Older horror and science fiction movies don’t always get the respect they deserve nowadays – an otherwise superb blend of ideas, characters and drama gets treated almost as comedy because the primitive monster effects are surpassed by modern Halloween costumes.

Despite this, contemporary moviegoers might be more familiar with classic sci-fi than they realise, with the prevalence of referencing and homage in so much of today’s pop culture. Now you have the chance to catch a piece of cinematic history on the big screen as the 1956 classic Invasion of the Body Snatchers is being rereleased at the end of this month. You may not be as shocked by the twists as the original audience was, but you may just be surprised by just how well it holds up over half a century later.

The protagonist of Invasion of the Body Snatchers is Doctor Miles Bennell (Kevin McCarthy), a man with the kind of firm chin and stern haircut that made America a global superpower. Returning to his practice in the small California town of Santa Mira after a trip away, he is perplexed by several patients who are all suffering from the shared delusion that their loved ones have been replaced by perfect (if emotionless) duplicates. Bennell doesn’t think too much of it at first, preferring to spend his free time reconnecting with an old flame, Becky Driscoll (Dana Wynters). However, when his friend Jack finds an almost fully-formed facsimile of himself on his pool table, Bennell is motivated to uncover the truth behind these mysterious going ons. What follows is a descent into paranoia and otherworldly terror as he and Becky become the targets of a sinister conspiracy that seems unstoppable.

Admittedly, I’ve kept that summary relatively vague to maintain the surprise for any readers who aren’t aware of the story. However, the film’s central concept (alien duplicates infiltrating society) has been well-used since the film’s debut in 1956, and it is recognised as one of the true classics of the sci-fi and horror genres – it’s responsible for introducing the term “pod people” to the popular lexicon.

It has been remade three times since it was first released (skip the 2007 version with Nicole Kidman) and has inspired countless other works, including last year’s excellent alien invasion comedy The World’s End.

As for the film itself? It’s a solid piece of storytelling in a trim 80 minutes. The acting may be a little unsubtle at times, but the central cast exude charm, competence and glamour as befits a film from Hollywood’s Golden Age. The crude special effects are mostly obscured by coy camerawork, leaving the atmosphere to be generated by the actors’ reactions and the melodramatic score. My only notable criticism is of some ill-fitting story elements, the least of which is a clumsy scene tacked on at the behest of the studio to make the ending less bleak. The bigger problem was one of the final twists, which completely undermined the otherwise well-executed premise with some inconsistent internal logic, simply to justify the protagonist’s rather sudden (but entertainingly hammy) mental breakdown.

It’s not a flawless film, but it’s nice to see a compelling idea taken to its logical conclusion. The creators of the film denied they were intending to satirise any particular issue, but audiences have viewed it as an allegory for everything from the insidious menace of communism to the totalitarian conformity of McCarthyism.

The Cold War paranoia might not be as relevant today, but the message about the gradual bleeding of humanity still resonates. In short, Invasion of the Body Snatchers is well worth your time if you’ve got even a passing interest in vintage cult horror or science fiction. Just keep an extra close eye on your nearest and dearest afterwards – are you really sure you can trust them?