Sabotage

Films of the 1950's suggest that the enemy is within, drawing upon fears of internal sabotage. In such science fiction films, the enemy looks like a normal human being, but their character and behavior are considerably altered. Films that involve aliens occupying human bodies include Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), Invaders from Mars (1953), and It Came from Outer Space (1953). The plots of these films are similar, consisting of an unexplained change in people, a hero who is aware of the aliens, and a skeptical town. The hero experiences alienation because of their paranoia, but the hero eventually wins the support of the town and defeats the aliens. This typical plot suggests to the audience that the enemy (communists) can lurk anywhere and no one is safe from its reach. Moreover, the film warns of the dangers of complacency and urges audience members to be aware of communist elements.

Espionage is incorporated into science fiction films of the 1950's. Often, human characters corroborate with the alien enemy. For instance, Dr. Carrington of The Thing from Another World (1951) wants to understand the alien, not destroy it. This parallels the fate of prominent figures that did not jump on the McCarthy bandwagon or publicly denounce the spread of communism. Secretary of State Dean Acheson was a target and "intellectuals such as Dean Acheson were frequently blamed for the country's ills" (Barone 208). Like the fictional scientists who do not destroy aliens, Acheson was not alarmed by the birth of communism in China. The Thing from Another World makes visual parallels between Dr. Carrington and a communist. He wears a fur hat and sports a goatee, resembling Lenin. Dr. Morbius of Forbidden Planet (1956) has a similar goatee, unlike the clean-shaven American military heroes.

Another element of science fiction films involves the solution to the threat of alien invasion: children. In several films, children are characters who understand the nature of an alien invasion. They either know how to communicate with the alien or exclusively believe in its threat to humans. The hero of Invaders from Mars is David, who is the only character to witness an alien landing. Though David tries to alert people of the aliens, no one believes him. Eventually everyone, including David's parents, succumb to the alien brainwashing. Finally, a doctor believes David and together, they defeat it. In The Day the Earth Stood Still, a boy named Bobby Benson understands Klaatu, the alien. These films suggest that youth awareness is vital in fighting communism.