Invasions of the Body Snatchers!

Every Thursday I am posting excerpts from the Horror Crossover Encyclopedia related to a specific series from television or film.  Today I am covering Body Snatchers.  This timeline incorporates the book and film adaptions which all take place within the same reality.

COLLIERS MAGAZINE “THE BODY SNATCHERS” (NOVEL BY JACK FINNEY)

Release Date: 1954 (Contemporary Setting)

Series: Body Snatchers (novel)

Horror Crosses: Halloween; Phantoms; Memoirs of an Invisible Man; Stephen King Universe; Scream of the Banshee; Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956 film); Return of the Living Dead; Boo; Sharknado

Non-Horror Crosses: Airwolf; A Friend to Die For; Ben 10; Doctor Who

The Story: In Santa Mira, California, people are starting to act different. It turns out aliens are invading by slowly replacing the inhabitants and taking their forms.

Notes: Unlike the film versions, in this story, there is a happy ending and the aliens are defeated. And in fact, in the Katrina Protocol (aka Voodoo Twilight), it’s revealed that the Shop (the secret government agency from Stephen King books) sent in Ohisver van Helsing to take care of the situation. The Body Snatchers will invade again, as other crossovers will bring in the 1970s remake. This novel marks the first appearance of Santa Mira, California, a fictional town that will reappear in Halloween III: The Season of the Witch, Phantoms, Memoirs of an Invisible Man, The Dark Tower, Scream of the Banshee, the first Invasion of the Body Snatchers film adaption, Airwolf, A Friend to Die For, Ben 10, Redux of the Living Dead, Boo, Sharknado and Doctor Who: The New Adventures. In separate stories, the Doctor, Nathaniel Cade, and one of the van Helsing family have all been said to have been involved in these events behind the scenes.

FIRST FRONTIER (NOVEL BY DAVID A. MCINTEE)

Release Date: September 1994 (Setting is 1957 and the period of the Seventh Doctor, Ace, and Bernice)

Series: Doctor Who

Horror Crosses: Body Snatchers

The Story: In the United States of 1957, the Doctor and his companions must deal with cold war paranoia, an alien invasion, and a regenerated Master.

Notes: This novel is part of a series that continues where the original television series ends and takes place prior to the TV movie. The Doctor mentions having been involved in the events of the Body Snatchers.

GREMLINS 2: THE NEW BATCH (FILM)

Release Date: June 15, 1990 (Contemporary Setting)

Series: Gremlins

Horror Crosses: Body Snatchers

Non-Horror Crosses: The Quatermass Experiment; Innerspace

The Story: After the death of Mr. Wing, Gizmo ends up the property of Clamp Enterprises and is sent to their headquarters for study. Of course, Gizmo gets wet and multiplies, and the others eat after midnight and become evil gremlins, and the staff of the building must fight to contain the menace.

Notes: This is of course a sequel to Gremlins, already brought in via a cross with the Howling. It should be noted that there is also a reference to the Gremlins in the film The Goonies. One of the Clamp scientists is also in possession of a pod, as seen in The Body Snatchers. One of the offices has a nameplate for a Dr. Quatermass. Considering the first film and this film and their homages, it’s likely meant to be the main character of the classic sci-fi film. Another nameplate lists the offices of Vectorscope Labs. They are the ones who created the shrinking ray in the film Innerspace. I should also note one other crossover in the film that doesn’t really count. Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Porky Pig appear at the beginning and end of the film, and in a more expanded segment on the DVD version. The film opens as if the viewer will be seeing a Looney Tunes short first, but when Daffy and Bugs fight over it, Bugs decides to just skip to the movie. The film also ends with a typical Porky Pig ending, also interrupted by Daffy. This framing sequence is not part of the main story, and in fact, the implication is that Bugs, Daffy and Porky also see Gremlins 2 as a fictional film from their perspective. So their appearance, not being part of the story that is canon, does not bring them into the Horror Universe. (However, see the entry for Looney Tunes: Back in Action.) This film has been referenced as fictional or paid homage to numerous times in other films and on television. It was also spoofed in a 2013 episode of Saturday Night Live hosted by Jennifer Lawrence when a movie is called Hobbit 14: The New Batch in a digital short.

THE FACULTY (FILM)

Release Date: December 25, 1998 (Contemporary Setting)

Series: The Faculty

Horror Crosses: Body Snatchers; Puppet Master

The Story: At a high school, all the teachers are acting unusual.

Notes: One of the students believes that the aliens possessing the teachers are the same from Body Snatchers and the Puppet Master, which he believes are books based on real events. This film has been referenced as fictional and paid homage to numerous times in other films and on television. It has also been spoofed in Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the 13th, Not Another Teen Movie, and Scary Movie 3.

PSYCHOPOMP HALLOWE’EN SPECIAL “REDUX OF THE LIVING DEAD” (SHORT STORY BY KEVIN T. HEIM)

Release Date: October 26, 2012 (Setting is May 2005)

Series: Frankenstein (Kevin Heim); Return of the Living Dead

Horror Crosses: Lost Boys; Body Snatchers; Kitty Norville

Non-Horror Crosses: Frasier; G.I. Joe

The Story: A Frankenstein Monster is living in Santa Mira, California, living a nice life when he finds himself fighting a zombie outbreak.

Notes: Author Kevin Heim has informed me that this monster is intentionally ambiguous as to whether it’s the original or any of the others created by Victor or another of his family. He had originally thought of his monster being the Steve Niles version, but found them not compatible, and was inspired by the image of the monster’s appearance with Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos, particularly with the monster riding the motorcycle. The zombies are turned by Trioxin from the Return of the Living Dead series. More specifically, there are cyborg zombies from Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis. The Monster finds himself aided by the Frog brothers from the Lost Boys. The setting is Santa Mira. Santa Mira first appeared in Body Snatchers. See my entry for that story to see a list of the many other appearances of Santa Mira. The Monster listens to talk radio hosted by Kitty Norville. Kitty comes from a series by Carrie Vaughn. That series exists in a world where the supernatural is publically known. It must be a divergent timeline. This must be her main Horror Universe timeline counterpart. The Monster also listens to a show hosted by psychiatrist Dr. Niles Crane, who is a character from the television series Frasier. The Monster rides a Silver Mirage motorcycle, which comes from the G.I. Joe toy line.

MONTHLY SHONEN SIRIUS “MONSTER PRINCESS” (KODANSHA)

Release Date: July 2005 - April 2013 (Contemporary Setting)

Series: Princess Resurrection

Horror Crosses: Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos; Dracula (Universal); Legend of Sleepy Hollow; Creature From the Black Lagoon; Invisible Man (Universal); Invasion of the Body Snatchers; The Fly; Evil Dead

Non-Horror Crosses: Day of the Triffids; Angry Red Planet; Back to the Future; Star Trek; It Conquered the World

The Story: In Japan, a young man is hit by a car. As he lay there dying, he is resurrected by the princess of the Monster Realm. Not only is he brought back from death, but he becomes nearly immortal, with great power, but must serve the princess as her warrior and protector.

Notes: The series has had many links to existing series, including the ones above. I admit there are probably more that I have missed. The “Monster Realm” is probably what the Watcher’s Council (from Buffy) would refer to as a Hell Dimension.

THE KATRINA PROTOCOL (NOVEL BY JEAN-MARC AND RANDY LOFFICIER)

Release Date: 2007 (Setting is August 2005)

Series: Club Van Helsing

Horror Crosses: Dracula (Bram Stoker); White Zombie; Brother Voodoo; Child’s Play; Tales of the Zombie; Revolt of the Zombies; Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos; I Walked with a Zombie; Zombies on Broadway; Kolchak the Night Stalker; Buffy the Vampire Slayer; The Works of Stephen King; Charmed; The Legend of Sleepy Hollow; The Lives of the Mayfair Witches; The Body Snatchers (novel); Carnacki Ghost Finder; The Exorcist (novel); the Thing

Non-Horror Crosses: Too Numerous to List.

The Story: During Hurricane Katrina, Hugo Van Helsing must fight zombies raised by a voodoo priest.

Notes: Hugo Van Helsing comes from the famous vampire hunting family, and his ancestors have met many famous figures of fiction, accounting for the large number of crossovers.

SCOOBY-DOO! MYSTERY INCORPORATED (ANIMATED SERIES)

SEASON 1 EPISODE 16 “WHERE WALKS APHRODITE”

Release Date: March 16, 2011 (Contemporary Setting -- See Series Notes)

Horror Crosses: Body Snatchers; Stephen King Universe

Non-Horror Crosses: The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan; The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show

The Story: Scooby and Professor Pericles work together when the town is terrorized by the goddess Aphrodite.

Notes: The episode has similarities to Body Snatchers and the villain (who is not really Aphrodite) has an origin similar to that of Carrie. Suzie Chan of the Chan Clan is seen playing a game with Pebbles Flintstone. See my previous notes for those animated series in the Horror Universe.

UNNATURAL SELECTION (NOVEL BY TIM LEBBON)

Release Date: November 5, 2011 (Contemporary Setting)

Series: Hellboy

Horror Crosses: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1970s); Jaws (Film); Mimic

The Story: When mythical creatures begin to appear around the globe, Hellboy and his team must investigate.

Notes: In the story, Hellboy is said to have been involved in the events of the 1970s version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, the film version of Jaws, and Mimic. The 1950s original Body Snatchers is in the Horror Universe through several crossovers, but this story confirms that the 1970s remake is also in. It must have been a second invasion attempt. The film the Faculty implies itself to be a sequel of sorts to both Body Snatchers and the Puppet Master, implying that both Body Snatchers and the Puppet Master were the same race. The inclusion of Jaws is for the film series, but not the novel.

THE PRESIDENT’S VAMPIRE (NOVEL BY CHRISTOPHER FARNSWORTH)

Release Date: March 27, 2012 (Contemporary Setting)

Series: Nathaniel Cade

Horror Crosses: Body Snatchers

The Story: Cade must stop the rise of an ancient evil.

Notes: Cade mentions having been involved in the events of Body Snatchers. Incidentally, the Doctor (Who?) was also involved in those events behind the scenes. Since neither’s involvement has been fully detailed, one must wonder if the two have met. As previously stated, Hellboy was also involved in a body snatcher invasion, but while Cade and the Doctor were involved in the original one, Hellboy was involved in the events of the 1970s film.