Director Don Siegel’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) is a political film that illustrates the similarity of the American communist society during the Cold War era with the supernatural events that occur in the small town of Santa Maria, California, where the movie is set. This film is classified as a classic of horror and science fiction where aliens from outer space abduct a village to convert ordinary people into automatons with no emotions or feelings whatsoever; it is a horror movie with hidden political undertones. Every time someone in the village was suspicious about the behavior of a neighbor or relative, the aliens were responsible for turning in people with robotic features. The director of the film uses these aliens to symbolize…show more content… There was extensive paranoia about communism, an ideology that is believed to lead to the loss of personal independence. It was also believed that the communist forces were trying to brainwash Americans to join the cause of the aliens in the movie, to become emotionless and to follow the instructions of high authorities. The paranoia of many Americans during this time is reflected in the obsession of Dr. Miles, the protagonist of the movie, who is determined to stop the aliens from taking over the inhabitants of the village of Santa Maria.
The panic occurred during the Cold War era is exposed in the Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956). Nuclear war was a concern for the US government, which Dr. Miles mentioned as a possibility of the appearance of the strange pods. In the movie, when a pod begins to open to him, he comments, “Perhaps the results of atomic radiation caused the sheath take shape.” This is a clear illustration of how Western democracies were afraid of communism, as it seemed to be the end of freedom; it was a form of government in which assimilation was not an option, but a…show more content… Although the world’s issues and politics have changed since 1956, many of the fears and problems still remain the same. The threats of terrorism were as real and dangerous as communism back then. The United States still has different level of threat that rises and falls according to world events. This tells us to be on guard and keep on being fearful, without feeling as such by our national security. Even today, the Invasion of the Bodies of the Snatchers can be seen as an interpretation of how desensitized our nation has become to the ideas of death and