Snatchers

The sci-fi comedy Snatchers, directed by John Kingman and written by Guy Patton, opens in upstate New York, where a shy Mennonite, Jeb (Jason Keller), tries to impress his girlfriend, Constance (Leslie Shannon), under a starry sky. Their quiet moment is interrupted when a meteor crashes into the nearby cornfield, leaving behind a smoking crater and a strange purple glow.

Meanwhile, in the city, Gem (Bridget Fitzgerald) and Lulu (Nicole Asava) run an odd food truck business that only sells to other food trucks—a food truck food truck. When they get their hands on the mysterious purple corn, Lulu tries to use it before it’s ripe, and it explodes purple goo all over her. Disturbed, Lulu gives the corn to another food truck owner, Edie (Rachel Grant), who starts distributing it around the city. The corn spreads quickly through Brooklyn’s eclectic food scene, and as more people are taken by it, bizarre behavior begins to emerge as though they are possessed by an alien force.

At the same time, Agent Todecki (Blaine Kneece), a frustrated FDA investigator dreaming of an FBI career, spots a photo of the corn on social media and launches a personal crusade to track it down. His investigation reunites him with a former love interest, Brie (Brielle Cotelo), an aspiring documentarian who moonlights as a hospital janitor, and reveals that she has found some glowing purple waste at the hospital where she works. As our heroes begin to notice everyone around them is acting strange, they realize the meteor may contain a parasite that’s taking over human hosts. For the sake of their careers, friendships, and survival, our heroes are determined to take down the purple corn.

“Their quiet moment is interrupted when a meteor crashes into the nearby corn field, leaving behind a smoking crater and a strange purple glow.”

Watching Snatchers, I’m reminded of the old cult classic Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. Like Attack, Snatchers is just good, plain fun, and mostly because of its cast. Jeb is the naive Mennonite who just wants to touch female skin. Todecki is obsessed with being something bigger than he is. Brie is the long-suffering documentarian who takes odd jobs… like all documentarians. Finally, lesbians Gem and Lulu… because… lesbians.

The film leans more toward the silly side of comedy, and the alien possession scenes are all performed, which means it is a low-budget movie. This also means we’re not meant to take everything seriously, but just to have fun. The Snatchers ride is fun. I also like that there is a solid story beneath the shenanigans.

By the end, Snatchers is absurd, chaotic, and weirdly heartfelt. A truly indie invasion movie reminding us just how much fun filmmaking can be when no one’s playing it safe.