Late Night Frights: Invaders From Mars (1953)

"The heavens. Once an object of superstition, awe, and fear. Now a vast region for growing knowledge."

Awakened by what is mistaken for a thunderstorm, young David (Jimmy Hunt) makes it to his bedroom window in time to see what looks like a spaceship landing on the hill behind his house. After telling his parents, his scientist father heads out to investigate, only to return the next morning somewhat altered. His personality has become cold and aggressive, and David notices a bloody puncture wound on the back of his neck.

Terrified that something sinister has happened to his father, David goes to the police, but notices the same puncture wound on the chief's neck. He is taken into custody by physician Dr. Blake (Helena Carter), and slowly but surely, she begins to believe his crazy story. Many of the townsfolk have begun to act strangely, and with the help of a local scientist, Dr Stuart Kelston (Arthur Franz) they convince the army that an invasion from Mars is happening on their doorstep. Will it be enough to stop these invaders? Or will they all become slaves to these terrifying creatures?

Coming out the same year as the much more highly regarded War of the Worlds, Invaders From Mars manages to hold its' own in the 50's invasion/paranoia genre, despite the less-than-stellar reputation. One of the highlights is that the story is told from the point-of-view of a child; quite common for both modern science fiction and horror, but not so in 1953. This helps create a real sense of terror in the film; for once it's not just scientists and military men who are the main focus (though there plenty of those, too) but an actual child, reflecting probably the vast majority of the film's viewers. This goes beyond just the story, as eagle-eyed viewers will notice that this point-of-view is translated into the production design and shot decisions also, with some sets seemingly taller than necessary, whilst there are much more shots from lower angles than usual for this sort of film. It really does help sell that unique sense of childhood fears, which were expanded upon nicely in the themes itself.

Coming across as a kids more action-packed version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers (despite coming out several years before the much-celebrated Don Siegel film), it makes great use of childish paranoia; is there anything worse than believing your parents have been replaced by something alien, or perhaps been brainwashed and stripped of their love and compassion? And while this idea was expanded upon to much greater effect in the Body Snatcher films, it is quite effective here, and adds especially to the nightmare-ish tone of the film. Add to this the sights of seeing both adults and children disappearing into the sandpit on the hill, and you'll have yourself some terrified kiddies in the audience.

Despite these great points, there are a few issues. Firstly, the film suffers from a minuscule budget, meaning the martians themselves are not only limited in screen time, but by special effects too. It's a pity, as the 'mutants' are clearly men wearing green clothes, though the leader is interesting looking enough, but compare that to the martians and award-winning effects in War of the Worlds. The film does feel like it runs out of steam at around the 60 minute mark, as we spend a lot of screen time with the plot to destroy the military plant. Some of it is exciting, but it feels like the pacing takes a wrong turn. Many also feel that the ending is laughable, and while I won't spoil it here specifically (most people who haven't seen it have heard of similar endings from many terrible storytellers in their lives), it is silly, but within the context of the film it seems to work quite perfectly, leading to a bleak finale that was enough to ruffle feathers in the UK at the time, forcing them to re-shoot footage and alter the climax.

The acting is reasonable across the board, with young Jimmy Hunt doing well despite his age. As mentioned above, the film does feel a bit more action orientated than other science fiction from the era, especially in the second half, but it builds to a fairly effective climax that really does bombard the viewer with explosions and martian death rays. What the film lacks in budget and effects it more than makes up for with atmosphere, and those shots of young David running in terror while bombs explode are some of the most memorable for me in the genre. Special mention should be made of the unusual score by Raoul Kraushaar; it is full of strange tones and vocal pieces; not quite what you'd expect, but once again, seems fitting for the 'bad dream' vibe the film is shooting for.

Effectively directed by William Cameron Menzies, who was an accomplished art director, the film has suffered from not-so-great prints over the years, and it hasn't really done the Eastmancolor negative much justice. The colour palette alone would look incredible if it was to be cleaned up, as it makes great use of greens and reds. I'm a huge fan of the Tobe Hooper remake from '86, but it would be great to see this one given the lavish restoration it deserves. Highly recommended for fans of 50's sci-fi.