BFI Giving The Classic Invasion Of The Body Snatchers A UK Blu-Ray Release

In four weeks time Halloween will be with us and what better time to watch the classic 1950’s sci-fi horror  Invasion Of The Body Snatchers. Coming to Blu-Ray for the first time in the UK thanks to BFI in October.

Directed by Don Siegel (Dirty Harry),  starring Kevin McCarthy this milestone of science fiction taps into the paranoia and uncertainty of its times to present a chilling critique of post-war American society. Invasion of the Body Snatchers remains an enduring and suspenseful classic. It spawned a 1970’s remake that was equally terrifying in its unique way.

The  Blu-ray  will come with a huge range of contextualising extras, fans can experience the thrills and horrors of this highly influential movie like never before.

Have a look at the trailer…

When multiple residents of a Californian town begin to suffer from identical frenzied delusions, Dr Miles Bennell (Kevin McCarthy) suspects the community is in the grip of a new kind of epidemic. But his investigations soon reveal the terrifying truth, uncovering not a medical emergency but a hidden extra-terrestrial invasion that threatens mankind’s very existence.

Special features

• Presented in High Definition
• Newly recorded audio commentary by filmmaker and critic Jim Hemphill (2021)
• 50^th anniversary commentary with stars Kevin McCarthy and Dana Wynter, and Gremlins director Joe Dante (2006)
• John Player Lecture: Don Siegel (1973, 75 mins, audio only): Don Siegel looks over his career with Barry Norman
• Sleep No More: Invasion of the Body Snatchers Revisited (2006, 27 mins): a look at Body Snatchers’ production history
• The Fear and The Fiction: The Body Snatchers Phenomenon (2006, 8 mins): considering the film’s themes and critical interpretations
• What’s in a Name? (2006, 2 mins): how the Invasion got its title
• Return to Santa Mira (2006, 13 mins): key locations and the film’s production design are explored
• A selection of complementary archive shorts, with British propaganda short Doorstep to Communism (1948, 11 mins) and groundbreaking botanical cinematography in Magic Myxies (1931, 11 mins) and Battle of the Plants (1926, 11 mins)
• Original theatrical trailer
• Trailers From Hell: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (2013, 3 mins): Body Snatchers fan Joe Dante celebrates the film
• Gallery
• ***First pressing only*** Illustrated booklet with new writing on the film by Dr Deborah Allison, an archival feature by J Hoberman from Sight and Sound, May 1994, a biography of Don Siegel by Charlie Bligh and notes on the special features.

USA / 1956 / black and white / 80 mins / English language, with optional subtitle for the Deaf and partial hearing / 2.00:1 aspect ratio / BD50: 1080p, 24fps, PCM 2.0 mono audio (48kHz/24-bit)

The Invasion Of The Body Snatchers will be released on Blu-ray just in time for Halloween, on 25th October.