IMDb > Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv schedule
Awards & Reviews
user reviewsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotes
Fun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

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

Photos (see all 22 | slideshow) Videos
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) -- A small-town doctor learns that the population of his community is being replaced by emotionless alien duplicates.

Oscar Nominations    Photos    more »

Overview

User Rating:
8.0/10   13,681 votes
Your Rating:
Saving vote...
Deleting vote...
/10   (delete | history)
Sorry, there was a problem
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 42% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Daniel Mainwaring (screenplay)
Jack Finney (Collier's magazine serial)
more
Contact:
View company contact information for Invasion of the Body Snatchers on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
5 February 1956 (USA) more
Genre:
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 | full synopsis
Awards:
1 win more
User Reviews:
Siegel's classic paranoia flick still gives me the creeps. more (149 total)

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
more
Create a character page for: ?

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)
more
Runtime:
80 min
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
2.00 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Perspecta Sound encoding) (Western Electric Recording)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Ranked #9 on the American Film Institute's list of the 10 greatest films in the genre "Sci-Fi" in June 2008. more
Goofs:
Continuity: As the posse runs through Bronson Cave, after the policeman stops on the planks, says his lines, and then runs ahead, look closely for the man in the white shirt: it looks like he fell down onto the planks before the shot ended. 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.
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in Jack the Bear (1993) more

FAQ

Where do the pods come from?
How does the movie end?
How closely does the movie follow the novel?
more
11 out of 11 people found the following review useful.
Siegel's classic paranoia flick still gives me the creeps., 24 June 2006
Author: el-mno-p from Newcastle, England

Invasion of the Bodysnatchers is most famous as a thinly veiled Communist allegory, with its emotionless pod people, 'a malignant disease, slowly taking over the country', as leading man Kevin McCarthy (whose surname just can't be coincidental) puts it. And, thanks to Siegel's craft, it is an effective thriller. One can't help but be effected by McCarthy's desperate attempts to alert his fellow Americans to the threat, before it's too late.

The film is presented to us as a flashback, with McCarthy explaining the take-over of his town to the extremely sceptical authorities. This is a brilliant device as, unlike with most flashback narratives (especially those in film noir), we don't know how the film will resolve itself. Whereas noir flashbacks begin at the end of the story in order to create a sense of foreboding, Bodysnatchers reverses this, creating an uncertainty that contributes to the central theme of paranoia.

The film is beautifully photographed in crisp, 1950s monochrome. There is an interesting contrast between this photorealism, and the more artificial aspects of the cinematography – dark shadows cast across faces etc – which is suggestive of the duality of the inhabitants of the small Californian town. My favourite scene is McCarthy's striking address to camera in the final act, which must be one of the earliest examples of breaking the fourth wall in film (in Hollywood at least, if not cinema in general), and is one of the most memorable images in screen history.

While the running time doesn't allow for much character development, Invasion of the Bodysnatchers is a thrilling film, turning human beings into cold, unfeeling monsters. Whether you agree with its politics or not won't have any effect on your enjoyment of this science fiction classic.

Was the above review useful to you?
more (149 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
History paper yankeefan7777
HUGE Plot hole! (spoilers) inkpunk
Dana Wynter crossbones2005
Pods = communist spies? your thoughts please! RainbowFire
Little White Pills kbarada
Should I watch this or the 1978 remake? The_tim
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Invasion of the Body Snatchers I Married a Monster from Outer Space Psycho Village of the Damned The Invasion
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb Horror section IMDb USA section
Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.