Invasion Of The Body Snatchers
Director: Philip Kaufman

Stars: Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Leonard Nimoy, Jeff Goldblum
Review by Brian M. Sammons

Has any single film been remade more than this one? Really, how many movies about pod people are out there now? I can come up with four off the top of my head and I could easily be missing a few. Whatever, this one, the first remake of the 50’s original sci-fi paranoia classic, shot in an era (the 70s) when remakes were actually made thoughtfully, skillfully and with great respect for the source material (wow, imagine that) is easily the best. In many ways I like this movie as much, or more, than the original and that’s saying something. So how is this latest, and first Blu-ray, release of this seminal sci-fi flavored, truly horrifying film? Well, make sure you don’t fall asleep, keep your eyes open for pods, and let’s dive into this movie together.

The story is as classic as they come; aliens are among us, slowly taking over people one by one and replacing them with perfect doubles. They could be anyone, your friends, your family, and there’s no way of knowing. Worse yet, they’re inescapable as they replace you when you sleep and everyone needs to sleep sometime. While in the ’50s the story was a parable about the encroaching evils of Communism, in this movie it plays out more like a dark take on the “I’m ok, you’re ok” psychobabble ’70s. If the excellent story and great direction weren’t enough, the film is populated with fine actors that were either stars at the time or soon would be. Furthermore it is chockfull of great suspenseful moments, one truly great WTF scene involving an old man and his dog, a cool cameo that’s a blast from the past, and one of the most memorable endings in all of cinema. I love this movie and I really can’t think of a thing wrong with it, so let’s move on to the nuts and bolts that come with this BD, DVD combo platter.

Extras include a featurette where stars remember their experiences making the movie, another on the special effects, yet another on the sound effects, and a fourth all about the cinematography. One odd bit that left me scratching my head was the fact that there is a director’s commentary on the DVD but not on the Blu-ray. Really? Would it have cost so much to put it on both discs? That questionable exclusion aside, this new edition of this classic is a worthy addition to your home library just like Invasion Of The Body Snatchers is a movie that should be seen by all, horrorhead and run of the mill moviegoer alike.

After a shaky start this season with their new Blu-ray, DVD combos, 20th Century Fox hits a home run with this disc. I can easily recommend this disc to anyone who wants to watch a great movie. Is that you?

About Brian M. Sammons

Brian M. Sammons has penned stories that have appeared in the anthologies: Arkham Tales, Horrors Beyond, Monstrous, Dead but Dreaming 2, Horror for the Holidays, Deepest, Darkest Eden and others. He has edited the books; Cthulhu Unbound 3, Undead & Unbound, Eldritch Chrome, Edge of Sundown, Steampunk Cthulhu, Dark Rites of Cthulhu, Atomic Age Cthulhu, World War Cthulhu and Flesh Like Smoke. He is also the managing editor of Dark Regions Press’ Weird Fiction line. For more about this guy that neighbors describe as “such a nice, quiet man” you can check out his infrequently updated webpage here: http://brian_sammons.webs.com/ and follow him on Twitter @BrianMSammons.

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