Jack Finney’s 1954 sci-fi novel The Body Snatchers has been adapted into four different movies, and here’s how they rank, from worst to best. While it’s become quite common in recent decades for any movie that’s popular enough to get remade, it’s not very often that the same story gets told in more than two films, barring public domain items like the works of Shakespeare and books like Dracula and Frankenstein. Yet, Invasion of the Body Snatchers’ tale of humans being replaced by emotionless alien clones has graced screens in four different decades.
It’s not hard to see why the Body Snatchers story has proved so resonant. While a monster or a killer chasing you is scary, it’s scary in an immediate way, and presents a clear external threat to be overcome. In Invasion of the Body Snatchers, the identity-stealing aliens copy and dispose of prey while the unsuspecting victim sleeps, returning a copy that looks and sounds the same, but is now completely devoid of what makes human beings human. It’s an insidious plot, and one no one else is likely to believe is happening until it’s too late to stop it. Presented below is our ranking of all four Invasion of the Body Snatchers movies.
4. The Invasion (2007)
The clear bottom of the Invasion of the Body Snatchers totem pole is The Invasion, released in 2007. Starring A-list actors Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, The Invasion really should’ve turned out better than it did. Unfortunately, the production was troubled from the outset, and ended up seeing studio Warner Bros. bring in the Wachowski siblings to rewrite the script and V for Vendetta director James McTiegue to reshoot a large portion of the film, all uncredited. The result was a severely compromised product that sported a ridiculous copout ending in which every snatched person is returned to normal.
3. Body Snatchers (1993)
Directed by Abel Ferrara, 1993’s Body Snatchers remake dropped the “Invasion of the” part, and moved the action to a military base. Starring Gabrielle Anwar, Meg Tilly, Christine Elise and R. Lee Ermey, Body Snatchers was mostly praised by critics, who found it to be a worthy modern take on the concept. Roger Ebert famously raved about the film, giving it a perfect score. Sadly, audiences didn’t agree, and Body Snatchers utterly bombed at the box office. However, some genre fans have rediscovered it as the decades have passed, and realized that while it’s not as good as its predecessors, Body Snatchers 1993 is a creepy, suspenseful sci-fi/horror film in its own right.
2. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
Taking second place in this ranking is 1956’s original Invasion of the Body Snatchers movie, directed by Don Siegel and starring Kevin McCarthy. While it’s not at the top of the list, that doesn’t mean Body Snatchers 1956 isn’t a terrific film. Somewhat overlooked by critics upon release, Siegel’s film has since become regarded as one of the best sci-fi/horror movies of all time, and in 1994 was chosen for preservation in the US. National Film Registry. Those who generally find older movies boring needn’t worry, as this Invasion holds up just fine over 60 years later.
1. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
It’s rare that a remake manages to top the original, but in the case of director Philip Kaufman’s 1978 version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, it happened. While the 1956 Invasion primarily functioned as a take on cold war paranoia and was set in the small town of Santa Mira, the 1978 remake moves things to the hustle and bustle of San Francisco, and uses the pod people to reflect the societal alienation often experienced as part of life in a big city. The cast is stacked as well, with Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Jeff Goldblum, Leonard Nimoy, and Veronica Cartwright all lending their talents to the Invasion. The icing on the cake is that Kevin McCarthy makes a cameo in a way that suggests Invasion of the Body Snatchers 1978 is actually a stealth sequel instead of a remake.
More: 15 Most Disturbing Body Horror Movies Ever
