Weekend Cinema Spotlight: Invasion of the Body Snatchers

"Invasion of the body snatchers"(1956)

What would you do if you looked under your bed and saw a giant green pod foaming at the center with a duplicate of yourself inside of it? Being the city girl that I am I would get the heck out of there as fast as I could (which isn't very fast actually heheh)!

Trailer of "Invasion of the body snatchers"

This story is original and keeps you glued to your screen until the last exhilarating minutes. It stars Kevin McCarthy as Dr. Miles Bennell who is a doctor in the fictional town of Santa Mira, California. He begins to find many of his patients complaining that their loved ones aren't exactly who they are supposed to be. The local psychiatrist, Dr. Dan Kauffman, played by Larry Gates reassures everyone that it is simply mass hysteria.

Discovering a duplicate of Mile's friend,

Jack Belicec played by King Donovan

Eventually they begin to find duplicates of themselves and soon the town is almost entirely inhabited by these "pod people" . Miles tries to escape and the next morning finds that there are truckloads of pods being brought into the town and his friends Dr. Dan Kauffman and Jack Belicec had been changed.

The chase ensues-both he and Becky hide in a nearby mine while dozens of town folk go on a search for them. It was charming to see two old lovers rekindle their long lost romance and by the end of the film you really are rooting for Miles and Becky not only to remain together but to survive this invasion.

Miles and Becky attempting to escape

Just when you think there still is hope for them, the exhausted Becky falls asleep and is quickly possessed by the invaders. She begins to yell to the others to inform them where Miles had hidden. Miles runs into the highway, screaming for anyone to hear his warning...."They're here already! You're next! You're next!"

I must admit I LOVE that scene because you are just about to give up hope for Miles and for the human race but he defies the odds! Even though people might think he is mad he does whatever he has to do to get the attention of the proper authorities.

Miles goes from a mild mannered and well groomed Doctor to a frantic, half mad hero of the human race. When I first saw this movie I was holding my breath hoping beyond all hopes that people would listen to him and stop this invasion. I am a huge sucker for happy endings and lets be honest not many thrillers and horror movies have such endings. This film does!

Ending of film teaser

You believe Kevin McCarthy that they ARE here and that they ARE coming. He made a believer out of me that's for sure! His performance is believable and he carries you with him on this incredible journey that started with his quiet visit to this little town called Santa Mira all the way to a random clinic where he is being detained by doctors and police officers.

This movie is one of a kind gem! A perfect way to begin the month of spooks, chills, thrills, and all that scary stuff. This month of October has five weekends and you will get five spooky and thrilling cinema spotlights to celebrate the season of all things that go bump in the night!

Hope you enjoyed the first installment for October. This film will leave you checking under your bed for pods from another planet for sure!!

xox