I saw “Invaders From Mars” around 1953. I also had dreams about it. I had memories for many years but it gradually became distorted until I saw it again around 1990.
The scene with the guy falling through the sand was the one I had changed in my mind.
Yeah, I remember the people sinking into the sand and then getting the thing on their necks. But the movie that really got to me was “The Thing”. My parents took me to see it when I was 5 and I remember hiding under the theater seat. Even years later, The Thing gave me chills.