Invaders from Mars

Late at night a thunderstorm wakes David. From his bedroom window he sees a flying saucer descend and vanish into the sandpit behind his house. He runs to tell his scientist father, George, who goes out to investigate.

George returns from the sandpit the next morning with a noticeable change in demeanor. David notices a puncture on the back of his father's neck and finds him cold and hostile. George warns David to tell no one about the saucer sighting.

The officers summoned by Mary to help search for David and George display the same strange behavior. They refuse to report the incident, stating that George has already returned. The town's response hints that mind-control is spreading among authorities.

David spots neighbor Kathy Wilson vanish underground in the sandpit. When she reemerges, she burns her own family’s house down. The episode signals the reach of the aliens' influence into ordinary life.

Panicked, David goes to the police station for help. The police chief, who bears a puncture on his neck, treats him harshly and has him locked in a cell. The confrontation deepens David's sense that something is controlling people.

A desk officer summons health-department physician Dr. Pat Blake to calm David. Blake questions him and comes to believe his story after verifying key details, such as the authorities' neglect of George's disappearance. She commits to helping uncover the truth.

David and Dr. Blake consult astronomer Dr. Stuart Kelston. He posits that the saucer could be the vanguard of a Mars invasion and notes that the nearby atomic rocket project might threaten Martian life. Kelston contacts the U.S. Army to push for an investigation.

The Pentagon assembles troops under Colonel Fielding and traces mind-control signals back to the sandpit. The army surrounds the saucer landing site in preparation for action. Tension builds as the operation unfolds.

During the search Dr. Blake and David are sucked underground by tall green mutants and led to the saucer via tunnels. Army troops locate and blast open an entrance to the subterranean tunnels. The stage is set for a direct confrontation.

Inside the saucer the troops confront the Martian supreme intelligence. Under its mind-control commands the mutants implant crystals at the base of victims' skulls; if seized, the crystals explode, causing fatal brain hemorrhages. The group prepares to fight their way out.

A running battle erupts as Fielding's troops, Blake and David fight their way through the saucer. They plant timed charges and use a Martian excavation tool to open a tunnel to the surface. The escape culminates in a perilous dash toward freedom.

As they flee, David's mind floods with images of the Martian invasion, including scenes he did not witness. He continues to run downhill away from the sandpit, carrying the weight of the vision.

The saucer explodes and David wakes up in his bed on the night of the storm. He runs to his parents' bedroom, where they reassure him that it was all a dream. He returns to his bed and sees the saucer descend into the sandpit in a nightmare.