Invaders from Mars (1953)

Plot-- Aliens establish an underground beachhead that only a little boy witnesses. Trouble is nobody will believe his fantastic story; that is, until Mom and Dad start acting like robots.Good thing Earth had Morris Ankrum to save us from all those 1950's aliens. Here he does it again, thank goodness. Yeah, I'm another one of those front-row kids turned beer-guzzling geezer who shuddered then (1953) and still do at this first-rate sci-fi. Thanks a lot production-designer Menzies; you got a lot of bang for your buck. It's his artistic eye that lifts so many of the complex visuals to a compelling level. Thanks too, to whoever provided the army footage that lends realism to the fight-back. In my little book, this is near adult level sci-fi, with echoes of Body Snatchers (1956). Sure, things turn a little hokey once the giant Mutants and the octopus-bottle-head enter the picture. But that first part is a paranoid grabber when nobody believes poor little David. Then again, what kid could blossom with that great ice queen Hillary Brooke as mom. She was so good at off-putting parts. And I hope young Jimmy Hunt got adult-level pay for his expert turn. No wonder the role trailed him into adulthood (IMDB). And shouldn't overlook what amounts to a great 1950's supporting cast, including such familiar stalwarts as Sande, Stone, Freed, Kennedy, among others.All in all and despite the catch-penny title, Invaders shouldn't be confused with Roger Corman's drive-in camp classics. The latter have their own virtues mainly as laugh-fests rather than fright-fests. But either kind is better than those 1950's big-budget bore-fests with Richard and Elizabeth.

One of the most memorable SF films from the 50s. For anyone who was a kid in the 50s or 60s, just say "the movie where people are sucked into the sand", and everyone instantly knows which movie you mean. Those scenes are unforgettable, as are the scenes of the Martian Intelligence, and the image of the nurse about to receive the mind control device. And that haunting, otherworldly choral sound! Probably the most brilliantly eerie vocal sound ever made for a movie. Unfortunately, many people won't be able to look past the low budget 50s production values, but there's some great work here. William Cameron Menzies was a genius at production design. Check out the nightmarish forced perspective of the path leading to the sand pit, and the police station. A must see.

We are in the middle of the cold war. The commies are lurking around every corner. Once again we are treated to aliens who have as their agenda, subduing us and turning us into their chattel. A boy sees a space ship land from his bedroom window. When his parents go to investigate they are changed. They also have injuries to their necks. As with "Invasion of the Body Snatcher" he must find someone to believe him. He goes through a convoluted process to try to work out a way to stop what is going on. While the ending is a bit formula there is a kicker. It is an engaging, fun film with lots of questions to be answered. Much more than I expected from the time.

First saw this as an 8 yr. old. Mom dropped me off at one theater showing a 2 western matinée. When she drove off, I went around the corner to the theater showing Invaders from Mars. Scared the (well you know) out of me. Literally had to have the hall light on for a year. Checked my closet floor too! The four scariest aspects of this movie were 1. The thought that your parents could be other than those rocks of Gibralter you always counted on them being 2. That creepy choral music. 3. The surreal aspects(notice the bare, stark police station) and 4. The nightmare quality of running and not being able to escape. Having watched it again recently,I enjoyed it as much as I did 57 years ago. Great flick!