SSC Film Studies

Invasion the Body Snatchers reflects the time in which it was made in many ways. The film opens with the final scene of Miles panicking about a powerful force that audience is yet to see. The film then cuts to the beginning of Miles’ story and we come to realise that the film is narrated in a flashback. Miles is panicking and in a state of shock. The film opens with this panic to reflect the time and problems they had in American society. The entire nation was in the middle of the Red Scare and feared communism and McCarthy with his witch hunts underway. McCarthy scared the nation and the pods in the film are there to represent McCarthyism and how people just followed him due to fear. McCarthy represents an internal threat to people as his ideologies used to be a minority but he grew in power, like the pods in the film, they went from the minority to the majority. The film uses peoples fear and paranoia felt by most Americans.

After the prologue, the film opens with Miles returning home to the small town of Santa Mira. The film is set in a small US town instead of a major city, which makes the film more relatable for the audience as America is made up o many US states, like Santa Mira. This challenges the audiences expectancies if the film making them more on ease when watching it. This is done to represent how McCarthy is an internal threat, like the pods and like the pods, he changed people’s ideologies and beliefs and made people fear him so he’d become the status quo and everyone would conform to his beliefs. This message is designed to speak to the normal Americans and tap into their existing fears.

At first, Miles encounters two individuals who complain to him mentioning that their family members have changed and are ‘different’. He dismisses the comments and shrugs of the complaints as psychological conditions. Little Jimmy’s mother and uncle Ira both look the same and sound the same but their families complain that ‘something’ has changed about them. The Grimaldi family business has also gone out of business as a result of this change. McCarthy grew from a small issue to a national one, just like the pods. At first it was only a minority who fear communism and only the minority who were pod people. But the problem grew with peoples fear of McCarthy and paranoia of being blacklisted grew, meaning only a few were left, just like Miles was the only one left who wasn’t a pod person.

As more and more people complain about these symptoms Miles begins to take notice and think there is a genuine problem occurring. We begin to see more people affected by this peculiar psychological condition, and

Miles is confident that this is to blame. The majority starts to take in McCarthy’s beliefs and begin to adopt his ideologies. They begin to see people that don’t share his point of view as outsiders and they are considered a threat. Like in the film, Miles doesn’t agree with the pod peoples views and ideologies and becomes a threat to them, so the pods must do something to sort him out, like when McCarthy blacklisted people.

As the number of pods grow, they begin to show authority figures like the Doctor or the police force who shrug of Miles’ complaint abut the dead body and the pod at Becky’s house. The pods begin to grow in numbers and when people raise concerns, question or challenge the pod people they’re labeled as paranoid or crazy and even accused of imagining things and if they did not persist then they were threatened with imprisonment. This shows how if people went against McCarthy then they’d be labeled as a communist and be blacklisted for going against his views and ideologies.

The day after the events with the authority figures and the bodies, Miles wakes up satisfied with the explanation that was given to him by the authority figures, however his actions and behavior have been noted and he is being carefully watched with a suspicious view. Most people decided not to question the new status quo and the changes in society as people felt like they were unable to speak to and trust the authority figures as they had started to adopt McCarthy’s beliefs and his ideologies. Fear and paranoia grew within society as people felt their personal beliefs and thoughts were being questioned. Anyone who questioned McCarthy or who was seen as problematic was viewed with suspicion. People in society would adopt his points and also se those who questioned him as a threat as they didn’t want to get into trouble or be blacklisted. Just like pod people, Miles and Becky conform with the society so they don’t get in trouble with the authority figures and be considered as a threat. People would have to give up their personal beliefs and change their views and ideologies to it in with status quo.

Whilst being at Jack’s house Miles uncovers more pods and realises that there is a conspiracy going on. He attempts to phone higher authority figures but they wont offer any help or support to Miles. So he tells his friends to escape whilst he waits. As McCarthy’s power grew stronger he became an dangerous enemy for anyone. If he attacked or even just suggested someone was a communist then their lives would be over, many people even committed suicide after being balcklisted.