Invasion of the Triffids (1963)

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.

Directors:

Steve Sekely, Freddie Francis (uncredited)

Writers:

Bernard Gordon (screenplay), Philip Yordan (front for Bernard Gordon)

Stars:

Howard Keel, Nicole Maurey, Janette Scott

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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
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

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

meteor shower | meteor | plant | flesh eating plant | attacked by a plant | 

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Taglines:

Fantastic, frightening, but entirely plausible. John Wyndham's famous story of a world dominated by monstrous, stinging plants catches the imagination like the best of HG Wells.

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 April 1963 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Day of the Triffids

Filming Locations:

El Poble Espanyol, The Spanish Village, Barcelona, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

$750,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Allied Artists Pictures, Security Pictures Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor) (uncredited)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Opening credits list Janette Scott and Keiron Moore 'By Special Arrangement'.

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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.

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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 ...

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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.

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Connections

Referenced in Otaku no video (1991)

User Reviews

Very good British made sci-fi.

A meteorite shower lights up the sky and blinds all that watches it. Most of the world population must also deal with some rather weird plant life that can uproot itself and seek human nourishment.

Howard Keel plays a sailor recovering from an eye operation, thus not being blinded by the mysterious glowing display. He finds a young girl that slept through the starry shower. Together they seek out help and a solution to this very weird problem. A couple of marine biologist, stranded in a lighthouse, get a 'hands on' encounter with the rampaging stalks of terror.

An evenly paced movie considering the slow moving menace. This makes you ponder watering your plants. Very good movie.

Also in the cast are Janina Faye, Nicole Maurey and Janette Scott.