The 1950s were a special time in movie making, especially for the paranoid. Because of the whole McCarthy era communist conspiracy garbage, sci fi movies of the 50s were quite paranoid, with many of the themes focusing on brainwashing and our government being infiltrated by aliens. There was no movie that portrayed this paranoia better than the 1953 cult classic "Invaders From Mars". To some, this movie was just another cheaply made sci fi flick. But to many, this was and still is one of the most chilling science fictions of all time. Some of the scenes of this movie, if you remember it growing up, will stay in your mind forever. More on those scenes later.

The story itself is actually quite simple. A young boy by the name of David Maclean, played perfectly by Jimmy Hunt, wakes up in the middle of the night to see a flying saucer land in his backyard. He wakes up his parents to tell them what he saw. Of course they don't really believe him but offer to go check just to put his mind at ease. Of course the father finds nothing. But Jimmy isn't convinced. He goes to the police to report it but of course they don't believe him either.

And then strange things start to happen. The people in the town start acting strange. Jimmy seems to be the only one who notices this. And then he sees something strange. On the neck of one of the townspeople he sees what looks like a wire of some kind. He immediately starts thinking that the men in the flying saucer are capturing the townspeople and brainwashing them. As the movie goes on, more and more people are captured. Jimmy has nobody to turn to. Even his own father is eventually taken.

Finally, somebody believes him and after his own mother is captured and about to be operated on by the aliens, the army makes their assault on the hill in back of Jimmy's house where the spaceship is deep underground. Thus begins one of the most thrilling rescue attempts in movie history. After the mother is freed, it appears that the flying saucer is about to take off with everyone trapped underground. Jimmy and the rest of the military then begin their escape from the underground fortress. Suddenly the ground starts to raise up. A huge hill appears and Jimmy is frantically trying to escape before he is gobbled up by the ground beneath him. Then, amidst explosions and total chaos, Jimmy wakes up.

Yes, it was all just a bad dream. His parents come in to find out what was wrong. Jimmy then tells them about the whole thing, to which they inform him that it was just a bad dream. Finally, Jimmy goes back to sleep. At least until he hears something again and wakes up. He runs to his window to see, you guessed it, a flying saucer landing in his backyard.

To some, this may sound hokey. To many though, it was one of the most chilling movies they had ever seen.

It still is even to this day over 50 years later.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Films