Easily one of the best science fiction films to come out of the 1950s, foregoing some of the more common tropes found in others during that period. It’s still very much of the time and there are some funny moments that have not aged well, but the moody cinematography and sense of paranoia remain effective to this day. You’d think seeing crowds of civilians running and chasing our protagonists would just look silly, but there’s an abnormal synchronicity about it that is kind of unsettling. The practical effects also hold up well and it still makes me cringe to see a pitchfork taken to the seed-pod replicas.
The ending is rushed and convenient, but it’s still quite a bit more downbeat than one would expect for the time. Overall, the 1978 version is probably superior, but it’s very clear that Siegal’s version was a vital foundation.
Rating: 4/5
The Scribbling Man 
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