Invaders From Mars (1953)

A young boy (Jimmy Hunt) is awakened during the night by a thunderstorm. When he looks out the window, he sees a spaceship disappear into the large sand pit beyond his home. When he attempts to tell his parents (Leif Erickson, Hillary Brooke) what he saw, they don't believe him and neither do the authorities. Directed by William Cameron Menzies (THINGS TO COME), the film has a large cult following and is greatly admired in some corners by sci-fi film buffs. Personally, I found it rather dull and unimpressive. The plot line seems typical of 1950s low budget "it came from outer space" invasion movies except that it is shot in color (Eastman color by way of CineColor prints) which distinguishes it from the rest of the pack. One can argue that (like Siegel's INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS which would come three years later) there's a subtext, a fear of "Red" invaders but of the Russian kind rather than the Martian kind. To be fair, the transfer I saw was unrestored and the color seemed rather dingy and the look of the film seems too dark. I'm sure I would have enjoyed it more if I saw a cleaner transfer. Remade in 1986. With Helena Carter, Arthur Franz, Morris Ankrum and Barbara Billingsley.