The Body Stealers (1969)

Director:

Gerry Levy

Writers:

Gerry Levy (additional material)
Michael St. Clair (writer)

Release Date:

April 1969 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Can the Earth survive against the aliens from outer space?

Plot:

A British military paratrooper disappears in mid-air during a jump from an army plane. Two investigators...

Plot Keywords:

Alien | Paratrooper | Military | Skydiving | Missing Person

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

George Sanders	...	General Armstrong
Maurice Evans	...	Dr. Matthews / Alien
Patrick Allen	...	Bob Megan
Neil Connery	...	Jim Radford
Hilary Heath	...	Julie Slade (as Hilary Dwyer)
Robert Flemyng	...	W.C. Baldwin
Lorna Wilde	...	Lorna
Allan Cuthbertson	...	Hindsmith
Michael Culver	...	Lieutenant Bailes
Sally Faulkner	...	Joanna
Shelagh Fraser	...	Mrs. Thatcher
Carl Rigg	...	Briggs
Carol Hawkins	...	Paula
Dixon Adams	...	David
Derek Pollitt	...	Davies

Also Known As:

Invasion of the Body Stealers
Out of Thin Air (Europe: English title) (video title)
Thin Air (USA)

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 (alternate rating) | Norway:15 (video premiere) | USA:R | UK:X (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) | Iceland:L

Company:

Tigon Pictures

Goofs:

Continuity: Towards the end of the film, when the alien’s leave, Bob’s cardigan is buttoned up as he passes through the door it becomes undone, it is buttoned up again when he goes back into the house.

Movie Connections:

References Daleks' Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D. (1966)

THE BODY STEALERS (Gerry Levy, 1969) *1/2

Abysmal sci-fi (an unwise change of pace for Tigon) which, up to this point, had been the low point of Anchor Bay UK's "The Tigon Collection" - not that there were any particular highs! Michael Armstrong, director of THE HAUNTED HOUSE OF HORROR (1969) - and who was eventually replaced by Levy - compared it to Ed Wood in his Audio Commentary for that film, and I can't say that he was too far off the mark!

A competent cast flounders in the face of an inane premise and lackluster handling: veterans George Sanders, Maurice Evans (as the chief villain/alien) and Robert Flemyng; heroes Patrick Allen and Neil Connery (yes, Sean's younger sibling!); starlets Hilary Dwyer (better suited to period pieces like her three films with Vincent Price - WITCHFINDER GENERAL [1968], THE OBLONG BOX [1969] and CRY OF THE BANSHEE [1970]) and Sally Faulkner (I was impressed by her in VAMPYRES [1974] and PREY [1977], and here looks lovely if nothing else!). However, Lorna Wilde is terrible as an alien temptress(!) - and the (mercifully brief) contribution of Shelagh Fraser as Mrs. Thatcher(!), an ageing nymphomaniac barmaid with a shrill voice, is positively embarrassing!!

One of its most hilarious - and dated - aspects is the way it presents Allen and Minister's aide Allan Cuthbertson(!) as a couple of would-be studs, in obvious imitation of the James Bond extravaganzas; the cheesy score (by Reg Tilsley, who fared better with THE HAUNTED HOUSE OF HORROR) doesn't help, either. A measure of the film's sloppiness is the fact that Hilary Dwyer's name has been mysteriously omitted from the cast list at the end of the picture, though I doubt she voiced her complaint about it to the production company! Patrick Allen's Audio Commentary is actually quite engaging though, understandably, he offers little insight into the film itself - given also that he doesn't remember much at all about its making, and had never even watched the damn thing until now!