1. Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1978)
Director: Philip Kaufman Cast: Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Leonard Nimoy The Body Snatchers, published in 1955 by writer Jack Finney, has been adapted to film on four occasions. For this list we look at what we think is the best adaptation, 1978s Invasion of the Body Snatchers, crisply directed by Philip Kaufman. (While the book is not particularly great, Finneys two time travel novels, Time and Again and From Time to Time, are among the most original written on that subject.) Invasion of the Body Snatchers puts a twist on the classic alien invasion story. Strange seed pods from outer space are able to drain the life from sleeping humans, creating a duplicate of the person who plays host to the collective alien intelligence. As more and more people succumb to the alien transformation, its up the few people who have figured out what is going on to mount a resistance and rescue the human race from annihilation. These people cannot, of course, fall asleep, less they, too, be transformed into part of the alien intelligence. Donald Sutherland and Brooke Adams begin putting the pieces together. People are acting strange, people are changing. They enlist the aid of a doctor, played by Leonard Nimoy, who is skeptical at first. But then it becomes obvious that truckloads of these pods are moving into town, and hundreds, maybe thousands, of people are disseminating them into homes and offices. Director Philip Kaufman delivers an intelligent blend of science fiction, thriller and horror. The cast is excellent, and in the final moments of the filmwell, well leave that alone, save this one word: chilling. Unlike the other versions of this story, the 1978 release is the most suspenseful, the most terrifying. It projects a cold, stark tone present both thematically and in the visuals by cinematographer Michael Chapman. To its credit, the film features a cameo by Kevin McCarthy, star of the 1956 version of the film, suggesting that the series of events in the 1978 version is perhaps more of a sequel than a remake. Regardless, the first two films do the book justice. 1993s Body Snatchers, directed by Abel Ferrara (Bad Lieutenant) is mediocre at best, while the 2007 version, with Nichole Kidman and Daniel Craig, is just bad.