Goke, Body Snatcher from Hell (1968)

"Something inconceivable is about to happen." -  Doctor

The survivors of a plane crash find an alien presence.
Starring: Teruo Yoshida, Tomomi Sato, Hideo Ko, Kathy Horan, Eizo Kitamaru

Link to IMDB

March is going to be Asia Invasion month! I'm going to invade the far east and watch all the trash I can find.
Things are going to get weird.


A small passenger plane gets a radio call that there is a terrorist on board with a bomb, but as the co-pilot begins to discreetly search the plane, things in the sky become bizarre. Birds are smashing against the plane's windows, and then an Unidentified Flying Object zooms past! The airplane loses control and crash lands in the middle of nowhere.

The group of survivors are all scared and confused, but they're hoping to be rescued within a day. There's the co-pilot, a politician, a psychiatrist, one American women, and a few other characters here. The terrorist finally reveals himself, but he runs away across the barren landscape.

The survivors

Terrorist - Alien

The terrorist finds the UFO and is pulled inside. As the title of the movie suggests, an alien presence takes control of his body as it crawls into his forehead!!

Meanwhile, everyone at the plane is arguing about what to do. Instead of working together to remain calm, their fear and paranoia is beginning to tear the group apart. When the terrorist/alien starts killing people like a vampire, the group realizes they're in a situation unlike anything they could imagine.
As tensions run out of control, the survivors might end up all killing each other before the alien does, but you will be in for a shock when all the truths of the situation are revealed.



This movie really surprised me. I was expecting a super crazy B movie, but this actually comes across quite earnest and solemn. That's not to say it's all drama and no fun, but it definitely relies on characters and tension instead of schlock. It has all the qualities of a great Twilight Zone episode, while still retaining the feel of an early Japanese horror movie at the same time.

At the UFO

There's even some social commentary here, specifically about how war and violence is humankind's greatest flaw that is ruining us. Despite the bleak and pessimistic vibes, there is just enough science fiction going on to keep things energetically weird. There are a few moments where the special effects really show great creativity, and it left me with some very memorable images burned into my mind.

It's easy to see why this movie has earned its long-lasting cult status.


Be sure not to miss:
- Not a spoiler, since it's so incidental, but the alien lifeform is basically just a pile of blue bubblegum.

Internet review:
"I highly recommend it to all who treasure the offbeat and the unusual." - Infofreak

Should I watch it?
Yes!

Where can I find it?
Here on YouTube.

Body Snatcher from Hell gets...