The Body Stealers (1969)

The Body Stealers (1969). 1h 31m | PG

“Abysmal sci-fi (an unwise change of pace for Tigon) which, up to this point, had been the low point of Anchor Bay UKu0026#39;s u0026quot;The Tigon Collectionu0026quot; – not that there were any particular highs! Michael Armstrong, director of THE HAUNTED HOUSE OF HORROR (1969) – and who was eventually replaced by Levy – compared it to Ed Wood in his Audio Commentary for that film, and I canu0026#39;t say that he was too far off the mark! u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eA competent cast flounders in the face of an inane premise and lackluster handling: veterans George Sanders, Maurice Evans (as the chief villain/alien) and Robert Flemyng; heroes Patrick Allen and Neil Connery (yes, Seanu0026#39;s younger sibling!); starlets Hilary Dwyer (better suited to period pieces like her three films with Vincent Price – WITCHFINDER GENERAL [1968], THE OBLONG BOX [1969] and CRY OF THE BANSHEE [1970]) and Sally Faulkner (I was impressed by her in VAMPYRES [1974] and PREY [1977], and here looks lovely if nothing else!). However, Lorna Wilde is terrible as an alien temptress(!) – and the (mercifully brief) contribution of Shelagh Fraser as Mrs. Thatcher(!), an ageing nymphomaniac barmaid with a shrill voice, is positively embarrassing!!u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOne of its most hilarious – and dated – aspects is the way it presents Allen and Ministeru0026#39;s aide Allan Cuthbertson(!) as a couple of would-be studs, in obvious imitation of the James Bond extravaganzas; the cheesy score (by Reg Tilsley, who fared better with THE HAUNTED HOUSE OF HORROR) doesnu0026#39;t help, either. A measure of the filmu0026#39;s sloppiness is the fact that Hilary Dwyeru0026#39;s name has been mysteriously omitted from the cast list at the end of the picture, though I doubt she voiced her complaint about it to the production company! Patrick Allenu0026#39;s Audio Commentary is actually quite engaging though, understandably, he offers little insight into the film itself – given also that he doesnu0026#39;t remember much at all about its making, and had never even watched the damn thing until now!”