The Day of the Triffids (1962)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Steve Sekely

Writers (WGA):

John Wyndham (novel)
Bernard Gordon (screenplay) (front Philip Yordan)

Release Date:

27 April 1963 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Spine Chilling Terror

Plot:

A shower of meteorites produces a glow that blinds anyone that looks at it. As it was such a beautiful sight...

Plot Keywords:

Plant | Meteor | Meteor Shower | Disaster | Spain

Cast

Howard Keel	...	Bill Masen
Nicole Maurey	...	Christine Durrant
Janette Scott	...	Karen Goodwin
Kieron Moore	...	Tom Goodwin
Mervyn Johns	...	Mr. Coker
Ewan Roberts	...	Dr. Soames
Alison Leggatt	...	Miss Coker
Geoffrey Matthews	...	Luis de la Vega
Janina Faye	...	Susan - Child on the Train
Gilgi Hauser	...	Teresa de la Vega
John Tate	...	Captain, SS Midland
Carole Ann Ford	...	Bettina (as Carol Ann Ford)
Arthur Gross	...	Flight 356 Radioman
Colette Wilde	...	Nurse Jamieson (as Collette Wilde)
Ian Wilson	...	Greenhouse Watchman

Also Known As:

Invasion of the Triffids (International: English title)
Revolt of the Triffids (International: English title)

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (video rating) (1987) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:Approved (PCA #21227) | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Alicante, Alicante, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain

Company:

Security Pictures Ltd.

Trivia:

Although credited with "additional music", composer Johnny Douglas actually supplied more music than the main composer, Ron Goodwin. According to the official music cue sheets, Douglas wrote 26 mins, Goodwin 19 minutes

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: In the final shot of Triffids approaching Bill driving a truck, the operators' sneakers can clearly be seen walking the Triffid props towards camera shot.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Narrator: [narrating voice over] In nature's scheme of things, there are certain plants which are carnivorous, or eating plants. The Venus Fly Trap is one of the best known of these plants. A fly drawn to the plant by its sweet syrup, brushes against triggered bristles. Just how these plants digest their pray has yet to be explained. There is much still to learn about these fascinating eating plants. This is a newcomer: Triffidus Celestus, brought to earth on the meteorite during the Day of the Triffids.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Welcome to Eltingville (2002) (TV)

Get Those Weeds Out of the Garden

When I got my driver's license, I headed off to a nearby town to see a movie. This was it. I loved it. It has really received a bad rap. The story begins with a city full of blind people--Stricken by a meteor shower which has also brought spores to earth--the spawn of Triffids--flesh eating plants. While the plants are not sighted or masterfully created, the quest by Howard Kiel and his young counterpart, and the horror they encounter, is quite good. I found it anything but boring. It speaks to the realities of the created situation, and the acting is good. There is a nice subplot of a depressed lighthouse keeper and marine biologist and his wife/associate who seek an answer. It was quite suspenseful and well paced. Some real questions are asked and answered. It's not a masterpiece, but it holds up very well after all these years.