Night of the Living Dead (1968) is basically about survival, which is a goal in Body Snatchers.  Night of the Living Dead is point blank survival while Body Snatchers is embedded with more symbolism.  By the way,
all four movies are in black and white.
    "Look you fools.  You're in danger.  Can't you see?  They're after you.  They're after all of us--our wives, our children, everyone.  They're here already.  YOU'RE
NEXT!"  An aspect of filmmanking that really added to this film was the camera work.  Whenever there is a scene with confusion or bewilderment because of the seedpods, the camera is usually slightly tilted to the side.  This technique is also used when Miles madly tries to convince the people driving on the highway that they are in grave danger.  This is used to relay to the audience how the people on the highway feel about Miles--he's just a crazy drunk.
     "I want to love and be loved.  I want your children.  I don't want a world without love or grief or beauty.  I'd rather die."  The acting in the
movie was a little corny by today's standards but is still very convincing. The actors do a fine job of portraying their character's passion.  One can find out a lot about Miles's and Becky's past, not only by the dialogue, but also by the way they look at and hole each other.  One can see the love in their eyes as they kiss for the first time in the movie, and
one can also see the terrific fear in Miles's eyes when he kisses Becky and realizes she has changed.
    I liked what the movie had to say.  It was made during a time when people intentionally conformed to one another.  If a person did not conform then that person was seen as dangerous.  This is like when Dr. Kaufman told Miles he had no choice whether he wanted to be changed or not.  "We can't let you go.  You're dangerous to us.  Don't fight it, Miles, it's no use."  During the time of the McCarthy "witch-hunts", the film was a bold statement.  It was made during a time when the people of America feared communism.  It was believed that those who behaved differently were treacherous to our
    The film introduced that perhaps humans are too passionate.  Maybe if humans set aside their senseless emotions like hate, many problems would be solved.  However, without hate, there can be no love.  Of
course in this context, an emotionless world is not very appealing.  "Less than a month ago, Santa Mira was like any
beloved country.
no need for love...Love, desire, ambition, faith--without them life is so simple, believe me."  Perhaps this is so, but isn't life more meaningful and rich with some challenge added to it?
     "Doctor, will you tell these fools? I'm not crazy.  Make them listen to me before it's too late."  As you can see, the movie Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) is trying to tell us something.  Maybe, conformity is bad and that it will not sove our problems?  The
out for ourselves.  Almost everyone is a conformist.  Yes, even those who claim to "rebel" against the "norm".  The picture scares us by showing us what we could become if we are not careful.  And that, my
other town--people with nothing but problems.  Then, out of the sky came...pods which had the power to reproduce themselves in the exact likeness of any form of life...Tomorrow you'll be one of us...There's
film blatantly points out that humans are endangering themselves.  It is easy to loose our true identity in a sociey that tries to tell us what is right instead of letting us figure it
friends, is what a horror movie is all about.
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