Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1978) Dir: Philip Kaufman

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When it comes to the latter months of the year, there's nothing I love more than checking out a classic horror film. This Philip Kaufman directed remake, of the 1956 classic of the same name, has been on my watchlist for far too long now. It looked right up my alley, and I was excited to finally watch it.

Atmospheric music and some interesting practical effects gave this film an uncanny and creepy sci-fi feel to it, which, in some ways, was rather Cronenberg-esque. I really liked the simple-yet-effective techniques used, some of which look brilliant, for the time.

If I had one gripe, it would be that, here and there, the film lost a little momentum, particularly in the first two thirds. It didn't ruin my viewing experience, but it was noticeable enough that I felt it. Aside from that, I thought most of the film flowed smoothly.

The narrative and premise are very simple, but are extremely well-done, which made for some surprisingly creepy and suspenseful scenes. There were some really good twists and turns, particularly in the last twenty-or-so minutes, which kept me locked in until what is a classic final scene.

Donald Sutherland gave a really committed and enjoyable leading performance. I was a particularly big fan of his facial expressions, which really carried so much of the larger-than-life fear factor that the film was trying to illicit. He was a consistent force from beginning to end.

Brooke Adams also gave a compelling account of herself, especially in her first few scenes, where she did a magnificent job of conveying the uncanny aspects of what was unfolding. She responded to every stimuli pretty believably, and was quite endearing.

Veronica Cartwright was my favourite actor though. I immediately recognised her from the first 'Alien' film, which was a cool moment, but her performance was what really impressed me. She bossed it, particularly when she had to turn the terror up to eleven.

I was amused but entertained by the appearances of both Leonard Nimoy and Jeff Goldblum. I can't say either of them gave particularly great performances, but I enjoyed watching them anyways. They weren't terrible, by any means, but their performances were definitely the weakest of the main cast.

Overall, this was exactly what I wanted it to be; a suspenseful, enthralling, and ever-so-slightly cheesy horror with a lot of classic practical effects involved. It's perfect for a cosy evening in, when you fancy a horror that keeps you engaged without scaring you behind the sofa.