Who were the monsters?
It is funny how differently I see this movie from when I first saw it, at 9, in 1958. Back then, the aliens were the monsters who had to be killed. I saw it from the perspective of the humans.
Today, OK, last night, I noticed that the aliens were the more sympathetic creatures - at least the Tom Tryon character. As an adult, I can empathize with creatures who have no other choice than to come for our women - or become extinct (and remember - Earth Girls are Easy! They didn't seem to be fighting them off much ;>). They were starting to take on human thoughts and feelings.
While there were killers on each side, we didn't see the 'humanity' in the humans, except for the wife.
It made me think that as a kid, I looked at the invaders like Native American's may have looked at the white invaders, or as whites defending themselves against the 'bloodthirsty Injuns'. It may also look as the white perspective of Mexican illegals flooding the country. All BAAADDDDDD!
More introspective today, while not siding with the aliens, I do understand their plight. And it is what makes this movie so thought provoking. The aliens looked and acted like monsters - but in human form, we saw them as sad, desperate beings.
(OK, I'm a liberal who can only see shades of gray... I wasn't as burdened in 1958)