6 Mystery Movies That You Wouldn't Miss
“Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (Philip Kaufman, 1978)
Philip Kaufman’s 1978 spin on “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” abandons the B-movie armature of Don Siegel’s 1956 original (as glorious as that film may too be) to wade in the waters of oozing 1970s paranoia. With a script from W.D. Richter, this one fits snugly alongside the films of Alan J. Pakula like “The Parallax View” and “Klute” as a ‘70s slice of Cold War chilliness. It’s rounded out by a terrific cast including Donald Sutherland as a cooly collected scientist, Jeff Goldblum as his dweeby pal, plus Brooke Adams, Leonard Nimoy, and Veronica Cartwright. The gelatinous set pieces and alien pod bodies that seem to bloom are an icky delight, but the film also evocatively captures the Bay Area, as a rare reminder of how great a 1970s movie set in San Francisco could look. —RL
