Invaders from Mars (1986)
Classic sci-fi romp from cult director Tobe Hooper which is in fact a remake of an earlier effort from 1953. The film is essentially a riff on the Invasion of the Body Snatchers scenario, a theme recurrent in fifties sci-fi due to the fear of Communism and it's possible spread throughout the US. A theme Hooper would go on to explore a few years on from this with his excellent Body Snatchers movie.
Hooper's direction is excellent, building suspense from the first minutes, giving the film a relentless pace throughout. It has a very creepy atmosphere, full of foreboding. It's only in the final third that it drops with the introduction of the invaders. Their outward appearance, that of a headless chicken with teeth, seen nowadays is almost comical, meaning the excitement levels drop when they should be at a maximum.
The final scenes give the film a 'Wizard of Oz - it was all a dream' style ending...still, it was a damn good dream!
Controversially i think this is probably Hooper's best film to date.
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