Alongside some truly horrifying images and sounds (the births, the shrieks, the deaths), there's also a tangible sense of paranoia-fuelled dread in every scene of 'Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1978)'. If there's one thing this hopeless remake/ re-adaptation has, it's one heck of an ominous atmosphere. From the moment the movie begins, there's just something off about it. There's already a fifty-fifty chance that the people on screen are at the very least incredibly creepy, if not entirely otherworldly (an early cameo from Robert Duvall as a child-watching priest stands out amidst a sea of cold stares and random running and blink-and-you'll-miss-them bystanders who are just a bit too interested in our protagonists), and that chance only increases as the picture edges closer and closer to its seemingly inevitable final movement. Although it is rather slow, especially during its transitional mid-section, it's ultimately a rather scary affair that may not always be conventionally enjoyable but is arguably better for it. It's the kind of film that unapologetically moves at its own pace, and I can't bring myself to criticise it too harshly for that even though I also can't deny there are areas in which it could have been tightened up slightly. The success of its overall effect outweighs its occasional in-the-moment sluggishness, and makes for a distinct experience that never threatens to dilute its striking central premise with notions of overly Hollywood-style storytelling. It's a really strong update to the 1956 original.
