Miles is carrying the sleeping Becky from her house to his car, her right arm is hanging limp on the way down the stairs and her left arm is holding Miles. But in the next shot at the front door her body position is changed, with her right arm around Miles shoulder and left arm hanging limp. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Dr. Harvey Bassett: Oh, Doctor Hill.
Dr. Hill: Dr. Basset. Well, where's the patient?
Dr. Harvey Bassett: I hated to drag you out of bed at this time of night. You'll soon see why I did.
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Movie Connections:
Featured in Gremlins (1984) more

FAQ

How closely does the movie follow the novel?
Is there an alternate ending?
Where do the pods come from?
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7 out of 7 people found the following comment useful:-
The simplicity of the horror is what "makes" this film so brilliant..., 8 February 2007
7/10
Author: Neil Doyle from U.S.A.

What must be considered one of the most original of all the science fiction films emanating from the '50s is INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS, a low-budget sci-fi film about a sleepy Southern California town infested with a bunch of pods that are replicating the town's humans in physical form hatched from alien pods and taking over mind and body.

It doesn't waste any time in getting to the core of the horror element, with McCarthy as a doctor invited to a friend's house where he sees the first evidence of a sleeping pod form taking on the shape and identity of another. He and his sweetheart (the beautiful DANA WYNTER) are soon aware of the situation enveloping the small town residents and make an effort to alert the authorities, but find that no one can be trusted to be whom they claim to be--and are soon on the run themselves.

It easily remains one of the most gripping of these films with an excellent score by Carmen Dragon. KEVIN McCARTHY, DANA WYNTER, VIRGINIA CHRISTINE, WHIT BISSELL, KING DONOVAN and CAROLYN JONES all deliver fine performances and director Don Siegel keeps the suspense taut until the final scene.

Summing up: Alien invaders have always been a big part of sci-fi stories but never quite as creepily as depicted here. Terrific suspense.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Can you recommend some other classics mrmike123
Idea for a sequel brucedgo
HUGE Plot hole! (spoilers) inkpunk
Dana Wynter crossbones2005
Really Confused...(small spoiler) skaloosh
Dana (Male and female) dave-1437
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