SummaryA small-town doctor learns that the population of his community is being replaced by emotionless alien duplicates.
Directed By:Don Siegel
Written By:Daniel Mainwaring, Jack Finney, Richard Collins
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
92
User score
Universal Acclaim
8.1
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Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
100% Positive
16 Reviews
16 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
100
An extremely tight, beautifully made film.
100
A 50s horror classic that remains a gem of allegorical paranoia.
User score
Universal Acclaim
88% Positive
75 Ratings
75 Ratings
12% Mixed
10 Ratings
10 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
Oct 9, 2024
9
Love it when the hype is completely worth it. This was awesome from start to finish.
Mar 27, 2022
9
That is along with the original The Day the Earth Stood Still, original War of the Worlds, Metropolis, Blade Runner and the granddaddy 2001:A Space Odyssey. Of the three versions I have seen of this great story, this film for me is by far the most well-done and the most faithful to the source material. It is too short perhaps though, and the ending seemed rather rushed. However the cinematography and editing still hold up very well, and the costumes, sets and effects are timeless. The script and story, with so many interesting ideas, are compelling and these ideas developed very well considering the length and the relatively fast pace(which I personally don't see as a problem). Alongside Dirty Harry, Invasion of the Body Snatchers is Don Siegel's best directed film, the music is atmospheric,there is genuine tension and suspense in the atmosphere which alone sets it apart from the other film versions, and the acting is fine for what it was, with Kevin McCarthy giving one of his more memorable performances. All in all, a sci-fi classic. 9/10 Bethany Cox
100
It’s the very open-endedness of the film’s subtext that gives it power. When a sleepy California town is overrun, first by the outbreak of a strange delusion that people have been replaced by doppelgangers, but then gradually by the doppelgangers themselves, the film is brilliantly placed, however unwittingly, to illustrate America’s political paranoia from both ends.
90
Almost 40 years later, Don Siegel's film about the pod people hasn't lost its chill. [02 Dec 1994, p.D18]
88
Incredibly chilling, this Don Siegel movie still delivers a powerful punch. [04 Sept 1987, p.54C]
80
This tense, offbeat piece of science-fiction is occasionally difficult to follow due to the strangeness of its scientific premise. Action nevertheless is increasingly exciting.
70
Invasion of the Body Snatchers is an excellent movie about paranoia, conformity, and the need to "stay awake," or else become jaded, emotionally dead.
Nov 11, 2021
8
Had on watchlist for a long time, finally watched it, it was a great time killer.
Sep 13, 2024
7
A well directed, if frequently mocked, narrow little metaphor for the perils of group-think and McCarthyism. Invasion of the Body Snatchers is certainly a product of both its genre and its era, from the wide-eyed straight man constantly running to escape a hidden threat to the blunt, hammer-to-the-temple methods of the plot structure. I most enjoyed the opening act, when the jury was still out on whether these monstrous mimics were real or imagined. Though we can gather our answers from the title alone, it's fun to explore things from the other perspective and the film seems to enjoy dallying in that uncertainty, too. Once the giant, clumsy, man-sized sea pods start showing up, it's time for a hard turn into the cheesy stuff and a subsequent tumble into the usual pit of 1950's sci-fi tropes. The ending is a horrible mismatch, too, quite obviously crammed in at the last moment and completely at-odds with the message and pace of the preceding seventy minutes. Probably didn't help that I couldn't stop thinking about one particular episode of Space Ghost: Coast to Coast.
May 31, 2020
7
Gran clásico de ciencia ficción, de hecho es uno de los mejores que hay, buena historia y buenas actuaciones.
Apr 13, 2025
6
A good film although not as good as the 1978 version in my opinion. the storyline is great, as ever. The performances are quite dated now though.
Production Company:
- Allied Artists Pictures
- Walter Wanger Productions
Release Date:Feb 5, 1956
Duration:1 h 20 m
Tagline:The original Black & White classic
Awards
National Film Preservation Board, USA
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Online Film & Television Association
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
