Invasion of the Body Snatchers remains one of sci-fi horror cinema’s most beloved franchises due to its paranoia-driven subject matter that would serve up quite a scary dose of social commentary. It challenged audiences to confront the nightmare scenario of humanity being replaced by alien copies to create an impersonal and emotionless society.
The franchise had three major movies that began in 1956 and ended in 1993, and it’s about time for a sci-fi classic remake. They contain some of the scariest and disturbing scenes in horror/thriller history. Here are the most spine-tingling of the bunch that would make anyone think twice before going to sleep.
10 A Town Taken Over (Invasion Of The Body Snatchers / 1956)
Miles and Becky are too late to put a stop to the first wave of alien invaders that have taken over their town, and they’re forced to watch as copied humans line up to collect alien pods and bring them back to their vehicles.
The intent is for the townspeople to spread the pods to the surrounding cities and towns in a spider web formation in order to spread out from the centralized area. This drives Miles’ paranoia to insane levels as he realizes just what’s at stake for humanity if their plan succeeds.
9 Becky No More (Invasion Of The Body Snatchers / 1956)
Miles and Becky spent a great deal of time trying to stay one step ahead of their alien invaders, and that meant showing no emotion so as to fool them. Unfortunately, Becky cried out in fear when a dog ran into the middle of a street and was nearly killed by a vehicle.
This roused enough suspicion among the alien copies to begin giving chase and forcing Miles and Becky into an abandoned mine shaft to hide in. Miles stepped out, only to return to Becky who had since fallen asleep and been copied to his utter horror.
8 You’re Next! (Invasion Of The Body Snatchers / 1956)
With the alien invasion now in full swing, Miles’ fragile mind was coming apart at the seams. He barely managed to escape the alien invaders in his town before making it onto a busy freeway. He tried frantically to stop any car that would listen and attempt to spread the word about what was happening.
His pursuers broke chase, thinking nobody would believe him. This was proven largely correct as Miles tried repeatedly to convince anyone who would listen, but it seemed to be in vain. This set up one of the most iconic shots (and quotes) of the entire movie.
7 The First Copies (Invasion Of The Body Snatchers / 1978)
The 1978 remake of Invasion managed to create a far more convincing and horrifying procedure for humans to be copied. This wasn’t just a few fake cobwebs and some bubbles. It was something far more grotesque, extraterrestrial, and sinister in nature. The first true full-on glimpse of the copy procedure remains the scariest.
As Matthew fell asleep in his chair, his body was being copied along with several other of his friends. He managed to wake up in time before the procedure killed him, but not before staring at his own incomplete face as his doppelganger struggled for life.
6 Whistleblowers (Invasion Of The Body Snatchers / 1978)
Before fleeing, Matthew took a shovel to the copied humans and started killing them before they had a chance to rise. This attracted the unwanted attention of aliens in the nearby area that pointed at him and screamed in an attempt to attract others and give chase.
This became a signature moment of the Body Snatchers franchise that would terrify audiences for years to come. The sight of aliens lurking as humans and acting as one malevolent force in the face of a dwindling populace was enough to give anyone the chills.
5 Friends Now Enemies (Invasion Of The Body Snatchers / 1978)
Matthew’s plan to escape the city and warn the authorities about the impending alien invasion didn’t go according to plan. After splitting up, Matthew and Elizabeth were horrified to be reunited with David and Jack (played with excellence by Jeff Goldblum) who had since been copied.
David sedated both of them and revealed their alien origins before trying to convince them that the path to a better future was one where emotions were removed from the equation. This would be terrifying for any human.
4 No More Hope (Invasion Of The Body Snatchers / 1978)
The final act of the film shows Matthew walking around town and watching as the nearly-complete alien invasion has run its course. He visits various buildings and locales to witness how much quieter and more organized society has become – while completely emotionless at the same time.
Meanwhile, Nancy tries her best to stay undercover by displaying no emotion, but she happens to cross paths with Matthew and makes the mistake of showing her emotion. Both Nancy and the audience were in for a horrifying shock when it’s revealed that Matthew has been copied. He points at her and screams, robbing moviegoers and Nancy of any hope for a happy ending.
3 Exposed (Body Snatchers / 1993)
After Carol was successfully copied in front of her young son Andy, he refused to trust her and tried to tell his sister and father that she was not his real mom. It largely fell on deaf ears until strange occurrences began popping up around the nearby military base which gave them reasons to consider the possibility.
Steve and Marti were nearly copied by the alien pods before awakening to find Carol trying to calm them down. Realizing the jig was up, Carol tried to convince Steve that it was hopeless to resist what was coming. When he fled with Andy and Marti, Carol’s doppelganger pointed and screamed at them to attract the nearby aliens in one of the most terrifying scenes in the franchise.
2 A Horrifying Prospect (Body Snatchers / 1993)
The 1993 version of Body Snatchers follows essentially the same premise as the 1978 version, with a bit of added social commentary thrown in for good measure. The original novel and film are widely regarded as an allegory for Communism and the movie plays on this.
The copied General Platt confronts Major Collins and tells him that humanity is better off as one race where the concept of personal identity is no longer valid.
1 Andy Is Copied (Body Snatchers / 1993)
Director Abel Ferrara might have been trying to replicate the horrifying no-hope prospect of the first two films by going down a similar route. The final act shows Marti and Tim escaping in a military chopper just seconds after Marti’s young brother Andy joins them.
However, Marti is forced to deal with the horrifying reality that little Andy has also been copied and turned into a doppelganger. Marti is forced to throw him out of the helicopter while he points and screams at her all the way down. Luckily, the film ends on a surprisingly brighter note as opposed to ending with that one scene.
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