Review for The Body Stealers (AKA Thin Air)

Tigon go Sci-Fi! For many, the name 'Tigon' will forever be associated with Hammer style horrors, not with slightly outmoded Sci-Fi yarns like this one. This film feels like it should have been on my radar, and the title is certainly familiar sounding. The fact that it features Patrick Allen in a lead role (Mr. Barratts Homes for those of a certain generation - and a man I worked with frequently in the eighties) would have stuck firmly in my mind. And, as big a fan as I am of the man and his voice-over man voice, previous experience of his acting skills (in 'Thriller' for example) should be warning enough of the wooden nature of the film I was about to see.


The crew for this (cinematographer John Coquillon , editor Howard Lanning) had just come off the wonderful career high of capturing Vincent price at his wicked best in 'Witchfinder General' and, rather than try and top that, relaxed into creating this low-budget, by the dots piece of throwaway sci-fi.


It was never intended to be plucked out of the archives forty years on and put under critical scrutiny by a third rate reviewer hack, but there it is. There's not much either of us can do about it - so let's get it over with. It was actually intended as nothing more than a B-feature (at a time when a 'double-bill' was almost expected by British audiences) and was a warm up act for an American movie, 'Mars Mission'.


George Sanders, despite top billing, is only in the film very briefly - which is probably all the budget allowed.


The movie was originally called 'Thin Air' which seems to capture the story better than 'Body Stealers' though clearly doesn't sound as exciting. It has Dr.Who meets Avengers vibe that never quite delivers, and at moments reminded me of early 'Star Trek' too (check out the mysterious alien chick on the beach).


It would seem that paratroopers on training exercises (with new parachutes which look just like 'old' parachutes) are disappearing into thin air. The parachutes lamd, but they are no longer in them. When we close up on the descending victims, they seem to suffer a cacophonous ear-splitting noise and then .whoomph. They're gone.


Sanders as a general decides this needs the right man for the job. Enter Patrick Allen. Though why he's the 'right man' is never fully explained. He just IS.
Cardigan wearing, lantern-jawed Allen takes a meandering approach to the problem, staying at a local boozer, until one evening he spots a blonde beauty sitting alone on the local beach late at night. Unable to resist her, he forces his charms upon her in a most politically incorrect and slightful forceful way, and she runs before disappearing into thin air. Spooky!


Meanwhile we learn that top men have been disappearing all over the place for some time. A guard at a military base is murdered and the parachutes under observation are stolen. Lab technician, Julie, is coshed at the moment she was about to make a major discovery in her lab - and so on. The plot thickens!
I won't spoil the ending (the film will do that for you) except to say that, far from a clever twist, it's more a convenient catch-all to tie up all the postured red-herrings.

Picture quality is acceptable (rather like an average ITC series episode put to DVD) though is a full-screen image, though there is little sign of crude cropping so maybe it started life this way with the intent being to make it TV friendly. Audio is bit tinny, though this probably reflects the original, rather than this being a poor transfer.


You get the original movie trailer (where you'll see most the best bits) as well as a generous helping of other 'Best of British' trailers.

For the curious only, or for obsessive fans of Tigon.