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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   13,405 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 11% 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 Comments:
The simplicity of the horror is what "makes" this film so brilliant... more (149 total)

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)
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
Everett Glass ... Dr. Ed Pursey
Dabbs Greer ... Mac Lomax
Pat O'Malley ... Baggage man
Guy Rennie ... Restaurant owner
Marie Selland ... Martha Lomax
Sam Peckinpah ... Charlie (meter reader)
Harry J. Vejar ... Pod carrier in Miles' office
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Whit Bissell ... Dr. Hill (uncredited)
Richard Deacon ... Dr. Harvey Bassett (uncredited)
Frank Hagney ... Bit part (uncredited)
Robert Osterloh ... Ambulance driver (uncredited)
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Directed by
Don Siegel 
 
Writing credits
Daniel Mainwaring (screenplay)

Jack Finney (Collier's magazine serial)

Richard Collins  uncredited

Original Music by
Carmen Dragon 
 
Cinematography by
Ellsworth Fredericks (director of photography)
 
Film Editing by
Robert S. Eisen 
 
Production Design by
Ted Haworth  (as Edward Haworth)
 
Set Decoration by
Joseph Kish 
 
Makeup Department
Emile LaVigne .... makeup artist
Mary Westmoreland .... hair stylist
 
Production Management
Allen K. Wood .... production manager
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
William Beaudine Jr. .... assistant director (as Bill Beaudine Jr.)
Richard Maybery .... assistant director
 
Sound Department
Ralph Butler .... sound
Del Harris .... sound editor
 
Special Effects by
Milt Rice .... special effects
Don Post .... special makeup effects: pods and other props (uncredited)
 
Camera and Electrical Department
James V. King .... additional camera operator: final sequence (uncredited)
 
Music Department
Carmen Dragon .... conductor
Jerry Irvin .... music editor
 
Other crew
Irva Mae Ross .... script supervisor (as Irva Ross)
 
Crew verified as complete


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

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Only $15,000 of the budget was spent on special effects. more
Goofs:
Continuity: Water stains on the planks in the mine. 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:
Referenced in Hot Wax Zombies on Wheels (1999) more

FAQ

Is there an alternate ending?
How closely does the movie follow the novel?
Where do the pods come from?
more
10 out of 11 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
Little White Pills kbarada
HUGE Plot hole! (spoilers) inkpunk
Pods = communist spies? your thoughts please! RainbowFire
Should I watch this or the 1978 remake? The_tim
Dana Wynter crossbones2005
alcoholism jcapogrossi
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