IT CAME FROM THE BOTTOM SHELF!

Olive Films is giving fans of classic science fiction and horror an early Halloween present with their Blu-ray re-release of the 1956 classic Invasion of the Body Snatchers.  Olive had previously offered the title back in 2012 in a “bare bones” edition, but the new prestige release under their Olive Signature imprint eclipses the previous disc in every way.  Not only does the film itself get a new high definition restoration which looks better than ever before, the release is loaded with extras, including archival interviews and a vintage audio commentary with filmmaker and fan Joe Dante in conversation with stars Kevin McCarthy and Dana Wynter that had strangely been unreleased until now.

While Invasion of the Body Snatchers is primarily a science fiction film, it is a good fit for Halloween viewing, as the film is a mix of all of cinema’s shadowy genres — blending sci-fi with touches of horror, film noir, and the paranoid psychological thriller.  Kevin McCarthy stars as Miles Bennell, a small-town doctor, who returns from a trip to find his community gripped by a strange delusion.  Several patients have come to believe that their relatives are not their relatives, but instead are look-alike impostors that possess the physicality and memories of their family members but are lacking in human emotion.  Unfortunately, Dr. Bennell discovers that the supposed delusion is actually quite real, and the townspeople are being methodically replaced by alien seed pods that hatch into unfeeling clones.  Can the good doctor and a few brave townspeople escape the clutches of the “Pod People?”  I’m certainly not telling.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers was a low budget production that encountered a few post-production snafus.  After a lackluster test screening for confused audience members, the studio forced director Don Siegel (Dirty Harry) to cut all traces of dark humor from the finished film.  They also mandated that he shoot the bookend scenes, to send audiences home with a little hope, rather than end the film with Kevin McCarthy’s frenzied warning “You’re next!”  Still, the premise was so strong and Siegel’s ecomical direction is so tight that the film works tremendously well, despite the last minute changes.

This is the type of film where the low budget and “smallness” of the production works to the film’s benefit. The lack of color helps to emphasize the dangers that may lurk in the shadows, and the small sets add to the stifling atmosphere of claustrophobia and fear of being trapped.  And despite the low budget, the special effects of the pods “birthing” the replicants are very effective.  Of course, the story would fall apart if the actors weren’t committed 100 percent to the concept. However, the highly professional cast of character actors, led by McCarthy, are all at the top of their game.

Much has been written about possible political messages beneath the surface of Invasion of the Body Snatchers.  Some see it as a metaphor reflecting fears of Communist infiltration during the “Red Scare” period, whereas others think it was satirizing those same fears.  Ultimately, it doesn’t matter.  The movie is a ripping good sci-fi/horror/thriller, whether or not you want to read any messages into it.  And the new Olive Signature Blu-ray disc is the best way to experience it outside of a theater.

USA/B&W-80m./Dir: Don Siegel/Wr: Daniel Mainwaring (based on a story by Jack Finney/Cast: Kevin McCarty, Dana Wynter, Larry Gates, King Donovan, Carolyn Jones, Jean Willes, Ralph Dumke, Virginia Christine, Tom Fadden, Richard Deacon, Kenneth Patterson

For Fans of: Invasion of the the Body Snatchers is like a top-tier, expanded-length episode of The Twilight Zone.  If you like Rod Serling’s series, you should like this sci-fi classic.

Video: Olive Films is re-releasing the film on Blu-ray under their prestige “Signature” line, and the Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (Olive Signature) Blu-ray is the Criterion-level, loaded edition that fans have been waiting for.  The new transfer is the cleanest and sharpest that has ever been available, and it was mastered with a maxed-out bitrate.  The film was actually shot full frame, but it was cropped and released as “Superscope” widescreen.  Consequently, while most of the film looks very sharp, it is impossible to achieve the pinpoint sharpness of a true anamorphic image.  This is not the fault of the transfer.  It is true to the original theatrical release and the film’s low budget roots.  Overall, the image is quite pleasing, and it is unlikely to ever look better on home video.

In addition to a solid transfer, the disc is packed with extras, including two audio commentaries and numerous featurettes and interviews, most of which are being released for the first time.  Fans are sure to be pleased.

Blu-ray Extras Include:

• NEW HIGH-DEFINITION RESTORATION
• Audio Commentary by film historian Richard Harland Smith
• Audio Commentary by actors Kevin McCarthy and Dana Wynter, and filmmaker Joe Dante
• “The Stranger in Your Lover’s Eyes” – A two-part visual essay with actor and son of director Don Siegel, Kristoffer Tabori, reading from his father’s book A Siegel Film
• “The Fear is Real” – Filmmakers Larry Cohen and Joe Dante on the film’s cultural significance
• “I No Longer Belong: The Rise and Fall of Walter Wanger” – Film scholar and author Matthew Bernstein discusses the life and career of the film’s producer
• “Sleep No More: Invasion of the Body Snatchers Revisited” – Never-before-seen appreciation of the film featuring actors Kevin McCarthy and Dana Wynter, along with comments from film directors and fans, John Landis, Mick Garris, and Stuart Gordon
• “The Fear and the Fiction: The Body Snatchers Phenomenon” – Never-before-seen interviews with Kevin McCarthy and Dana Wynter, along with film directors John Landis, Mick Garris and Stuart Gordon, discussing the making of the film, its place in history, and its meaning
• 1985 archival interview with Kevin McCarthy hosted by Tom Hatten
• “Return to Santa Mira” – An exploration of the film’s locations
• “What’s In a Name?” – On the film’s title
• Gallery of rare documents detailing aspects of the film’s production including the never-produced opening narration to have been read by Orson Welles
• Essay by author and film programmer Kier-La Janisse
• Original theatrical trailer
• Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature

Streaming: Low resolution copies of the film can be found streaming on YouTube and elsewhere, but they are nowhere near as sharp and clear as the Olive Signature Blu-ray.

More to Explore: The Pod People captured the imagination of the public, and there is a remake or reimagining of Jack Finney’s original story for each generation, starting with Philip Kaufman’s 1978 version, which is available as the Scream Factory Invasion Of The Body Snatchers [Collector's Edition] [Blu-ray].  That was followed by Abel Ferrara’s 1993 Body Snatchers and 2007’s The Invasion.

Trivia: Future director Sam Peckinpah (The Wild Bunch) appears in a brief role as a gas meter reader.

For More Info: Barry Keith Grant has published a critical study of the film as Invasion of the Body Snatchers (BFI Film Classics). You can also read the original serialized novel, The Body Snatchers, by Jack Finney.