Invaders From Mars - 1953 - 6/10
Only young David sees the flying saucer land in nearby sand dunes.
Later, no one believes him when he tries to warn adults that people going to the site, come back strange.
Altered – or possessed. Even his own parents!
I watched this as a child (the perfect audience) and it gave me nightmares.
Kids are never believed, we knew that. And angered parents are sheer menace.
15 years later, I rewatched as part of a 1950’s SciFi marathon. The movie theater was packed, amidst a fog of marijuana smoke. We watched in rapt anxiety.
Even last night, while analyzing and dissecting techniques and effects, the childhood unease was there.