Why was there an increasing representation of aliens and parasites coming to infect and possess the minds of humans around the time of the Cold War?

I have already identified some scholarly sources that could be used and made an annotated bibliography. Would the writers use some of those sources to make it look like I developed the essay from those sources?

Here is the annotated bibliography: Booker, M. Keith. Monsters, Mushroom Clouds, and the Cold War : American Science Fiction and the Roots of Postmodernism, 1946-1964. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 2001. Print.

In “Monsters, Mushroom Clouds, and the Cold War,” M. Keith Booker argues that the pod people in Invasion of the Body Snatchers represent communism and the loss of individuality. He highlights the era’s stereotypes about communists, which portrayed them as emotionless and conformist. This is reflected in the pod people’s repeated assurances to Miles that a life without emotion would be far more pleasant. The film also taps into the broader anxiety of the 1950s about the difficulty of distinguishing between “Us and Them,” exemplifying the era’s “doubleness” by offering multiple interpretations of the pod people’s significance.

Booker also discusses the film I Married a Monster, which he describes as the “feminine analogue” of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Unlike the male-dominated Body Snatchers, I Married a Monster features a woman who comes up with a solution to combat the aliens and expresses genuine sympathy for them. However, the film still embodies the 1950s paranoia about invasion and occupation by a subtle and invisible Other.

Finally, Booker introduces films that contrast the secretive method of invasion seen in Invasion of the Body Snatchers with the more aggressive, easily identifiable monsters present in other 1950s films like The Thing and Them! These films highlight a different kind of fear, where the enemy is visible and external rather than subtle and internal.

This source is valuable to my essay because it presents the idea of “Us vs. Them” and contrasts the film with films that seek to present the “Us vs. Them” idea in different ways.

Briley, Ron. “A Cold War State of Mind: Brainwashing and Postwar American Society.” Journal of American Culture 2015: 414–. Web.

In this article, Ron Briley explores the concept of brainwashing and its connection to communism in the context of postwar American society. He argues that the fear of brainwashing by communists during the Cold War was not merely a result of government propaganda, but rather a genuine concern among Americans who saw communism as a threat to their way of life. Briley also examines the weaknesses in American culture that made it susceptible to communist infiltration, specifically identifying the emasculation of men as a key factor. Through his analysis of films such as “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” Briley illustrates how the fear of brainwashing and the desire to maintain individualism and autonomy contributed to the portrayal of mind control in science fiction films of the 1950s.
Overall, this article provides valuable insights into the cultural and societal anxieties that fueled the anti-communist sentiment during the Cold War era. With this source, I can explain the fear associated with brainwashing and why America was so afraid of this concept.

Grant, Barry Keith. Invasion of the Body Snatchers, BFI Publishing, 2010. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.libproxy.berkeley.edu/lib/berkeley-ebooks/detail.action?docID=4762984.
Barry Keith Grant’s book “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” provides a comprehensive analysis of the 1956 science fiction film and its connections to the anxieties of the Cold War and communism. The book explores the depiction of the pod people in the film as representative of the communist threat and the fear of conformity. Grant analyzes certain quotes from the movie, such as the one near the end that references a “fragment of a wartime speech,” and highlights how they connect the film to the historical context in which it was released.
Moreover, the book delves into the gender roles and primal expression of masculine horror portrayed in the film. It suggests that the film was fueled by rapidly changing gender roles after World War II. The book provides a deeper insight into the different aspects of the film that are not immediately apparent upon watching it. It connects the movie’s themes and messages to the historical context and societal changes at the time of its release.
This source is useful because it gives me specific cases and scenes within the movie that allude to the communist threat. It also presents an argument about fear due to changing gender roles portrayed through the asexual pod people that I could later explore.

Hendershot, Cynthia. I Was a Cold War Monster : Horror Films, Eroticism, and the Cold War Imagination. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 2001. Print.

Hendershot’s book examines horror films produced during the Cold War period and their relation to cultural anxieties surrounding conformity, eroticism, and death. The author argues that films such as Invasion of the Body Snatchers use personal and erotic themes to counter the perceived danger of a conformist society. However, Hendershot also notes that the personal ultimately fails, and the characters often face a fine line between life and death. The book provides an in-depth analysis of Invasion of the Body Snatchers and its use of the sexual embrace between Miles and Becky as a metaphor for giving in to nature and death. According to Hendershot, the film uses this erotic relationship to represent the characters’ humanity and their struggle against conformity.

This source is useful in providing insight into the cultural anxieties of the Cold War era and the ways in which they were reflected in popular culture, particularly horror films. The book’s analysis of Invasion of the Body Snatchers provides valuable information for understanding the film’s underlying themes and their relationship to the cultural context of the time.

Hendershot, C. “The Invaded Body: Paranoia and Radiation Anxiety in ‘Invaders from Mars’, ‘It Came from Outer Space’, and ‘Invasion of the Body Snatchers.’” Extrapolation 39.1 (1998): 26–39. Web.

In her article, Hendershot argues that the themes of paranoia and radiation anxiety present in Invasion of the Body Snatchers can also be seen in other 1950s science fiction films such as Invaders from Mars and It Came from Outer Space. She notes that the fear of nuclear fallout and radiation is a prevalent theme in these films, and that Invasion of the Body Snatchers specifically alludes to this fear by depicting the pods falling from the sky in a manner similar to nuclear fallout. Additionally, Hendershot highlights the idea that the fear of the “pod people” in the film is also linked to a fear of asexual reproduction and the loss of love and sexual reproduction. She suggests that the film serves as an allegory for an America that is being transformed and poisoned in its sleep, particularly in the safety of suburban areas. (Hendershot 26-39).

This source is valuable because it doesn’t focus on the threat of communism but on the threat of nuclear fallout and current fears about sexuality. I can connect this source with other sources about fears about changing gender roles of the time.

Lukas, Scott A., and John Marmysz. Fear, Cultural Anxiety, and Transformation : Horror, Science Fiction, and Fantasy Films Remade. Lanham, Md: Lexington Books, 2009. Print.

In this source, Lukas and Marmysz delve into the specific reasons why conformity was so frightening during the Cold War era, and how horror films like Invasion of the Body Snatchers reflected those anxieties. They argue that the pods in Invasion of the Body Snatchers represent not only communism, but also the dissolution of the individual. By examining the ways in which conformity was perceived as a threat to personal identity and freedom during the Cold War, the authors shed light on why the invasion narrative was so resonant in popular culture during this period.

The authors also explore how the themes of fear and transformation were expressed in horror, science fiction, and fantasy films that were remade during the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Specifically, pages 27-36 of the book (Part 1: Fear Sections 2&3) offer an analysis of the version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers that was made during the Cold War. This source is particularly relevant to my essay as it provides valuable insight into the cultural and political anxieties of the time, and how they were reflected in the horror genre.

Matthews, Melvin E.. Hostile Aliens, Hollywood and Today’s News : 1950s Science Fiction Films and 9/11, Algora Publishing, 2006. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.libproxy.berkeley.edu/lib/berkeley-ebooks/detail.action?docID=319246.
In Chapter 2, “Hostile Aliens: The Mind Controllers,” Matthews argues that during the Cold War, mind control became associated with the communist threat. The fear of brainwashing by the Soviet Union influenced the depiction of mind control in films such as “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.” He also explains that the fear of hidden traitors was not limited to the film industry but was pervasive in American society: “The fear that other traitors existed undetected within Western governments lasted for years” (Matthews 31). This paranoia about traitors and spies within the government provided the basis for the possession theme common in science fiction films of the 1950s.
Matthews also analyzes specific words and scenes from “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” that allude to the communist threat. For example, the pods that produce the alien duplicates are described as “non-individualistic” and “communistic” in nature. Additionally, the film’s emphasis on conformity and the loss of individuality is a commentary on the dangers of communism. The fear of losing individuality was not just a fear of communism but also a fear of the larger conformity of 1950s American society.
This source is important for my writing because it introduced the idea of brainwashing and conformity present within the specific film Invasion of the Body Snatchers. I can use this source to begin the discussion of why the pod people are monstrous.

Murray, Lawrence L. “The Film Industry Responds to the Cold War, 1945-1955: Monsters, Spys, and Subversives.” Jump cut 9 (1975): 14–. Print.

Lawrence L. Murray’s article “The Film Industry Responds to the Cold War, 1945-1955: Monsters, Spies, and Subversives” discusses the political context in which Hollywood produced anti-communist movies during the Cold War era. The article suggests that Hollywood’s anti-communist propaganda was a result of the US government’s investigation of Hollywood’s ties to communism and the Hollywood Ten’s refusal to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC).

The article argues that during this period, Hollywood’s creative freedom was constrained by the pressure to conform to anti-communist ideals. Murray suggests that the investigation into Hollywood was initiated in part by the government’s concern about the potential influence of communist propaganda on the American public. This led to the creation of anti-communist films that portrayed communist threats in a negative light.

Moreover, Murray identifies Invasion of the Body Snatchers as a metaphorical representation of communism. The article suggests that the film embodies both pro-McCarthy and anti-McCarthy elements, depending on how one interprets the film’s message. The pod people in the movie are interpreted as communist infiltrators who seek to undermine American values and turn Americans into soulless, conformist beings. However, the film’s ending, where the protagonist warns the government about the threat of the pod people, could be seen as a criticism of McCarthyism’s excesses.

Overall, Murray’s article explores the relationship between Hollywood and the government during the Cold War and how this impacted the films produced during this era. This source will be useful in explaining that the development and concentration of anti-communist films in the 50s was not entirely due to fear but essentially required by the government.

I am not sure if they would be able to find all these sources online as some of them are physical books.