Throughout cinematic history, thehorror genre has frequently reflected contemporary anxieties, framing monstrous creatures and bloodthirsty villains as metaphors for ongoing dilemmas. The Golden Age of the Slasher subgenre in the 1980s is seen as both a rejection of the Reagan era rise of neoconservatism, while internalizing sexist ideas bycreating the trope of the virginal ‘Final Girl’. Self-referential comedy horror films, such asShaun of the Deadand theScary Moviefranchise were particularly successful in the wake of 9/11 as American audiences sought brevity in the wake of a national tragedy. The recent rise of ‘Digital Horror’ movies, such asTragedy GirlsandWe’re All Going to the World’s Fair,has emerged alongside the growing ubiquitous use of social media and harmful internet cultures. However, the many adaptations ofJack Finney’s 1954 novelThe Body Snatchersremain unique in that they highlight decades of evolving American fears despite depicting the same premise of an alien infiltration of human society.
Don Siegel’soriginal 1956 adaptation,Invasion of the Body Snatchers,contextualizes its narrative within Cold War Era concerns. Released at the height of the Second Red Scare, the aliens, known as ‘pod people’, invade the small, idyllic California town of Santa Mira by creating emotionless duplicates of the human inhabitants. These emotional duplicates act in uniformity and form a deeply entrenched community, contrasting the American ideals of individuality and freedom of expression Likewise, these aliens can easily be viewed as substitutes for the spread of Soviet Communism, deeply feared by McCarthyists in the 1950s to an almost hysterical extent. Indeed, the film dips into psychological horror as the protagonist Dr. Miles Bennell (Kevin McCarthy) loses an increasing number of their friends to the pod people and verges on a mental breakdown by the film’s end. Fears of Communist brainwashing of ordinary citizens and Soviet spies living surreptitiously in suburban America are likewise embedded into the film’s narrative, as its final scene declares that it can happen to anyone, that “we’re all in danger, all of us”.
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Conversely,Invasion of the Body Snatcherscan be interpreted as a rejection of Red Scare tactics as a satire of American paranoia during the 1950s. With the McCarthyist trials well underway, Hollywood filmmakers, actors, and other creative professions were particularly vulnerable to governmental suspicions and tribunals. The notorious House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) led to the ‘Hollywood Blacklist’, where Hollywood artists (particularly screenwriters) were boycotted by the studios on advice from the government due to their suspect ties to Socialism and Communism. Victims of the Blacklist included popular movie stars such asCharlie ChaplinandOrson Wells,and many artists were forced to move abroad or go underground due to their inability to find and fear of government intervention. IfInvasion of the Body Snatchersis read as a satire of McCarthyism, then Dr. Bennell becomes the film’s true villain as he experiences psychological delusions, hysteria, and unjustly accuses his community of inhumanity.
WhilePhilip Kaufman’s 1978 remake tells the same essential story, the film’s context radically differs from the original and is reflected in the change of setting, and characters. Rather than setting the alien invasion in intimate, suburban Santa Mira, the 1978 version depicts the ‘pod people’ infiltration of the grimy, decayed city of San Francisco. San Francisco was the heart of the Baby Boomer generation in the 1960s and 1970s and a center of its countercultures, notably as the setting of the 1967 Summer of Love.The 1978 film speaks to the Boomer’s continuous desire to cultivate their own unique (often thought of as superior) identity while remaining anti-authoritarian at heart. Hence, the pod-people are the antithesis of Boomer culture in that they steal the humans’ identities and slowly infiltrate several levels of government and the police, establishing a communal, domineering culture where dissent is punished severely.
Kaufman’s choice to setInvasion of the Body Snatchersin San Francisco speaks to several shifts in American lifestyles, including the increasing urbanization of the U.S and the resulting degradation of the quality of life within city centers. Urban decay and overpopulation of downtown areas are rather visible in the background of the film, while public health concerns around the toxicity of asbestos were on the rise. These health concerns are illustrated in the change of the main protagonist’s profession from a doctor in the 1956 version, to the health inspector, Matthew Bennell (Donald Sutherland). Biological science plays a greater role in the remake, highlighting the rapid development of health sciences with the 1970s seeing the first vaccines for rubella, pneumonia, and meningitis. Moreover, the female lead of the film, Elizabeth Driscoll (Brooke Adams), is a laboratory scientist who occupies a more proactive role than the female lead of the 1956 version, conveying both a change in gendered ideas and the mass introduction of women in the workforce.
Oliver Hirschbiegel’s 2007 adaptation,The Invasion,differs more substantially from the previous two iterations and is likewise remembered less fondly. Like many horror films in the 2000s, such asWar of the Worlds,The Invasionis quite clearly informed by the 9/11 terror attacks, grappling with both Americans’ fear of external attacks and the invasive measures implemented by the Bush administration. Whereas the previous two films primarily focus on a small cast of characters, Hirschbiegel widens the scope of the invasion as the media plays interviews of ordinary citizens reacting to the invasion of a foreign object in the sky. The specific mention of a ‘foreign object in the sky’ is one of the many clear references to 9/11 and other suspected terror attacks in the 2000s. Likewise, the news is constantly played in the background of scenes illustrating how the 24-hour media cycle has made ongoing crises a constant spectacle and has become a daily intrusion in itself.
Hirschbiegel’s decision to setThe Invasionin Washington D.C, contrasts the previous two settings, as America’s political center. Issues of the government’s growing breach of individuals’ rights following 9/11 are repeatedly referenced, as the infected officials eradicate all privacy among Americans. Moreover, the alien invasion isn’t actually of duplicates but rather of a virus whose infection dramatically changes people and rids them of their emotions. The change follows several disease outbreaks, such as the 2002-2004 SARS outbreak and the North American E. coli outbreak. The emphasis on health is reiterated with another change in the protagonist’s profession, with psychiatrist Dr. Carol Bennell (Nicole Kidman) becoming the first female lead, pointing to greater inclusion of women in film and in the sciences. The film makes many references to an increased medicalization of the American public, criticizing the overprescription of pharmaceuticals following the ongoing Opioid epidemic. Unlike the previous adaptations,The Invasionactually concludes with the population cured of their infections but somberly reminds its audience of the ongoing wars and violence across the world, as the protagonist considers whether an emotionless, crimeless society would have been a better alternative.
The adaptations ofThe Body Snatcherscontinue to provide a unique insight into the specific American contexts of their time periods. Changes in the subsequent films highlight America’s radical shifts throughout the late 20th century and the early 21st century, with health sciences remaining an obvious concern in contemporary times. Any future adaptations will likewise reflect the change in American anxieties, with political polarization, the balance of power among global superpowers, and of course COVID-19 all being possible reference points.
