torso snatching is a subgenre in sci - fi and inwardness around aliens being able-bodied to somehow   manipulate humans , whether it ’s through controlling their brains , mimicking their appearing to others , or even   retroflex them with alien avatar .   Arguably exploding in popularity thanks to   Cold War - geological era paranoia before evolving to meditate social anxieties of their respective decennary , the consistence abductor flick has always modify but the fears stay on the same .

The musical style has its origins from three main books . The first was the 1938 novella , Who Goes There?by John W. Campbell , Jr. A few decades later came Robert Heinlein’sThe Puppet Mastersin 1951 , and Jack Finney’sTheBody Snatchersin 1954 . Here are all the motion-picture show adaptations of these books , ranked .

Invasion of the Pod People (2007) - 2.7

In the bookTheBody Snatchers , a strange plant species from outer quad defecate its room to Earth and begins supercede humanity with emotionless replicas call " pod mass . "

The low-pitched - budget mockbuster company The Asylum ( the people who brought youSharknado , among many other Z - mark strike ) settle to add their theme song   low budget feeling to this classical tale to coincide with a bigger budgeted adaptation ( more on that in a bit).Invasion of the Pod Peoplecaused   critics everywhere to quick   call it the worst adaption the serial has had to date .

The Invasion (2007) - 5.9

2007 insure another adaption ofThe Body Snatcherswith the filmThe Invasion , which is whatInvasion of the Pod Peoplewas ripping off . This sentence , the plot took place in Washington DC , which added a singular and modern twist to the story . Much more was at stake in this film , seeing as politicians and   diplomats were the ace being place by the exotic threat .

Despite this admittedly interesting take and the fact that the movie had big names likeNicole Kidmanand Daniel Craig , The Invasionfailed to recapture the spirit of the original and ultimately failed at the box spot .

The Puppet Masters (1994) - 5.9

To date , The Puppet Mastersis the only direct adaption of Heinlein ’s Word of the same name . In his version of the body snatchers incubus , the aliens are magnanimous slug - corresponding creatures that attach themselves to the spine of human beings in lodge to curb their every move .   Critics and audiences were disappointed with the film , declaring it to be largely uneventful , irksome , and dusty . Varietyeven stated , " Only the most indiscriminating freak - pic buff will come away satisfied . "

The movie was a box - office dud ,   earning only $ 8.6 million in ticket sales . For the peculiar , the same basic idea was well realize in James Gunn ’s schlockySlither .

Body Snatchers (1993) - 6.0

The ' 90s was fill to the brim with body - snatching films . 1993 ensure the third direct version ofThe Body Snatchersbook , this clip taking place   in the ' 90s on an USA base . What makesBody Snatchersunique is that the friend , a teenage girl who already feels alienate in her hometown , is a major change for the tarradiddle it ’s based on .

soundbox Snatchershad quite a foreign ride through Hollywood . The movie premiered at Cannes to rave review , with   Roger Ebert even   giving the movie a self-coloured 4/4 stars . However , mainstream American audience were n’t so thrilled . Body Snatchersended up receiving a very limited theatrical release and only grossed $ 429,000 at the box bureau . Afterwards , it went on to do quite well at television lease stores and has since become a cult smasher .

The Thing (2011) - 6.2

In 2011 , a remake / prequel of the LXXX classicThe Thingwas unloosen , which itself was based on the novella , Who move There?Here , a mortal noncitizen   is capable to   pose masses by suck them . As a prequel , The Thingfocuses on the Norse Artic research station that McCready and ship’s company happen devastated and in ash in the original movie .

While the remaking was praised for its body horror , it was also panned for its abominably obvious digital effects and its   focus on too vivid and disturbing visuals over the cast ’s paranoia . This ruined the film ’s believability to place upright as a prequel .

The Faculty (1998) - 6.5

The FacultywasRobert Rodriguez ’s ode to body - snatching films and mixed the storylines from all three books together . It focalize on parasitic aliens who burrow into the brain ’s of humans to command them ( i.e. fromPuppet Masters ) but also features the spate frenzy and changed zombie spirit - same personalities fromBody Snatchers . The film   even use many ideas fromThe matter , such as the elephantine alien and   recreating the scene of " test " who is infected .

Related : The Faculty : 10 reason It ’s The great 90s Horror Movie

Throughout the motion-picture show , many mentions to the original books are made as a nod to their lasting impact on the world of sci - fi and horror . The Facultyhas since gone down as a fan - favorite and is a pinnacle example of the ' XC - era rebirth of repulsion .

Kaitlyn Santa Juana in Final Destination Bloodlines Interview header

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) - 7.4

The 1978 incarnation ofThe Body Snatchersis the Christian Bible ’s most famous film to date . It had an all - star cast includingDonald Sutherland , Veronica Cartwright , Leonard Nimoy , and Jeff Goldblum . The flick premier shortly after the Jonestown Massacre , so the theme of   brainwash " pod the great unwashed " was very much at the head of American thought .

The moving-picture show became a box seat office achiever and has had an enduring legacy as one of the best sci - fi films ever .   The now - infamous " scream scene " has also been memed and GIF’d and is now part of the cultural zeitgeist .

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) - 7.7

In 1956 , just   two age afterThe Body Snatcherswas turn in bookstall , the first film adjustment was release . It was the first consistence abduct celluloid ever and it inspire sci - fi . The motion picture also introduced new conception and themes to the genre like paranoia and distrust of others , helping dislodge sci - fi from being alone about strong-arm conflict and add together new layers of tension and fearfulness .

More importantly ,   the firstInvasion of the Body Snatcherscame out during the sentence of McCarthyism and an era of mass compliance in post - WWII America , give the plotline   of force conformity and a fear of both the other and neighbour an   extra sense of realism and urgency .

The Thing (1982) - 8.1

Most people retrieve John Carpenter for two main flick . The first is the originalHalloween , the 2d was his 1982 classic , The Thing , the first true adaption ofWho hold out There?While there wasThe affair From Another Worldfrom 1951 , which was generally based on the story , the   lack of special effects at the time hindered that film ’s ability to portray an alien shapeshifting and taking over consistence . Instead , the original movie feature a humanlike foreign bolt down mass one by one , exchangeable to a modern - twenty-four hours slasher celluloid .

InCarpenter ’s variant , all the horror and macabre of an alien species heroic   to stay   active comes to fruition . The movies used excellent pragmatic effect , lots of ooze and moxie , and an overbearing sentience of paranoia , as the crowd of the Antarctic base scrambles to uncover who is , and who is n’t , infected by the alien .

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Body Snatchers IMDB

Syfy mockbuster Invasion of the Pod People

Nicole Kidman in The Invasion (2007)

The Puppet Masters (1994)

Body Snatchers 1993 theatrical poster

Merging faces in the thing remake

The Faculty (1998) by Robert Rodriguez

Body Snatchers 1978

Body Snatchers 1956

The Thing as seen in his spider form in the 1982 remake

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