Body Snatchers (1993 film)

Body Snatchers
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAbel Ferrara
Screenplay byStuart Gordon
Dennis Paoli
Nicholas St. John
Story byRaymond Cistheri
Larry Cohen
Based onThe Body Snatchers
1955 novel
by Jack Finney
Produced byRobert H. Solo
Starring
CinematographyBojan Bazelli
Edited byAnthony Redman
Music byJoe Delia
Distributed byWarner Bros.
Release dates
  • May 15, 1993 (1993-05-15) (Cannes)
  • January 14, 1994 (1994-01-14) (United States)
Running time
87 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$13 million
Box officeDomestic
$428,868[1]

Body Snatchers is a 1993 American science fiction horror film directed by Abel Ferrara and starring Gabrielle Anwar, Billy Wirth, Terry Kinney, Meg Tilly, Christine Elise, R. Lee Ermey, and Forest Whitaker. It is loosely based on the 1955 novel The Body Snatchers by Jack Finney, with a screenplay by Nicholas St. John, Stuart Gordon, and Dennis Paoli.

Body Snatchers is the third film adaptation of Finney's novel, the first being Invasion of the Body Snatchers in 1956, followed by a second adaptation of the same name in 1978. The plot is centered around the discovery that people working at a military base in Alabama are being replaced by perfect physical imitations grown from plantlike pods. The duplicates are indistinguishable from normal people except for their utter lack of emotion.

The film marked director Ferrara's first venture into the science fiction genre as well as his first feature to receive a financial backing from a major film studio. Producer Robert H. Solo had already produced its 1978 predecessor Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

Body Snatchers was first screened at the Cannes Film Festival on May 15, 1993 and given a limited U.S. theatrical release on January 14, 1994. It received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the likeliness, realism, and special effects, though it was criticized for its plot.