The Invader by Chipka
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Description
It’s well known that I’m quite fond of science fiction—the good stuff and not the dreck—and much to my delight, I came face-to-face with one of those elements of reality that smacks of really good science fiction movie-making.
In 1978, American cinemas were graced with a remake of the Sci-Fi classic: Invasion of the Body Snatchers. It went from a 1950s B-movie Communist Paranoia flick to a downright spooky, moody meditation on…well…the creepy qualities of mindless conformity, starring Donald Sutherland, Leonard Nimoy, Veronica Cartright, Jeff Goldbulm, and some other woman who has since vanished from my Hollywood radar: Brooke Adams, I think. The fact that Donald Sutherland and Leonard Nimoy were in the movie was reason enough to watch it; and well…the invading alien force was wonderfully conveyed. There were no invader’s spaceships; the aliens might not have even been intelligent…they were just plant-things that released their spores into interstellar space, so that they could seed any planet that fit their biological requirements. Earth just-so-happened fit the bill by the sort of blind stupid luck that predominates the whole theory of panspermia.
The invaders arrived on earth simply by riding solar winds. When it rained, they absorbed water, grew heavy, and landed—plop!—on decorative shrubs, where they immediately released grasping roots and eventually little pods shaped like slightly fat gherkins topped with pretty pink flowers. It was the roots that I remember, the way they just wormed their way out of the spore slime and sprouted ominous, flower-topped pickles.
Those elegantly predatory alien roots have been stuck in my mind since 1979, and I thought of them as I saw their real-world twins growing from beneath the leaf of a rust-infected crabapple leaf. I’m familiar with cedar-apple rust: a fungus that infects both cedars and deciduous plants vaguely related to roses. Usually the fungus requires both cedar-derived and rose/apple-ish-derived hosts to complete a single life cycle, and the example of rust I saw was of the rather flagrantly colorful sort that infected the crabapple trees of my childhood.
Two days ago, I saw root-like spore structures and thought of body snatchers. Funny, now that I think of body-snatchers and pod people, I wonder if such an invasion hasn’t already taken place. Fundies (religious and otherwise) do share a lot in common with those shrieking hordes of pod-replaced humans. That’s what I remember the most about the second remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The imposter humans didn’t actually talk unless absolutely necessary and if they came into contact with an authentic human, they would immediately point at the offending human, and scream in ways that are vocally difficult; this drew the attention of other imposter-humans who then mobbed the native-human (or at least chased them) while screaming in that same blood-curdling, non-human way. (Just so you know, I can actually make that sound…you scream while inhaling rather than exhaling…and it’s quite a spooky, and exquisitely-annoying noise. It's also a strain on the throat.)
I guess—in a sense—you could say that the pod-people are vegetables: which probably explains quite a lot in terms of their real-world counterparts!
Since taking the initial shots of this flagrantly Sci-Fi inspiring fungus, I’ve been thinking of that movie (It was later remade again in the 1990s, but that remake, though sufficiently creepy, was just a rip-off.)
So, here you have it: a photographic reference to science fictional, plant-evolved pod people.
As always, thank you for viewing, reading, and commenting…and if you’re so inspired, do check out Invasion of the Body Snatchers with Donald Sutherland and Lenonard Nimoy…it’s kinda nice to see “Mister Spock” in a creepy movie. (Oh, by the way, there's ANOTHER remake of the remake of the film, simply called The Invasion starring Nicole Kidman. A virus is blamed in this version.)
Comments (25)
MagikUnicorn
Greaaaat INFO - writing WOW STUNNING SHOT !
jmb007
beau travail!!
jocko500
I think the bod people is running our country now. anyway this is wonderful find and shot
jac204
Well I learned something here and actually looked up cedar-apple rust in the Wikipedia, since we had a crabapple in our orchard. Nice picture and writing.
NefariousDrO
you know, I'd already found these types of fungi creepy enough without that added idea! The thought of a fungi infecting a living organism and slowly devouring it from within is to me one of the scariest things I can imagine. That reminds me, did you hear about the guy in England who accidentally inhaled a raw pea? It actually germinated in his lung! No joke, you can find it on the BBC website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-10945050 This is a fantastic photo, though, the colors are brilliant, but it's going to give me nightmares, now.
MrsLubner
gorgeous color and vibrancy.
beachzz
Yikes, I'm going to be watching my garden VERY closely!!
Orinoor
I love the photo, it is the sort of thing most people would pass over. I like your ramble about the movie, it's been so long since I've seen the movie and I think I had my eyes closed for quite a bit of it, so it's like I haven't even seen it before. I had to look up the meaning of "panspermia", what a great concept, but the meaning of "fundies" escapes me, so I had to guess you are referring to people with inflexible beliefs, whether they are religious or otherwise. Great narrative!
kgb224
Interesting find and capture my friend.
durleybeachbum
FABULOUS, Chip! I particularly like the idea of fundies as veg..some doodling may evolve from that. And I, like you, loved that film.
tennesseecowgirl
I have not seen any of those movies, but I have always liked Donald Sutherland, has he ever done a movie with his son? I read that they had a falling out years ago, but wow a movie starring the two of them would be a treat.. Wonderful work Chip.
alwaysonmymind
I vividly remember seeing the 1978 version of Invasion of the body snatchers, especially the final scene, in which the camera zooms in (I think) on Sutherland's mouth when he points to the only living soul on earth (was it Veronica Cartwright?) and lets out that scream. Upon which the movie slams shut like a heavy steel prison door. Just come to think of it, I don't recall their method of feeding being illustrated in any of those movies, beyond their initial feeding frenzy on their hosts, that is.
helanker
LOL! I can see why you thought about that movie :-) It could remind us of the plants from the movie. YIKES :-) Excelent find and capture :-)
lick.a.witch
Oh this reminds me of David Attenboroughs', The life of plants programme! It actually showed a plant growing through and taking over an ant! That truly was scary! This is just amazing, and Invasion of the body snatchers was a classic, specially because of Donald Sutherland and Leonard Nimoy! Have you seen the new Star Trek film by the way? First class I think and I was so pleased they included Nimoy in it! Image - stunning! Just fabulous. Now back to my new book... China Mieville - Perdido Street Station! ^=*
MrsRatbag
Fantastic capture, Chip! Wow, what an alient lifeform indeed!
sandra46
how wonderful shot! I really love it!!! well i was a fan of those cold war movies with the people's minds colonized by the aliens! not that it was so difficult.....
flavia49
gorgeous image!! I remember that movie! I loved all those kind of movies and I still fond of them!!
CoreyBlack
Yes, I do vaguely remember going to see the 1978 version in the theatre when I was 15 and being veeerrry creaped out by it. Wouldn't mind seeing it again as I havn't seen it in over 30 years and it's a bit fuzzy now. My memory is that it was intensely ominious and had some kind of freak out ending that I no longer remember. They did a lot of great human extinction paranoia movies in the Seventies. 'Soilent Green' 'West World' and the original 'Stepford Wives' spring immediately to mind. All great, nicely provocative, and equally creapy. As is this wonderfully freaky capture that I find strangely un-nerving. Kind of reminds me of that 7th Season X-Files episode where these strange cigarettes were causing peoples' lungs to fill up with this strange weed-like substance. Nice, creapy image.
KatesFriend
That is one creepy looking image to be sure. We often forget about the savage life or death struggles that can occur in our own (seemingly) placid gardens. The clashing of primary green and red colours brings this to the forefront. But this scene brought me back to "Day Of The Triffids" again. All evil or unnatural plant tales do this to me. Only the British would keep such a dangerous organism like a triffid as a pet. And wackiness ensues. By the way, it was indeed Brooke Adams in the 70's remake, she was a babe and also in the 80's version of "The Dead Zone". The 90's remake of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" was titled simply "Body Snatchers", no doubt to play up the horror angle more. And there was yet another remake earlier in this decade with Nicole Kidman that was called "The Invasion". By that time, the aliens who take us over seemed to have evolved more like the good guys than us poor hapless warmongering humans. I suppose that was that ironic twist of it all.
minos_6
I remember as a child having a phobia towards large plants briefly, following viewings of the original "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", and "Day of the Triffids". Both of these movies captured my imagination quite vividly, and I occasionally found myself thinking of those movies as I gave a wide berth to some foliage I might be passing. Many years later, I'm fully recovered from my juvenile fretfulness, but was suddenly reminded of it when I saw this image, and was surprised at the (albeit vague) sense of disquiet it produced This is really well observed, and you captured it perfectly. Of course I must now accept your challenge to see Mr Nimoy in the 1978 version of the movie, but might have to watch from behind the sofa! ;)
0rest4wicked
As a sci fi junkie myself, a most enjoyable post Chip!
lucindawind
pod aliens ! I love Sci fi also ! cool capture
Alex_Antonov
Very well done!
Bothellite
"I can actually make that sound…you scream while inhaling rather than exhaling…" Yeah! Me too. I torment my daughter - professional soprano, by doing that. "OH DAD!!" Great read. Of course I like the reference to Fundies, me being the angry parochial boy forever.
praep
Hope they won't invade your body. Well done shot.