Invasion of the Body Snatchers ending explained

What happens

Miles runs onto the highway, screaming at drivers that they are next. In the studio's added ending, a trucker's cargo is traced to the pods, the authorities finally believe him, and we learn he has been telling his story to doctors.

The last image

Miles, alone and desperate on the highway, shouting at cars that will not stop.

Two readings

1 · Siegel's bleak endingWithout the studio's additions, the film ends on his scream, with nobody listening and the invasion unstoppable.

2 · Studio's hopeful endingBelieved at last, Miles may have given the authorities time to stop the pods.

What it says

Miles has lost everything and is only ever shown trying to warn others. The scream makes the threat feel close to us. The studio's reassurance softens that, but the film never says who the pods really are.