The Earth is invaded by alien "slugs" that ride on people's backs and control their minds.
Directed by Stuart Orme, written by Robert A. Heinlein (novel) and Ted Elliott (screenplay), and starring Donald Sutherland, Eric Thal, and Julie Warner.
On this episode of the X-files the pod people are replaced by stingray shaped slugs that crash to earth and become monkeys on peoples backs...
Actually I'll start by pointing out that The Puppet Masters full name includes the author of the scifi novel (Robert A. Heinlein) but how much of the films is actually based on inspired by the classic piece of work I'll leave up to Mike to explain in Captain Creeper's Book Review.
“So what you're saying is, these slugs, are using us like puppets.”
… So basically what we have here is your basic alien invasion in which the alien in this case is a parasite that controls its human host in order propagate and eventually colonize the Earth. Not really anything new about the story idea, we've seen it many times over, but there are interesting parts to the story. As all the original alien invasion stories have done (including The Tingler though it may not actually be alien) it is the usual Cold War fears of the enemy within and amongst us, that looks like us, but isn't us. That's part of what makes this movie feel like something out of the 70's rather than the 90's. It just seems to me that our political atmosphere wasn't a good it. It's also why I imagine The Puppet Masters was template for what became the X-Files.
In the end, though, I will say that it is a good solid film with a lot of great actors playing the type of roles that they either have made or will make their standard. Donald Sutherland is an obvious example. There is something really creepy and gross about the alien slugs, mabe it's the way they stab in you the neck with those pointy tongues. Ultimately, as far as alien invasion via taking over the population stories go it isn't bad, but will never be Invasion of the Body Snatchers or Alien. I especially enjoyed the hidden messages. Only one question puzzles me... slugs on your back can be addictive, like a monkey on your back. So what do you call it when there's a slug on a monkeys back?
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