Remaking Fear: Evolution of the Body Snatchers (2018)

Nothing puts fear into people like a good story and INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS has proven to be one of the best. For over half a century pod people have been plotting against humanity and they never stay hidden for long. Since the original novel was published in 1954, Jack Finney's classic paranoid fable has spawned an endless series of imitations and no less than four official movie adaptations. Every 15 to 20 years audiences around the world were faced with a different invading terror, tailored to address ever-changing social anxieties. Time after time, filmmakers invented new ways for people to fear the unknown, mistrust authority and oppose uniformity. These films together not only demonstrate the dangers that may befall us, but also epitomize the evolution of cinematic storytelling. To study them is to take a crash course in fabricating fear.