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Invasion of the Triffids

Original title: The Day of the Triffids
  • 19631963
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 1h 33m
IMDb RATING
6.1/10
8.1K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
The Day of the Triffids (1963)
Trailer for this classic sci-fi thriller
Play trailer2:21
1 Video
39 Photos
  • Horror
  • Sci-Fi

After an unusual meteor shower leaves most of the human population blind, a merchant navy officer must find a way to conquer tall, aggressive plants which are feeding on people and animals.After an unusual meteor shower leaves most of the human population blind, a merchant navy officer must find a way to conquer tall, aggressive plants which are feeding on people and animals.After an unusual meteor shower leaves most of the human population blind, a merchant navy officer must find a way to conquer tall, aggressive plants which are feeding on people and animals.

IMDb RATING
6.1/10
8.1K
YOUR RATING
  • Directors
    • Steve Sekely
    • Freddie Francis(uncredited)
  • Writers
    • Bernard Gordon(screenplay)
    • Philip Yordan(front for Bernard Gordon)
    • John Wyndham(novel "Day of the Triffids")
  • Stars
    • Howard Keel
    • Nicole Maurey
    • Janette Scott
Top credits
  • Directors
    • Steve Sekely
    • Freddie Francis(uncredited)
  • Writers
    • Bernard Gordon(screenplay)
    • Philip Yordan(front for Bernard Gordon)
    • John Wyndham(novel "Day of the Triffids")
  • Stars
    • Howard Keel
    • Nicole Maurey
    • Janette Scott
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 126User reviews
    • 55Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    The Day of the Triffids
    Trailer 2:21
    The Day of the Triffids

    Photos39

    The Day of the Triffids (1963)
    The Day of the Triffids (1963)
    The Day of the Triffids (1963)
    The Day of the Triffids (1963)
    The Day of the Triffids (1963)
    The Day of the Triffids (1963)
    The Day of the Triffids (1963)
    Janette Scott in The Day of the Triffids (1963)
    The Day of the Triffids (1963)
    The Day of the Triffids (1963)
    The Day of the Triffids (1963)
    Janina Faye and Howard Keel in The Day of the Triffids (1963)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Howard Keel
    Howard Keel
    • Bill Masenas Bill Masen
    Nicole Maurey
    Nicole Maurey
    • Christine Durrantas Christine Durrant
    Janette Scott
    Janette Scott
    • Karen Goodwinas Karen Goodwin
    Kieron Moore
    Kieron Moore
    • Tom Goodwinas Tom Goodwin
    Mervyn Johns
    Mervyn Johns
    • Mr. Cokeras Mr. Coker
    Ewan Roberts
    Ewan Roberts
    • Dr. Soamesas Dr. Soames
    Alison Leggatt
    Alison Leggatt
    • Miss Cokeras Miss Coker
    Geoffrey Matthews
    • Luis de la Vegaas Luis de la Vega
    Janina Faye
    Janina Faye
    • Susanas Susan
    Gilgi Hauser
    • Teresa de la Vegaas Teresa de la Vega
    John Tate
    • Captain - SS Midlandas Captain - SS Midland
    Carole Ann Ford
    Carole Ann Ford
    • Bettinaas Bettina
    • (as Carol Ann Ford)
    Arthur Gross
    Arthur Gross
    • Flight 356 Radiomanas Flight 356 Radioman
    Colette Wilde
    • Nurse Jamiesonas Nurse Jamieson
    • (as Collette Wilde)
    Ian Wilson
    Ian Wilson
    • Greenhouse Watchmanas Greenhouse Watchman
    Victor Brooks
    • Poiretas Poiret
    Chris Adcock
    • Train Passengeras Train Passenger
    • (uncredited)
    Michael Bishop
    • Flight 356 Pilotas Flight 356 Pilot
    • (uncredited)
    • Directors
      • Steve Sekely
      • Freddie Francis(uncredited)
    • Writers
      • Bernard Gordon(screenplay) (front Philip Yordan)
      • Philip Yordan(front for Bernard Gordon)
      • John Wyndham(novel "Day of the Triffids")
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    A shower of meteorites produces a glow that blinds anyone that looks at it. As it was such a beautiful sight, most people were watching, and as a consequence, 99% of the population go blind. In the original novel, this chaos results in the escape of some Triffids: experimental plants that are capable of moving themselves around and attacking people. In the film version, however, the Triffids are not experimental plants. Instead they are space aliens whose spores have arrived in an earlier meteor shower. —Murray Chapman <muzzle@cs.uq.oz.au>, edited by Triffid Fan
    • psychotronic film
    • kew gardens london
    • lincoln's inn fields london england
    • piccadilly circus london
    • houses of parliament london
    • 26 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • Spine Chilling Terror
    • Genres
      • Horror
      • Sci-Fi
    • Certificate
      • Approved
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Kieron Moore and Janette Scott were only added to the cast when it was discovered upon completion of filming that there was only 57 minutes of good usable footage available. The whole lighthouse sequence, directed by veteran Cinematographer Freddie Francis, was only added to help extend the movie's running time.
    • Goofs
      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

      Tom Goodwin: [to Karen] Keep behind me. There's no sense in getting killed by a plant.

    • Alternate versions
      In pan & scan versions of this film, there is an extra scene as Bill & Susan depart England for France. They are seen on the small motorboat and Susan asks Bill "Where are we going?". Bill answers "We're going to that meeting in Paris, if we can make it". They then hear an explosion behind them, and we see that the ship they had just left from has exploded. We then see their small boat heading out to sea past an estuary lighthouse. This scene is missing from the letterbox versions.
    • Connections
      Featured in Aweful Movies with Deadly Earnest: The Day of the Triffids (1975)

    User reviews126

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    Spectacularly campy.
    A intensely colourful and bright meteor shower covered the sky one night blinding most of the world's population and making people defenseless to man eating plants called "Triffidus Celestus'' that were grown from meteor-borne spores. Though, there are some people that can see. An American seaman whose eyes were bandaged during the meteor shower is battling his way through triffids and helping out people. While, a couple in a lighthouse are fending off Triffids and trying to find a way to stop them.

    John Wyndham's novel was brought to the big screen in this classic Sci-Fi with an A-grade story with b-grade effects, but it holds up fairly well. This is incredibly engaging kitsch with a nice idea that's very imaginative and it gives us a thrilling enough adventure. The film might be rough around the edges, but still it's rather effective because of a riveting story that we don't know what to expect and a solid lead performance by Howard Keel.

    It's a film of two halves making it fairly uneven. The opening half creates such a grand apocalyptic feel, becoming quite unsettling at times with good location photography of an eerie London that captures such a mysterious vibe. It's indeed very atmospheric. While the second half slows down a bit and kinda goes berserk with its stars "The Triffids". It's rather amusing when they're moving about and springing out of nowhere, but because of that it drifts away from the edginess of the opening half and becomes rather padded.

    Throughout the story we follow an American seaman trying to get to safety and helping blind people on his way and then there's a couple stranded in a lighthouse. While the first of the two is definitely the most interesting, but after a while it starts to fizzle out and leads to anticlimax. While the sequences with the couple (there weren't many) were mostly dull because of the bland dialogue and her constantly screaming and him constantly yelling, but the set-up for them was interesting enough. However, the climax involving the lighthouse couple is tense and exciting.

    The special effects were rather ordinary, cheap and shoddy. Visually wise it was quite stunning and vibrant, with the lights in the sky as the meteor shower were fairly hypnotizing. There was good composition with colour and lighting. Though, the plants don't look terribly great and will cause a chuckle, but still they are a sight to see, as they look wicked and rather horrendous in nature or maybe just plain ridiculous. Most of the violence happened off screen/implied. The music score was rather enforcing and good in keeping such downbeat mood. There are some incredibly well staged sequences and there are scenarios in the story that lacked logic and cohesion, but it didn't bother me too much.

    Howard Keel was fairly spirited and witty in his role. There are some fair if mundane support roles from Nicole Maurey, Alison Leggatt, Mervyn Jones and Janina Faye. While Kieron Moore and Janette Scott as the couple were rather shallow in their portrayals and that's mostly because they aren't given much screen time.

    The mysterious opening 45-minutes is engrossing and builds tension and uneasiness nicely. The pretty routine mid-section gets bogged down and is far less involving. Some interesting sub-plots add some life and another dimension in the slow mid-section. While leading up to the ending it has some bizarre visuals of the triffids and some entertaining moments. Though, when it came to the ending for me it just came across forced and hard to swallow.

    It's really nothing fancy, but overall it's an entertaining effort with ordinary special effects and cheesy dialogue that seem to add a lot of charm too it all.
    helpful•9
    1
    • lost-in-limbo
    • Jun 2, 2005

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 27, 1963 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • The Day of the Triffids
    • Filming locations
      • Moorfields Eye Hospital, City Road, Islington, London, England, UK
    • Production companies
      • Allied Artists Pictures
      • Security Pictures Ltd.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $750,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 33 minutes
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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