Invasion Of The Body Snatchers

It is funny how each individual person may perceive something; how over time, a thing may take on meanings unintended, its very definition changing shape. It is important to note this when talking about Invasion of the Body Snatchers, the 1956 film that holds the rank of 88 on our list of the supposed '100 Greatest Scary Movies'. It has become a general consensus that the film is clearly a film about the 'Red Scare' and depending on your point of view, it could be a left-leaning indictment of McCarthyism or a scathing right-wing indictment of Communism.

The film seems ripe with allegory: Are we being taken over by an alien way of thinking that is wiping out our very way of life? If so, be on the lookout, for chances are, they have infiltrated us so absolutely that they now look exactly like us, whittling us down from within. Or, is the fear of such an idea driving us into apathy and lethargy as we mindlessly accept the persecution of our fellow man? If that is the case, then we must keep our eyes open and not let our emotions and our human spirit be dampened while human beings are subjected to prosecution and torture.

Whatever is happening, whether it is the eradication of our culture or the sapping of our humanity, one thing is clear to the utmost degree: Do not fall asleep. For once you close you eyes and your vision becomes dark, it is then that they will have you and from that, there is no waking up.
But here is the interesting thing: ask anyone who was involved in the film, star Kevin McCarthy, director Don Siegel, screenwriter Daniel Mainwaring, even the author of the original short story Jack Finney, and all will tell you that the story is nothing more than a chilling science-fiction film. Nothing more, nothing less. To them, there was no deeper meaning; they merely wanted to create something that could give people a good thrill.

That may be true; every word of it, but I believe that authors draw from what they know and that events, both current and bygone, play a major part in influencing their prose. They may have set out to make a simple science-fiction horror, but in the process, the gave us one of the greatest political allegories of all time. And the best part is that all sides of the political arena can use it to debate their cause. The Pod People can be anything you want them to be and paranoia, from whatever source, is a frightening emotion to have.

As far as the story is concerned, I would venture to guess that it has been so absorbed into our culture that even those who have not seen the film may be unknowingly familiar with the tale. As a child yet to see the film, I was witness so constant parodies and satires of the story in various sitcoms and cartoons, that when I saw the film for the first time, I knew more or less what was going to happen and when. Not that it ruined the film, but it stands as a testament to its power. The idea will always be fresh and perhaps that is why the film has been remade upwards of three times; we will always live in fear of our identity being taken away and even more so, we will always be afraid that there will be nothing we an do to stop it.

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