Invasion of the Body Snatchers

"The seed is planted... terror grows."

1978 1h 56m EN

👍

7.2

SOLID

🔥

93%

CERTIFIED FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

7.4

IMDB

★7.2TMDB · 1,411🍅93%Rotten Tomatoes●75Metacritic★7.4IMDB · 77,039

Science FictionHorror

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The residents of San Francisco are becoming drone-like shadows of their former selves, and as the phenomenon spreads, two Department of Health workers uncover the horrifying truth.

“The seed is planted... terror grows.”

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Cast

Donald Sutherland
Matthew Bennell
Brooke Adams
Elizabeth Driscoll
Leonard Nimoy
Dr. David Kibner
Jeff Goldblum
Jack Bellicec
Veronica Cartwright
Nancy Bellicec
Art Hindle
Dr. Geoffrey Howell
Lelia Goldoni
Katherine Hendley
Kevin McCarthy
Running Man (Cameo)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Philip Kaufman
Writers: W.D. Richter
Languages: English, French
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $3.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 7.1× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

48 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, French.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Philip Kaufman, shot by Michael Chapman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Denny Zeitlin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Douglas Stewart shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Donald Sutherland and Brooke Adams and Leonard Nimoy carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Philip Kaufman directs. Michael Chapman behind the camera. Denny Zeitlin scores. Douglas Stewart cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $3.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Made its money back 7.1× over at the box office.
348 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, French.
5Directed by Philip Kaufman, shot by Michael Chapman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Denny Zeitlin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Douglas Stewart shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Donald Sutherland and Brooke Adams and Leonard Nimoy carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "The seed is planted... terror grows.".
10IMDB entry: tt0077745 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 16 themes, including "based on novel or book", "san francisco, california", "1970s", "psychoanalysis".

The technical file

Cinematography: Michael Chapman
Original score: Denny Zeitlin
Editing: Douglas Stewart
Production design: Charles Rosen
Costume design: Agnes Anne Rogers
Makeup / hair: Thomas R. Burman
Stunt coordinator: David R. Ellis
Runtime: 116 min · 1h 56m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $3,500,000
Box office: $24,946,533
Return: 713% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
Rotten Tomatoes: 93% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 75/100
IMDB rating: 7.4/10 · 77,039 votes
MPAA: PG

Awards

3 wins & 11 nominations total

Also by

Philip Kaufman

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Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Rob2015-08-09
★ 7/10
Still one of the best alien invasion movies that exists. The newer ones tend to be about how many guns and explosions are needed to defeat the invaders, this one is a little different and has a strong cast and many moments of suspense that keep you interested. The dialog is perhaps weak in places and some areas do tend to drag at the start of the movie but thats all overcome later by the convincing characters and ever intriguing plot. It starts slow paced and almost doesn't give you enough information to work out exactly whats going on leaving it up to your paranoia and imagination to fill the void, this begins to change the movie into more of a horror with a scifi plot. The totally unforgettable ending will send chills down your spine and is one of the best cinematic endings I have ever seen. If you're all alone, at midnight and in the dark then stick it on but don't fall asleep...
Wuchak2018-08-01
★ 7/10
When San Francisco is invaded by pod-people RELEASED IN 1978 and directed by Philip Kaufman, "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" stars Donald Sutherland and Brooke Adams as friends, Matthew and Elizabeth, who work at the Health Department in San Francisco. They increasingly suspect that people are somehow being duplicated and trace the problem to alien plant pods. Leonard Nimoy plays Matthew’s pop psychologist friend while Jeff Goldblum & Veronica Cartwright are on hand as a couple who run a mudbath parlour. This could be viewed as a sequel rather than a remake. The entries in the series are as follows: "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" (1956); "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" (1978); "Body Snatchers" (1993); and "The Invasion" (2007). The first one is in Black & White and is probably too dated and tame for most modern viewers, but it's still worthwhile; it takes place in small town, California. This 1978 sequel switches the setting to the big city. The 1993 movie shifts to an army base in the deep south while the 2007 version switches back to the big city of Washington DC. This rendition has a peculiar tone with a lot of the events taking place at night. There’s a subdued eerie and dreary air with paranoia morphing into conspiratorial and then ghastly reality. The 70’s atmosphere and cast are highlights, as is the score with its unnerving pieces. Brooke Adam’s has exquisitely sculptured facial features (eyes, nose, lips, teeth, chin, cheeks and forehead). The creepy pod-birthing sequence in the garden is cogently done. THE MOVIE RUNS 1 hour, 55 minutes and was shot in San Francisco. WRITER: W.D. Richter. GRADE: B