The Body Stealers

The Body Stealers - 1969 | 91 mins | Science Fiction, Horror | Colour

The Production Team

Director: Gerry Levy.
Producer: Tony Tenser.
Script: Gerry Levy and Michael St. Clair.
Cinematography: John Coquillon.
Film Editing: Howard Lanning.
Art Direction: C. Wilfred Arnold.
Sound Department: Dennis Lanning and Hugh Strain.
Original Music: Reg Tilsley.

The Cast

George Sanders - General Armstrong
Maurice Evans - Dr. Matthews
Patrick Allen - Bob Megan
Neil Connery - Jim Radford
Hilary Heath - Julie Slade
Robert Flemyng - W.C. Baldwin
Lorna Wilde - Lorna
Allan Cuthbertson - Hindsmith
Michael Culver - Lieutenant Bailes

Plot Synopsis

This threadbare Anglo-American variation on the Invasion of the Bodysnatchers theme sounds like a good idea, but with too much tame dialogue and too little action, this sloppily produced sci-fi film meanders along before tamely closing in a very British sort of way. therefore just comes across as daft. Veteran actor and lead George Sanders looks distinctly uninterested and his heart obviously wasn't in it either, as he ambles through his lead role. Originally the film was classified 'A' but one month after the first viewing the company chose to reinstate the cuts taken from the 'A' to attain the 'X'. The reinstated cuts were of Lorna's naked breast as she removes her dress, and the whole love scene between Bob and Lorna from the point he removes his shirt.

Parachutists testing new equipment pass through a red mist and disappear into thin air as they free fall. General Armstrong (George Sanders) decides to bring in an outside man, and calls on US Air Force special investigator Bob Megan (Patrick Allen) to come up with some answers. He discovers that aliens are responsible, and are putting sky divers in suspended animation to return home with them and replenish their dying planet. Megan meanwhile meets and begins falling for the beautiful and mysterious Lorna (Lorna Wilde), who unbeknown to him is an alien too.