19) The Day of the Triffids (1963)

(4's out of 5)

"In nature's scheme of things, there are certain plants which are carnivorous, or eating plants....This is a newcomer: Triffidus Celestus, brought to earth on the meteorite during the Day of the Triffids."

Director

Steve Sekely
Freddie Francis (Uncredited)

Cast
Howard Keel - Bill Masen
Nicole Maurey - Christine Durant
Janina Faye - Susan
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

I'm a bit torn initially where to plop this review. Here, or on my horror site, 1000daysofhorror.blogspot.com. "Day of the Triffids" (1963) is considered 

to be sci-fi horror as the story centers on invasive carnivorous plants from outer space that eat people. 

The movie is based on a 1951 novel by sci-fi writer John Wyndom, who also wrote "The Midwich Cuckoos." The 1960 horror/sci-fi classic "Village of the Damned" is based on that novel.  

I think it's more science fiction than it is horror, so it fits better on this platform. 

"The Day of the Triffids" is a movie I've had on my radar for years. I have an affinity for vintage paperback books, so I hope to find an old copy out in the wild someday.  

In this movie, which takes place in the U.K., a majority of mankind loses their eyesight during an intense meteor shower witnessed all around the Earth. 

However, merchant navy officer Bill Masen (Howard Keel) manages to keep his eyesight as he's treated in the hospital overnight. He wakes up the next morning after eye surgery to find that everyone in the hospital is gone. 

He leaves and wanders around London as most everyone in the city is meandering aimlessly, unable to see. 

Soon, sentient plants called triffids begin sprouting and growing all over the place. They poison their victims, and then consume them.

The plants are also able to free themselves from the ground and crawl around looking for prey. They send out spores, carried by the wind like dandelion seeds, which land in soil and grow into more triffids.

While all that is going on, scientist Tom Goodwin (Kieron Moore) and his wife Karen (Janette Scott) are living in seclusion at a lighthouse for, I think, scientific purposes. Their only knowledge of what's going on out in the world is through a radio. As news of the triffid invasion, and mass blindness peaks, they think they're safe from the ever-increasing triffid population since they're out in the middle of the ocean. 

That delusion abruptly ends when Karen finds one growing on the rock outside the lighthouse. 

She accidentally leaves the lighthouse door open and the triffids make their way in. Tom attacks and subdue them. However, they quickly learn these triffids can regenerate. 

Tom and Karen hunker down and come up with a plan to destroying these walking alien plants. 

Meanwhile, Bill heads to a train station where passengers are struggling and fumbling around blind. People are begging for anyone with eyesight to help them, 

Bill comes across a little girl named Susan (Janina Faye) who's orphaned and spent the night in the train luggage van. To Bill's surprise, Susan can still see. 

Later, while on their way over to France, they meet Christine Durant (Nicole Maurey) who takes them to a chateau that is being used as a safe place for those who are blind. 

The triffids are multiplying at a crazy rate of speed. Typical weed behavior. So, those who can see need to figure out how to conquer them for good...before the triffids wipe out humanity. 

"The Day of the Triffids" is as classic and as good an old fashioned alien invasion flick that I could hope for. 

For a movie about man-eating plants from space that's about 60 years old, the story still pulls me in. It's an entertaining, suspenseful story that manages to create a thrilling sense of apprehension. 

It has its campy parts which comes with such films from this period. Some elements don't age well. Still, that doesn't hurt the experience. 

The triffids make an insect-like sound that's creepy and off-putting. It's a bit laughable but is a nice touch.

The movie has some loose similarities to "War of the Worlds" as the alien plants nearly conquer mankind until they're easily exterminated by...would you guess... ocean water. The aliens from "War of the Worlds" die from the simple yet contagious cold virus. Both demises are simple, but effective.

I also wonder if M. Night Shyamalan took some inspiration from this movie for his 2002 sci-fi thriller "Signs." 

Similar to the destruction of the triffids, water is fatal to the aliens in Shyamalan's film. At least

in "The Day of the Triffids" the alien plants aren't intelligent enough to avoid the salt-watery Earth. 

The aliens in "Signs" who create sophisticated crop circles, and travel across space in spacecrafts equipped with cloaking devices and then land on a planet that's 71 percent water, which will kill them. 

Of course, it also reminds me of "Little Shop of Horrors" for clearly obvious, man-eating plant reasons.  

The plot point in which eyesight becomes a valuable commodity has an original feel to it. It's silently suggested the triffids intentionally caused this. It's an imaginative and creative part of the story. 

The pace starts to stretch itself thin towards the end of the second act. But it picks back up rather quickly. It's primarily thanks to the subplot of Tom and Karen out in their lighthouse that keeps the story much more intriguing. If it wasn't for their story, the movie would likely be much more of a bore than it is. 

The fun aspect comes with its classic sci-fi/ horror tropes that seem much more original for a movie from this era such as the all-too familiar car that won't start when danger is imminent. 

The movie has brilliancy as far as color goes. The version I watched, streaming on "CinemaBox" wasn't the greatest quality, but it wasn't bad either. 

Regardless, "The Day of the Triffids" is a movie and story of its own. For a classic sci-fi movie, something ideal for a drive-in, it still manages to deliver with barely a dull moment.  

An updated reboot or remake would be great. I'd be curious enough to watch an updated version. The story did have its own TV series back in 1981. "The Day of the Triffids" ran for six episodes over in the U.K.   

As for this 1963 film adaptation, it's among the best early survival picture I've seen.