OK, almost universally word on the street is that the new version of classic Sci-Fi/Horror/Paranoia-Thriller directed by DownFall/Das Experiment director Oliver Hirschbiegel just plain stinks (likely as a of pod-style movie-exec interference and such, just call it The Exorcist Prequel debacle-redux, but I digress)

What is your favorite Pod Flick and Why? 

Many folks in my generation (born in 60s/70s) hold the 1978 version dear to their hearts (or is that fear to their hearts?) mainly because it was a late night TV staple all through the 1980s although partly because it is openly terrifying at times. The 1956 version, for all its influence, has actually been somewhat difficult to find and even now is surprisingly, somewhat of a chore to find on DVD.  And much to my embarrassment, I’ve not seen the Abel Ferrera film more than once back in the VHS heyday and that was probably Pan&Scan;like most flicks were then.

Anyway, to open this up further, give me some titles that fall into the pod mentality.  Any film where an Alien comes to earth and mimics the folks around it, usually family or loved ones.

Robert Rodrigeuz’s THE FACULTY (an imperfect film, but definitely in the spirit of pod-land)
The Film Freak Central boys mentioned the under appreciated Tobe Hooper eighties flick “Invaders from Mars!” - a good choice (I remember it fondly if not specifically! But it is also a remake of a 1950s flick of the same name)
The Thing (and it’s 1950s remake) could also be lumped in there.

Everyone’s favorite THE HIDDEN definitely belongs

And you go go nuts with the Zombie flicks - 28 Days/Weeks Later (especially the Carlyle character and his wife and kids scenes), but also the kid in Night of the Living Dead as well as parts of Dawn and Shaun of the Dead.

The Stepford Wives is a biggie (and interesting that apparently Nicole Kidman has made bad remakes of both of these films!)

This may be a stretch - PLEASANTVILLE - but the shifting from B&W;to Colour may be a sort of weird inversion of the POD effect and the splitting of the population into two ‘types’

Never saw that JohnnyDepp/Charlize Theron vehicle ”THE ASTRONAUTS WIFE” but the concept seems to be similar.

Now maybe because I’m a bit under the weather and my brain is not firing on all cylinders, I cannot seem to think of any foreign flicks that fall under this category, other than the ‘disease’ that spreads in “WHO CAN KILL A CHILD?” amongst the children.

Why hasn’t Vincenzo Natali made a flick like this yet?  oi!

This may end up as a Twitch-O-Meter topic now that I think about it more.

Forgot one - Larry Cohen’s THE STUFF — “Can’t Get Enough, Of the Stuff!”

Robocop! Oh no, that’s just the quote…

Does “Screamers” count? “Battlestar Galactica (new)”? Any self-inflicted droid menace? (in which case Robocop probably counts!)

And “Mimic” 1, 2, 3? Species?

Well, there was an early-90s Full Moon production called SEED PEOPLE.  It was pretty much crap.

Another low-budget opus was BEVERLY HILLS BODY SNATCHERS - though that may have dealt with grave robbing.  Don’t remember.  I do remember it was directed by Jonathan Mostow, who’d go on to bigger, louder things like U571 and T3.

I think there was an element of this to XTRO as well.

For my money you can’t beat either the ‘56 or ‘78 BODY SNATCHERS - probably more partial to ‘78.  I too only caught the Ferrera version on VHS way back when.  Will have to track it down.

Advance word is pretty damning but I’ll still probably check out THE INVASION sometime this weekend / next week.  DAS EXPERIMENT and DOWNFALL are favorites.

Ard - Congrats on my thread title.  One of my favorites from Mr. Smith (yes, Kurtwood “Ya Dumbass” Smith) - other favorite - “[spat] just gimme my fuckin’ phone call”

Got some more tangential titles (more on the hidden alien invasion rather than the subversion of friends)

They Live — has the people as pods even though they aren’t aliens.  The aliens just broadcast the signal

Battlestar Galactica the new show— is a Damn Fine example actually, particularly in light of the season 3 closer, but really right thru the series.  good call!

Terminator 2 - The T1000 - Getting more into pure action, but Robert Patrick does some fine emotionless impersonation.

How about Vincent D’Onofrio in MIB?  He was great.

As for pod people, the 70s version is my favorite.  Probably because of nostalgic reasons first and foremost, but it took the idea of the 50s version and just made it much more creepy.  The people in it are creepy, the style is creepy, and that scream the pod people emit freaks me out even now (20 years after I first saw it).

The 90s version seemed a little too… underachieving(?) for the standards I set for the story.  Hollywood wanting to put something together, but then not really putting any money into it I guess.  Did it even hit theaters?  Or was it straight to VHS and Cable?  That’s what it seemed like.

Twohy’s “The Arrival” features aliens disguised as humans. As did “They Live”, signal or not!
Does brainwashed count? “Naked Gun 2.5” (must… kill… Drebin!)

The first time I saw “Seven”, the audience consisted of pod people afterwards, shuffling out of the cinema in total silence, a depressed mob…