Tubi Terrors – Body Snatching Horror

Welcome back to Tubi Terrors. I’ll be your new guide into the Tubi Horror underground, Shaun. You know what we do here, so let’s get to this month’s theme, which will be Body Snatching Horror. An example of this theme is when a main character notices that others around them have lost their essence of what makes them an individual. Their outward appearance is the same, but underneath there is something different. The mystery plagues the protagonists and casts them into emotional turmoil and isolation. Be it aliens, androids or behavioral modification chips, something is driving this unsettling behavior.

We found three great examples of these in the Tubi vaults from a span of 3 decades. The Stepford Wives (1975), The Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), and finally Disturbing Behavior (1998).

The Stepford Wives (1975)

If I am wrong, I’m insane… but if I’m right, it’s even worse than if I were wrong.

– Joanna Eberhart

February 12, 1975 The Stepford Wives, directed by Brian Forbes, was released. The original source material comes from a book that was written by Ira Levin. He was also the writer of other novels such as Rosemary’s Baby (1967) and The Boys from Brazil (1976). With even that basic award-winning foundation for the movie, it still faced backlash from critics and feminists alike. It was by no means a commercial success, but as time went on it gained a cult following.

The basics of this cult movie are that Joanna Eberhart (Katherine Ross), husband Walter (Peter Masterson), and kids, move from New York City to the small town of Stepford, Connecticut. As they settle in, Joanna finds that the women in the town’s only focus is mindlessly taking care of their domestic duties and their families. As time goes on, she finally finds some like-minded women in Bobbie Markowe (Paula Prentiss) and Charmaine Wimperis (Tina Louise). Their friendship ends abruptly when two of them are presumably switched out after taking trips with their husbands. The women become just like the other women of Stepford.

One first must understand the timeframe in which this movie is set. During the 60s into early 70s women were fighting to shake social norms and gender roles of being a homemaker, married and having children. In order to be seen as strong intelligent women who were not dependent on their husbands. Also pursuing careers that were male dominant and gaining a higher education.
In the film, Joanna and her friends are very much an example of this new generation of women. After coming to the town of Stepford, it’s uncanny to see that the women of the town are stuck in the past. This is a culture shock to them. And the first seed is planted of conformity that is pushed on to these women as time goes on in the film. One by one when Joanna’s friends are losing their autonomy and becoming like the others in town.

Joanna’s terror is one of  losing what she fought to become and the violent opposition to settle into something she is not. Even worse, where do the real women go when replaced?

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

“They’re coming! They’re coming! Listen to me! Listen! You’re next! You’re next! We’re in danger!”

— Running Man (Kevin McCarthy)

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) is a remakes the 1956 black and white masterpiece of the same name. The films get their story from Jack Finney as a serialized story in a magazine called “Collier’s” between November and December 1954. It would be later published in book form in 1955. For the 1978 movie the director Phillip Kaufman and writer W.D. Richter adapted the story for modern times of the late 70s. The cast is stacked with amazing actors and actresses like Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Jeff Goldblum and resident Vulcan Leonard Nimoy. A special spotlight on  actress Veronica Cartwright is warranted because she pulled double duty facing alien threats with this movie and in the following year with Alien (1979).

Aliens from a dying planet are swept by solar winds to Earth. They evolve to first take the form of a seed pod with a red flower growing out of it. One of these Pods is found by Elizabeth Driscoll (Brooke Adams) which she takes home to study. The next morning, the pod is gone and her boyfriend, Geoffrey Howell (Art Howell), acts emotionless towards her and distant She reaches out to her colleague Mathew Bennell (Donald Sutherland) about her belief that Geoffrey is an imposter. Both of them work together to investigate it. During their journey, they reach out to others to find answers such as psychologist David Kibner (Leonard Nimoy), Jack Bellicec (Jeff Goldblum) and his wife Nancy (Veronica Cartwright). They soon find that others are facing the same situation all across San Francisco. They stop the invasion before the aliens take over the world one pod at a time.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers is one of the top examples of this horror sub-genre. In fact, may be the most straight forward sample of the the fundamental building blocks. Once a person becomes a pod person they become an emotionless shell that carries the memories of who they once were. Which can be used against the person’s loved ones, friends, and others they may interact with in order to convert them. They lose total autonomy of their lives; they must continue the mission of trying to spread the pods to convert others. Exacerbating the impact,  Elizabeth and Mathew become isolated and paranoid as they piece together what is happening. There is a mistrust of others around them culminating in desperation and survival mode tactics in order to survive.

Disturbing Behavior (1998)

“Gavin thinks some sinister force has taken over the Cradle Bay meatheads.”

— Rachael Wagner (Katie Holmes)

In 1996, Wes Craven brought Scream to theaters with a new direction of horror movies directed towards teen audiences. Jumping to the summer of 1998, director David Nutter released Disturbing Behavior, his first studio film. He was known for working on TV such as The X-Files, Millennium, Smallville and many more. The film was a commercial flop largely be because David wanted to make an extended X-Files episode in tone, but the studio wanted reach the teen audience. This resulted in many cuts to the film. While an uncut version has been rumored and ultimately screened, there has been no information concerning an official release.

Steve Clark (James Mardsen) and his family move from Chicago to Cradle Bay after his brother tragically kills himself. On his first day of school, he meets Psychologist Dr. Edgar Caldicott (Bruce Greenwood) and discusses The Blue Ribbon Program at the school that motivates students to be top of their class. Steve is swayed away from them by his new outcast friends Gavin Strick (Nick Stahl) and Rachael Wagner (Katie Holmes). Gavin tells Steve his theories that the students in the program may have been brainwashed or lobotomized by the doctor. All of these Blue Ribbon were outcasts and juvenile delinquents. Once they joined they became model students, overnight. The next morning, Gavin appears at school acting and dressing like the rest of The Ribbons. He ignores Steve pleading with him to snap out of it and attacks him. Steve and Rachael work to find out the dark reason behind the changes, before their parents forced them to join The Ribbons, as the others did before them.

Disturbing Behavior uses the similar tropes while focusing on the loss of autonomy, isolation, and paranoia. The difference is that loss of autonomy is happening at a time where it is crucial for teens to explore their individuality. Making matters worse, this all takes place on a small isolated island. If these teens are looking to run away or get help they have to wait for the ferry to get off the island. The cops, parents, and other adults in authority positions in the town know what is going on and will not stop it. This creates higher levels of paranoia because they have distrust coming in two levels: the adults and even in their own peer group. In a slightly different twist, these teens are being medically changed with the insertion of the behavioral modification chips. This leadsz to some interesting results when teens get in highly emotional or in sexual situations. It causes the chips to malfunction and they become violent towards others or cause self harm.

But Wait, There’s More Body Snatching Horror!

The sun is starting to set over the drive-in screen and the creatures of the night are tucking into their caves and crypts. If you enjoyed these picks off of Tubi and want more Body Snatching Horror, then let me suggest a few more. Believe it or not, The Stepford Wives has actually had three sequels made from the original movie, all made for TV. They are Revenge of the Stepford Wives (1980), The Stepford Children (1987) and The Stepford Husbands (1996). Plus the remake with Nicole Kidman in 2004, which went in a wholly different direction. You can always check out the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers from 1956. There is another adaption from 1993 entitled just Body Snatchers. The last remake was in 2007 in the movie Invasion, again starring Nicole Kidman. If you want another 90s teen-driven Body Snatching horror, you can look at The Faculty from 1998. This is the end for now. But be warned if a loved one or a friend is acting differently but may look the same. It may not just be an off day, they may just have been snatched.