Goke, Body Snatcher from Hell

The clear demarcation between “Goke, Body Snatcher from Hell” and other Japanese movies of the same era (the kaiju movies well represented by Ishirō Honda’s films), highlights the significant influence of Western sci-fi canons on Hajime Sato. It was no coincidence that the film was distributed in the US market using a clear reference to Don Siegel’s masterpiece “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (1956).

The plot particularly stands out due to its dark, deep-seated pessimism and its explicit critique of humanity, depicted as corrupt, egotistical, and feckless. Mankind’s most despicable qualities are examined through a varied collection of lowlifes – some of the standouts include: a hyperactive terrorist, a cynical arms dealer, a sadistic psychiatrist, a slimy politician, and a lascivious woman.

As for the extraterrestrial menace, we’re up against a sort of forerunner to Larry Cohen’s “The Stuff” (1985), a slimy mass that can seep into its unfortunate victims’ skulls, transforming them into pseudo-vampires (the special effects are characterized by a healthy dose of imagination). Further, the invaders’ ultimate goal – to destroy mankind because they’re incurably bellicose and irresponsible – sounds almost like the follow-through of the warning sent by the alien Klaatu in Robert Wise’s classic “The Day the Earth Stood Still” (1951).

Unfortunately, the excessively didactic nature of the action, combined with a plodding second half lacking in tension, ends up bogging down a production that could’ve aspired to be something more than a simple “made in Japan” oddity.