IMDb > Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
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Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) More at IMDbPro »

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Invasion of the Body Snatchers -- A small-town doctor learns that the population of his community is being replaced by emotionless alien duplicates.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers -- Joe Dante discusses the making of Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Overview

User Rating:
7.9/10   19,509 votes »
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Director:
Don Siegel
Writers:
Daniel Mainwaring (screenplay)
Jack Finney (Collier's magazine serial)
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for Invasion of the Body Snatchers on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
5 February 1956 (USA) See more »
Genre:
Horror | Sci-Fi See more »
Tagline:
... there was nothing to hold onto - except each other. See more »
Plot:
A small-town doctor learns that the population of his community is being replaced by emotionless alien duplicates. Full summary » | Full synopsis »
Plot Keywords:
See more »
Awards:
1 win See more »
NewsDesk:
(19 articles)
Elizabeth Taylor, Farley Granger, Jane Russell, Peter Falk, Sidney Lumet: TCM Remembers 2011
 (From Alt Film Guide. 13 December 2011, 4:16 PM, PST)
A Brief History Of Horror – Psycho And The 1960s
 (From Obsessed with Film. 24 October 2011, 4:08 PM, PDT)
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy should inspire us to give remakes another go
 (From The Guardian - Film News. 9 September 2011, 8:24 AM, PDT)
User Reviews:
One Word Only......Masterpiece! See more (172 total) »

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

Kevin McCarthy ... Dr. Miles J. Bennell

Dana Wynter ... Becky Driscoll
Larry Gates ... Dr. Dan 'Danny' Kauffman
King Donovan ... Jack Belicec

Carolyn Jones ... Theodora 'Teddy' Belicec
Jean Willes ... Nurse Sally Withers
Ralph Dumke ... Police Chief Nick Grivett
Virginia Christine ... Wilma Lentz
Tom Fadden ... Uncle Ira Lentz
Kenneth Patterson ... Stanley Driscoll
Guy Way ... Officer Sam Janzek
Eileen Stevens ... Anne Grimaldi
Beatrice Maude ... Grandma Grimaldi
Jean Andren ... Eleda Lentz
Bobby Clark ... Jimmy Grimaldi
Everett Glass ... Dr. Ed Pursey
Dabbs Greer ... Mac Lomax
Pat O'Malley ... Baggage man
Guy Rennie ... Restaurant owner
Marie Selland ... Martha Lomax

Sam Peckinpah ... Charlie (meter reader)
Harry J. Vejar ... Pod carrier in Miles' office
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Whit Bissell ... Dr. Hill (uncredited)
Richard Deacon ... Dr. Harvey Bassett (uncredited)
Frank Hagney ... Bit Part (uncredited)
Robert Osterloh ... Ambulance Driver (uncredited)
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Directed by
Don Siegel 
 
Writing credits
Daniel Mainwaring (screenplay)

Jack Finney (Collier's magazine serial)

Richard Collins  uncredited

Produced by
Walter Mirisch .... executive producer (uncredited)
 
Original Music by
Carmen Dragon 
 
Cinematography by
Ellsworth Fredericks (director of photography)
 
Film Editing by
Robert S. Eisen 
 
Production Design by
Ted Haworth  (as Edward Haworth)
 
Set Decoration by
Joseph Kish 
 
Makeup Department
Emile LaVigne .... makeup artist
Mary Westmoreland .... hairdresser
 
Production Management
Allen K. Wood .... production manager
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
William Beaudine Jr. .... assistant director (as Bill Beaudine Jr.)
Richard Maybery .... assistant director
 
Sound Department
Ralph Butler .... sound
Del Harris .... sound editor
 
Special Effects by
Milt Rice .... special effects
Don Post .... special makeup effects: pods and other props (uncredited)
 
Camera and Electrical Department
James V. King .... additional camera operator: final sequence (uncredited)
 
Music Department
Carmen Dragon .... conductor
Jerry Irvin .... music editor
 
Other crew
Irva Mae Ross .... script supervisor (as Irva Ross)
 
Crew verified as complete


Production CompaniesDistributors
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
"Walter Wanger's Invasion of the Body Snatchers" - UK (complete title), USA (complete title)
"Sleep No More" -
"La invasión de los usurpadores de cuerpos" - Argentina (imdb display title), Venezuela
"A Terra em Perigo" - Portugal (imdb display title)
"A testrablók támadása" - Hungary (imdb display title)
"Die Dämonischen" - West Germany
"Die Invasion der Körperfresser" - West Germany
"Inwazja lowców cial" - Poland
"L'invasion des profanateurs de sépulture" - France
"L'invasione degli ultracorpi" - Italy
"La invasión de los ladrones de cuerpos" - Spain
"Merihten Saldiranlar" - Turkey (Turkish title) (imdb display title)
"Muertos vivientes" - Venezuela
"Oi anthropoi tou tromou" - Greece (transliterated ISO-LATIN-1 title)
"Plishut Hotfay Ha-Goofote" - Israel (Hebrew title)
"Ruumiinryöstäjät tulevat" - Finland
"Världsrymden anfaller" - Sweden
"Vampiros de Almas" - Brazil
"Varastetut ihmiset" - Finland
See more »
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
80 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Black and White
Aspect Ratio:
2.00 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
Mono (Perspecta Sound encoding) (Western Electric Recording)
Certification:
West Germany:16 | Norway:16 | UK:PG (tv rating) | UK:X (original rating) (passed with cuts) | Portugal:M/12 | Australia:PG | Sweden:15 | UK:PG (video rating) (1997) | USA:Approved (certificate #17567)
Filming Locations:
1200 N. Virgil Avenue, Los Angeles, California, USASee more »
Company:
Allied Artists PicturesSee more »

Did You Know?

Trivia:
The tunnel scene where the hero hides briefly from the townspeople was filmed at Bronson Cave in Griffith Park, famous with locals as the Bat Cave.See more »
Goofs:
Continuity: When Miles is carrying the sleeping Becky from her house to his car, her right arm is hanging limp on the way down the stairs and her left arm is holding Miles. But in the next shot at the front door her body position is changed, with her right arm around Miles shoulder and left arm hanging limp.See more »
Quotes:
[first lines]
Dr. Harvey Bassett:Oh, Doctor Hill.
Dr. Hill:Dr. Basset. Well, where's the patient?
Dr. Harvey Bassett:I hated to drag you out of bed at this time of night. You'll soon see why I did.
See more »
Movie Connections:
Referenced in 'War of the Worlds': Production Diaries, West Coast - War (2005) (V)See more »

FAQ

What happens to the human's body after the pod has taken it over?
Is there an alternate ending?
Is "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" based on a novel?
See more »

User Reviews

   (Review this title)
23 out of 31 people found the following review useful.
One Word Only......Masterpiece!, 31 October 1999
Author: BaronBl00d (baronbl00d@aol.com) from NC

Invasion of the Body Snatchers is the quintessential sci-fi film of the 50s, praying on the particular fears and paranoias of the time as well as more basic, instinctual phobias within each of us. The story is simple enough about a benevolent, intellectual doctor returning from vacation only to find that some weird, unexplainable feelings have been generated in the small town of Santa Mira. Some people say that relatives are not who they seem to be, despite being exact duplicates physically and mentally. This leads to one discovery to another for the good doctor, his girl, and two friends, and what we have through each discovery is one more piece to the puzzle that an alien presence is at work. What makes this film so successful is the pace and frantic mood it creates. We are caught up in Dr. Bennel's work, his fears and anxieties, his discoveries, and his uncovering of the truth. We feel confined, betrayed, and even suspicious of everything he encounters. Credit for this certainly must go to director Don Siegel and his outstanding ability to create this almost claustrophobic atmosphere, as well as to Kevin McCarthy who does an outstanding job playing the doctor. There are scenes in this film that live on long after viewing it...and the last one in particular has forever been etched into my mind. For a good fright, see Invasion of the Body Snatchers...They're here! They're here!

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Message Boards

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Abel Ferrara's 1994 version is very, very underrated Ulex
Original Ending sylvienj
dick cheney RodneyVervegard
Black or white or color??? enfieldboy
Foreground branch in listening-to-singing scene MovingNarrative
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