Strange Invaders
Strange Invaders is a 1983 science-fiction film directed by Michael Laughlin. It was made as a tribute to the sci-fi films of the 1950s, notably The Invasion of the Body Snatchers. It stars Paul Le Mat, Nancy Allen and Diana Scarwid. The film was intended to be the second installment of the aborted Strange Trilogy with Strange Behavior, another 1950s spoof by Laughlin, but the idea was abandoned after Strange Invaders failed to attract a wider audience. Scarwid's performance earned her a Razzie Award nomination for Worst Supporting Actress.
Plot
In 1958, the town of Centerville, Illinois, was invaded by a race of aliens. The invaders could fire lasers from their eyes and hands and reduce humans to "crystallized" glowing blue orbs. They took over the form of the humans who were either captured or killed.
Twenty-five years later, university lecturer Charles Bigelow (Paul Le Mat) learns that his ex-wife, Margaret Newman (Diana Scarwid), has disappeared while attending her mother's funeral in Centerville, and travels there to find her. The disguised aliens all appear human and the town of Centerville appears to have not progressed beyond 1958. The aliens try to capture Bigelow as he escapes, but only capture his dog, Louie.