Body Snatchers poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Gabrielle Anwar, Terry Kinney, Billy Wirth, Meg Tilly, Forest Whitaker ... see more see more... , Christine Elise , R. Lee Ermey , Reilly Murphy , Kathleen Doyle , Tonea Stewart , Jennifer Tilly , Phil Neilson , Keith Smith , Ferne Cassel , Michaël Cohen

Abel Ferrara's Body Snatchers is the third screen version of Jack Finney's cold war science fiction novel Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Marty Malone (Gabrielle Anwar) is moving with her father, step... read more read more...mother, and stepbrother to a military base where her father will investigate possible environmental and ecological problems. Before they get to town, Marty is warned in a gas station restroom by a crazed looking military man that, "They get you when you sleep!" Marty adjusts to life on the base by flirting with a young officer and making friends with the rebellious daughter of the base commander. These friends help her when a plot by aliens to turn all humans into unemotional, unfeeling "pod people" shifts into high gear. As her family and friends are attacked, Marty doesn't know who to trust. Previous versions of his story were directed by Don Siegel (1956) and Phillip Kaufman (1978). ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Flixster Users

36% liked it

13,265 ratings

Critics

70% liked it

27 critics

R, 1 hr. 27 min.

Directed by: Abel Ferrara

Release Date: January 1, 1993

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: August 21, 2001

Get It:

Stats: 378 reviews

report incorrect info

Photos

Carol Malone Marti Malone and her Boyfriend Body Snatchers Marti Malone Marti Malone and her Boyfriend Body Snatchers Body Snatchers Body Snatchers Body Snatchers Forest Whitaker in Body Snatchers
Upload a Photo | View All Body Snatchers Photos

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (378)

  • DragonEyeMorrison
    September 8, 2011
    DragonEyeMorrison
    It's been a while since i saw this one, Ferrara's direction is great, the sense of tension was very well build. My problem was the very anti-climatic ending. Might need a rewatch.
  • SirPant
    September 30, 2009
    SirPant
    I liked it. It?s not as good as the 2 before it but Abel Ferrara still does well! The little kid getting kicked out the chopper is always fun!
  • ceWEBrity
    July 5, 2009
    ceWEBrity
    I threw this on expecting shitty, disposable horror, something to serve as background noise while I thought about my life or whatever. To my surprise I actually found myself very involved - this is a sleek, beautifully filmed thriller that obviously earned a poor reputation follo... read morewing in the footsteps of its (overrated) predecessor. By no means is it perfect, especially when Abel Ferrara found himself confronted by a low budget and chose not to work around his problems, but through him. This leads to some laughably bad special effects issues, especially one spoilerrific occasion toward the very end of the film. A potentially horrifying final note instead becomes risible. He mostly knows how to work with his shortcomings but there are times when less could well have been more.

    The performances are a mixed bag. Meg Tilly, in a minimal role, manages to be surprisingly effective, though I wonder about that final monologue of hers. Her delivery is interesting; I don't know if it was an instance of the actress trying to sound haunting and profound and failing, or a confused pseudo-human trying to do the same. No way to tell, I guess. Gabrielle Anwar is functional and it's amusing to see her so young, before the Sci-Fi channel kidnapped her and forced her to do 80 TV movies about fish demons. Her character is a bit sullen but it's easy to forget that every 17 year old, including yourself, once was. The dad and boyfriend are both lousy, and the six-year-old pretty much gives a six-year-old performance. Forest Whitaker, in a two-scene cameo, is amusingly overdone. I couldn't imagine someone this hammy going on to win an Oscar fifteen years later (for a similarly overdone performance). Good news for Ben Foster, I suppose.

    Where Body Snatchers regains lost ground is some surprisingly effective visual work. Abel Ferrara, given a project that doubtlessly amounted to little more than cheap popcorn fare, instead opted to turn it into something cinematographically striking. His command of lighting and mise-en-scene lend a certain menace to every scene, even the peaceful ones; characters are often framed off-center and night is hued with an offputting white light. Just as this environment feels alien to young Marti, so too does it look alien to a viewer. Shots that may have been throwaways for other directors - Meg Tilly throwing a suspicious garbage bag away, a kid's game in the woods, a network of tendrils crawling through the vent - suddenly become vivid and memorable. It's clear that Ferrara has a lot of respect for and knowledge of his craft.

    Anyway, this seems to be largely dismissed as trash horror, and that's a shame. It's not a gem of unparalleled quality or anything, but it dances with some interesting themes like ostracization and the feeling of being "transplanted," both in a human and supernatural sense. In only 87 minutes, Ferrara presents a complete (if not thin) narrative and a thematic structure, tied neatly together with some great aesthetic work and inventive scares. If you're looking for underseen 90s horror, or feel like compulsively watching all the Body Snatchers remakes, this is a great stop.
  • MovieGeek13
    December 19, 2007
    MovieGeek13
    This remake is a lively update but fails to be anything more than an early, less intense version of 28 Days Later.
  • deano
    March 1, 2007
    deano
    This third film version of Jack Finney's creepy novel is okay and it was my first time to watch this sci-fi story about invading alien pods relocates the menace to an American military base.
  • garyX
    December 5, 2006
    garyX
    Decent enough retelling of The Invasion Of The Body Snatchers, but with both the classic original and a superior remake already on offer, a little pointless.
  • wbgoose13
    August 14, 2007
    wbgoose13
    Dude, they toss a kid from out of a helicopter!
  • thirdway821
    January 24, 2011
    thirdway821
    "Where you gonna go, where you gonna run, where you gonna hide? Nowhere... 'cause there's no one like you left."

    A great line from actress Meg Tilly. A teenage girl and her father discover alien clones are replacing humans on a remote U.S. military base in Alabama. Great scene... read mores and great performances. One of my fav scenes involves Gabrielle Anwar having a relaxing bubble bath while listening to music. Then slowly with observation, stringy particules creep slowly into the walls to the bathtub. Anwar is unaware of the particules insinuating her body.

    One of the greatest things I've noticed in "Body Snatchers" is that people are being replaced by an ugly-like Pod Plant which takes over and kill their human victims as they sleep, turning them to dust. The plant has now inherited the victim's body become them and yet showing practically no emotion. It is downright scary stuff. Another key element is the family tensions. Anwar's character doesn't get along with her stepmom played by Meg Tilly, she also doesn't get along with her father(Terry Kinney) and her young stepbrother(Reilly Murphy) senses a wave of uncertainty when witnessing his mom.

    Who would have thought a picture as great as this would suit somebody like Ferrara? To me his films is almost paraell to filmmakers like Paul Schrader or Martin Scorsese, now with this picture he has succeeded on every level. It's sad "Body Snatchers" was only selected to a few limited theaters upon it's release. I was reminded of the successful Zombie pictures but compared to "Body Snatchers" those movies doesn't even come close enough let alone stand a chance.
  • cacutshaw
    November 19, 2007
    cacutshaw
    Ferrara's mainstream film is still very, very good. Probably the only thing wrong with it is it isn't nearly as kick ass as it's predecessors. Still, great movie, that's very suitable for the time it was made, from a great director.
  • ileo
    March 29, 2007
    ileo
    A good film.

View All Body Snatchers Reviews

Critic Reviews

Tim Brayton
September 12, 2007
Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy

A teen horror film with grown-up violence. Full Review

Nick Schager
May 8, 2006
Nick Schager, Lessons of Darkness

Offers a few stunning moments of paranoia-laced terror. Full Review

Kevin Carr
March 18, 2005
Kevin Carr, 7M Pictures

A misfire on a classic remake.

Eric Lurio
December 21, 2004
Eric Lurio, Greenwich Village Gazette

The original was far better.

Luke Y. Thompson
November 19, 2004
Luke Y. Thompson, New Times

One almost never says that a SECOND remake is worth a dang, but this is that very rare exception to prove the rule.

Rob Thomas
April 22, 2004
Rob Thomas, Capital Times (Madison, WI)

A very effective horror remake that's driven by character rather than cheap shocks.

Ken Hanke
October 8, 2003
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Okay remake. Might have been better is screenwriter Stuart Gordon had directed.

Blake Davis
April 28, 2003
Blake Davis, KFOR Channel 4 News

One of the creepiest and most overlooked horror movies made in the past decade, featuring a strong, scary turn by Meg Tilly.

Scott Weinberg
July 26, 2002
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com

Won't ever challenge Siegel's or Kaufman's versions, but it's a pretty worthwhile adaptation for fans of Jack Finney's source material.

Michael W. Phillips, Jr.
February 28, 2002
Michael W. Phillips, Jr., Goatdog's Movies

Instead of really being scary, the film made me think of something that has troubled me since: don't movie characters watch movies? Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • Invasion of the Body Snatchers
    Invasion of the Body Snatchers (100%)
  • Invasion of the Body Snatchers
    Invasion of the Body Snatchers (77%)
  • The Invasion
    The Invasion (79%)
  • The Thing
    The Thing (64%)

More Movies like Body Snatchers

Facts

Submit a Fact | View All
Submit a Fact | View All

Body Snatchers : Watch Free on TV

Body Snatchers Trivia

  • 2007's "The Invasion", starring Nicole Kidman, is yet another remake of the 1956 film "Invasion of The Body Snatchers". With the release of this film, how many total remakes are there?  Answer »
  • Nicole Kidman's latest film, "The Invasion," is a re-make of the classic "Invasion of the Body Snatchers." Including the latest incarnation, how many times has this film been RE-MADE?  Answer »
  • Nicole Kidman's latest movie "The Invasion" is an up-to-date remake of which 1950s horror flick.  Answer »
  • In Abel Ferrara's Body Snatchers, who says the following? 'Where are you gonna go? Where are you gonna run? Where are you gonna hide? Nowhere. Cause there's no one like you left!'   Answer »
More Body Snatchers Trivia

Movie Quizzes

No quizzes for Body Snatchers. Want to create one?

Video Clips

No video clips yet. Want to upload one?

Meet Other Fans

Add Body Snatchers to favorites

Recent News

No recent headlines. Got one?

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

No skins yet. Interested in creating one?