Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Play trailer

Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Released Feb 5, 1956

1h 20m

Sci-Fi

Horror

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

97%

Tomatometer

58 Reviews

85%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

In Santa Mira, California, Dr. Miles Bennell (Kevin McCarthy) is baffled when all his patients come to him with the same complaint: their loved ones seem to have been replaced by emotionless impostors. Despite others' dismissive denials, Dr. Bennell, his former girlfriend Becky (Dana Wynter) and his friend Jack (King Donovan) soon discover that the patients' suspicions are true: an alien species of human duplicates, grown from plant-like pods, is taking over the small town.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

One of the best political allegories of the 1950s, Invasion of the Body Snatchers is an efficient, chilling blend of sci-fi and horror.

Read Critics Reviews

Kevin Maher

The Times (UK)

"You fools! You're in danger! Can't you see? They're after you! They're after all of us!" It's one of the greatest lines in sci-fi movie history, from one of the greatest films, Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 4, 2014

Full Review

Jonathan Romney

Observer (UK)

Watch it in the cinema and you'll find yourself gazing warily at everyone else in your row.

Rated: 5/5

Nov 2, 2014

Full Review

Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

A movie that can claim kinship with Alberto Cavalcanti's Went the Day Well? as well as The Matrix and Under the Skin.

Rated: 5/5

Oct 30, 2014

Full Review

Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

It has some originality in its sci-fi horror premise about aliens, but it often remains situated on a soft, skin-deep surface that unfortunately never emerges from the sheath to interrogate post-war paranoia. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 6/10

Jul 30, 2024

Full Review

Carson Timar

ButteredPopcorn

Even today, Invasion of the Body Snatchers is a rather wonderful alien thriller. Carrying both a devilish tension and undeniable charm, the film pulls audiences in with both great characters and filmmaking.

Sep 22, 2022

Full Review

Kimberly Pierce

Ticklish Business

A dive into Invasion of the Body Snatchers shows how special this movie is... Whether it be though an examinations of the pods as a metaphor for communism, or... the downside of consumerism... this movie is a riveting example of timely 1950s cinema.

Rated: 4.5/5

May 1, 2022

Full Review

Read all reviews

Dave

It was a blast to see this classic film on the big screen. It's a perfect creepy movie for Halloween season. I would have given the review five stars but the theater I saw it in chose to turn on the lights during the last five minutes of the film which ruined the atmosphere completely.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/18/22

Full Review

Eye C

I like it a lot, the tension in the movie theater was palpable, the audience was afraid and that’s not easy to do now at days. This could be a perfect movie except for a big plot hole at the end.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/14/25

Full Review

Jonathon J

No gore, no jump scares, no horrifying monster - and yet this is quite effectively scary in its way. Can't tell who is friend or foe, can't fall asleep without being replaced, nobody to believe your crazy story - psychologically horrifying. I don't quite understand how this is all supposed to work (there are copies being grown but then somehow upon sleeping you become taken over? What's the copy for?); possibly it would have been better with no explanation at all. But this is well worth watching!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/12/25

Full Review

Stephen C

Success in 1 1/3 hours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/04/25

Full Review

Lucas t

Some genuinely scary stuff (especially for a PG) that you wouldn't getaway with with that age rating nowadays. Other than that it's an absolutely fantastic film that gets better and better as it goes on, recommend it to horror fans.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

04/10/25

Full Review

Lars N

Excellent - both the tropes and message on display here are as relevant today as ever.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/21/25

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Don Siegel

Director

Kevin McCarthy

Dr. Miles J. Bennell

Dana Wynter

Becky Driscoll

Carolyn Jones

Theodora "Teddy" Belicec

Larry Gates

Dr. Dan "Danny" Kauffman

King Donovan

Jack Belicec

The Fly

95%

71%

The Fly

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Fly

The Killer Shrews

40%

24%

The Killer Shrews

Watchlist

Shivers

85%

59%

Shivers

Watchlist

The Food of the Gods

18%

26%

The Food of the Gods

Watchlist

Kingdom of the Spiders

55%

37%

Kingdom of the Spiders

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

18 Memorable Horror Remakes

Now Streaming: Jodorowsky’s Dune, The Manchurian Candidate, and More

Guide of the Dead – An RT Romero Retrospective

View more photos

Synopsis

In Santa Mira, California, Dr. Miles Bennell (Kevin McCarthy) is baffled when all his patients come to him with the same complaint: their loved ones seem to have been replaced by emotionless impostors. Despite others' dismissive denials, Dr. Bennell, his former girlfriend Becky (Dana Wynter) and his friend Jack (King Donovan) soon discover that the patients' suspicions are true: an alien species of human duplicates, grown from plant-like pods, is taking over the small town.

Director: Don Siegel
Producer: Walter Wanger
Screenwriter: Daniel Mainwaring
Production Co: Walter Wanger Productions, Inc.
Genre: Sci-Fi, Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 5, 1956, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 1, 2016
Runtime: 1h 20m

Most Popular at Home Now