Forget everything you think you know about Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Abel Ferrara’s 1993 Body Snatchers takes Jack Finney’s familiar paranoia and drops it onto a tense, isolated U.S. Army base in rural Alabama—then cranks the dread way up.
EPA officer Steve Malone (Terry Kinney) arrives to investigate mysterious symptoms among soldiers, bringing his family along for what should be a routine assignment. Instead, teenage Marti (Gabrielle Anwar), her little brother Andy (Reilly Murphy), and their mother Carol (Meg Tilly) find themselves surrounded by increasingly unsettling locals. Something is very wrong—and people are being replaced while they sleep.
Ferrara’s take is lean, nasty and unmistakably ’90s, with a terrific cast that also includes R. Lee Ermey and Forest Whitaker. It’s sci-fi horror with a particularly sharp edge, turning suburban and military conformity into something genuinely creepy.
Now, Vinegar Syndrome gives this oft-overlooked cult thriller the upgrade it deserves. The two-disc 4K/Blu-ray combo features a new 4K restoration from the original camera negative, complete with Dolby Vision/HDR, plus a new commentary from critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and fresh interviews with Ferrara, editor Anthony Redman, second unit director Phil Neilson and composer Joe Delia.
The limited edition also includes a 40-page perfect-bound book, while a theatrical trailer, still gallery, reversible artwork and English SDH subtitles round out a seriously appealing package.
Body Snatchers has spent decades lurking in the shadow of its better-known predecessors. This new 4K release is a welcome chance to rediscover just how strange, stylish and unsettling Ferrara’s version really is.
