A small town in California is attacked by Martians, beginning a worldwide invasion.
The star of "Whiskey Cavalier" divulges top-secret information about her favorite TV couple, and who should play James Bond.
Related News
-
‘War of the Worlds’ Series Coming From Fox Europe and Africa, Canal Plus
20 July 2018 | Variety -
Fox Networks Group Teams With Canal+ On Modern Day Remake Of H.G Wells’ ‘War Of The Worlds’
20 July 2018 | Deadline -
BBC Unveils First Look At Drama Slate Featuring John Malkovich’s ‘The ABC Murders’ & HBO Co-Pro ‘Gentleman Jack’
15 July 2018 | Deadline
User Lists
Related lists from IMDb users
Share this Rating
Title: The War of the Worlds (1953)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
Learn more
More Like This
Drama
|
Sci-Fi
Director:
Robert Wise
Stars:
Michael Rennie,
Patricia Neal,
Hugh Marlowe
Forbidden Planet
(1956)
Action
|
Adventure
|
Sci-Fi
Director:
Fred M. Wilcox
Stars:
Walter Pidgeon,
Anne Francis,
Leslie Nielsen
The Time Machine
(1960)
Adventure
|
Romance
|
Sci-Fi
Director:
George Pal
Stars:
Rod Taylor,
Alan Young,
Yvette Mimieux
Them!
(1954)
Horror
|
Sci-Fi
Director:
Gordon Douglas
Stars:
James Whitmore,
Edmund Gwenn,
Joan Weldon
The Thing from Another World
(1951)
Horror
|
Sci-Fi
Directors:
Christian Nyby,
Howard Hawks
Stars:
Kenneth Tobey,
Margaret Sheridan,
James Arness
Drama
|
Horror
|
Sci-Fi
Director:
Don Siegel
Stars:
Kevin McCarthy,
Dana Wynter,
Larry Gates
The Blob
(1958)
Horror
|
Sci-Fi
Directors:
Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr.,
Russell S. Doughten Jr.
Stars:
Steve McQueen,
Aneta Corsaut,
Earl Rowe
When Worlds Collide
(1951)
Action
|
Sci-Fi
|
Thriller
Director:
Rudolph Maté
Stars:
Richard Derr,
Barbara Rush,
Peter Hansen
It Came from Outer Space
(1953)
Horror
|
Sci-Fi
Director:
Jack Arnold
Stars:
Richard Carlson,
Barbara Rush,
Charles Drake
Earth vs. the Flying Saucers
(1956)
Action
|
Sci-Fi
Director:
Fred F. Sears
Stars:
Hugh Marlowe,
Joan Taylor,
Donald Curtis
The Omega Man
(1971)
Certificate: GP
Action
|
Sci-Fi
|
Thriller
Director:
Boris Sagal
Stars:
Charlton Heston,
Anthony Zerbe,
Rosalind Cash
Adventure
|
Horror
|
Sci-Fi
Director:
Eugène Lourié
Stars:
Paul Hubschmid,
Paula Raymond,
Cecil Kellaway
Edit
Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Gene Barry | ... | Dr. Clayton Forrester | |
| Ann Robinson | ... | Sylvia Van Buren | |
| Les Tremayne | ... | Maj. Gen. Mann | |
| Robert Cornthwaite | ... | Dr. Pryor (as Bob Cornthwaite) | |
 |
Sandro Giglio | ... | Dr. Bilderbeck |
|
|
Lewis Martin | ... | Pastor Dr. Matthew Collins |
|
|
Houseley Stevenson Jr. | ... | Gen. Mann's Aide (as Housely Stevenson Jr.) |
| Paul Frees | ... | Second Radio Reporter / Opening Announcer | |
| William Phipps | ... | Wash Perry (as Bill Phipps) | |
|
|
Vernon Rich | ... | Col. Ralph Heffner |
| Henry Brandon | ... | Cop at Crash Site | |
| Jack Kruschen | ... | Salvatore | |
| Cedric Hardwicke | ... | Commentary (voice) (as Sir Cedric Hardwicke) | |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
Storyline
H.G. Wells' classic novel is brought to life in this tale of alien invasion. The residents of a small town in California are excited when a flaming meteor lands in the hills. Their joy is tempered somewhat when they discover that it has passengers who are not very friendly. Written by KC Hunt <khunt@eng.morgan.edu>
Taglines:
Amazing! terrifying! The most savage spectacle of all time! See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
Edit
Edit
See more on IMDbPro »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USARelease Date:
26 August 1953 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Kampf der Welten See more »Filming Locations:
Westminster Presbyterian Church - 1757 North Lake Avenue, Pasadena, California, USA See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
$2,000,000 (estimated)Gross USA:
$4,360,000Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
3 Channel Stereo (Western Electric Recording) (5.0) (L-R)Aspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1
Edit
Radio Reporter: [voiceover] In the First World War, and for the first time in the history of man, nations combined to fight against nations using the crude weapons of those days. The Second World War involved every continent on the globe, and men turned to science for new devices of warfare, which reached an unparalleled peak in their capacity for destruction. And now, fought with the terrible weapons of super-science, menacing all mankind and every creature on the Earth comes the War of the Worlds.
See more »
(uncredited)
Written by Elsie Janis and Jack King
Played over the opening logo
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
In the farmhouse, when the Martian fled from Clayton and Sylvia, Charles Gemora, who had to control the Martian by kneeling in the costume, almost fell out of the back of the suit when one of the workers pulled the platform on which the Martian was kneeling out of the shot, too fast. If you look closely at the scene, you can see the Martian is tipping over slightly. See more »Goofs
The reporter records a description of the events on magnetic tape, even though we know that the heat ray generates a magnetic field that would destroy the recording. But there's no reason to believe the reporter knew this, and no evidence that the tapes are ever played back. See more »Quotes
[first lines]Radio Reporter: [voiceover] In the First World War, and for the first time in the history of man, nations combined to fight against nations using the crude weapons of those days. The Second World War involved every continent on the globe, and men turned to science for new devices of warfare, which reached an unparalleled peak in their capacity for destruction. And now, fought with the terrible weapons of super-science, menacing all mankind and every creature on the Earth comes the War of the Worlds.
See more »
Soundtracks
Paramount on Parade(uncredited)
Written by Elsie Janis and Jack King
Played over the opening logo
See more »
Frequently Asked Questions
See more »Contribute to This Page
See what movies and TV series you can watch for free today, and visit IMDb Freedive for even more. Select any poster below to play the movie!
Explore popular and recently added TV series available to stream now with Prime Video.
Cheesy, Yes! But...
Probably the creepiest and most horrifying scenes in Filmdom was when the Martian crept up behind our heroine and clamped its tarsier-like fingers on her shoulder.
She freaked, but not immediately. She paused. Reacted to that touch. Slowly turned her head around and LOOKED at the offending appendages.
This entire moment of horror and violation took about four to six seconds.
Her mind - finally - comprehended it. IT had touched her.
Then she lost it.
One of the best screams in film history. Great acting and just overwhelming.
For that one scene, I love this movie. Creepy as hell!