Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

Two Geeks and a GIT Classic Movie Reviews

Part two of our look at how the social upheavals of the 1950s influenced Hollywood cinema, we move ahead to 1956 and a film that plumbs the depths of that society's xenophobia! Directed by Don Siegel, "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" tells the story of Dr. Miles J. Bennell (Kevin McCarthy), a physician who returns from a medical convention to his small town and discovers strange goings-on: People convinced their loved ones are not who they used to be, patients booking appointments and, the next day, canceling claiming they're feeling much better, and seemingly dead bodies with incomplete features appearing in various homes across town. After reuniting with his former love Becky Driscoll (Dana Wynter), Dr. Bennell is called to the home of two friends, Jack (King Donovan) and Teddy (Carolyn Jones) Belicec, who show him a body that has some resemblance to Jack. Through a series of investigations, Dr. Bennell and Becky discover that the threat is much more severe than even they anticipated, and they set about trying to escape the town, to warn the rest of the world about the impending disaster bearing down on the entire planet! Plus, the trio unveil a pairing dedicated to another actor the world lost in 2023!