New York State Writers Institute - Classic Film Series

INVASION OF THE
BODY SNATCHERS

October 31, 2003 (Friday) at 7:30 p.m.
Page Hall, 135 Western Avenue
(Free and Open to the Public)

(United States, 1956, 80 minutes, b&w, 35mm)
Directed by Donald Siegel
Starring Kevin McCarthy, Dana Wynter, King Donovan,
Carolyn Jones, Larry Gates

Almost half a century after its release, the original version of INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS is as creepy as anything Hollywood has produced since. Moreover, the McCarthy Era subtexts still manage to touch a nerve. Dr. Miles Bennell discovers that the results of his small Californian town are being replaced by alien replicas hatched from pods. An uncontested classic of the horror genre, the film accomplishes its task of scaring audiences by means of clever writing, acting and directing, not violence or gore; its special brand of McCarthy Era paranoia still manages to touch a nerve.