This old black and white classic was directed by Don Siegel who also directed Dirty Harry and Escape from Alcatraz. It comes from an era in horror that is known for being one of the tamer decades over all. This film does start slow but starts addressing the narrative early. These films are mostly dialog and small amounts of creatures on screen which makes these movies terrible for late at night. A doctor named Miles Benell visits a town with people who claim their friends and family are not the real friends and family. That they are replacements. There is impressive make up great early effects used by Milt Rice and Don Post. There is lots of subtext and context I don't care to get into though it is kinda subtle and more obvious to those who lived in that era. For a boring old 50's movie it is one of the best. I found it surprisingly scary in a human sort of way as opposed to a slasher, scared of a dark corner kind of scared. This is great movie for a remake because of how tame it is. It has so much that can be updated and they do in 1978, 1993, and potentially 2024. I give it a 7 of 10 because of its age and timeless relevance. I would only recommend this version to hard core and classic horror fans.
