The Day of the Triffids

"From the nightmare novel that made the world shudder!"

1963 1h 33m EN

😐

6.1

MID

★6.1TMDB · 200

Science FictionHorror

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

“From the nightmare novel that made the world shudder!”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Howard Keel
Bill Masen
Janina Faye
Susan - Child on the Train
Nicole Maurey
Christine Durrant
Janette Scott
Karen Goodwin
Mervyn Johns
Mr. Coker
Kieron Moore
Tom Goodwin
Ewan Roberts
Dr. Soames
Alison Leggatt
Miss Coker

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Steve Sekely
Writers: Bernard Gordon
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.8M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

ERA

Did you know

63 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Steve Sekely, shot by Ted Moore. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Ron Goodwin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Howard Keel and Janina Faye and Nicole Maurey carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "From the nightmare novel that made the world shudder!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0055894 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Steve Sekely directs. Ted Moore behind the camera. Ron Goodwin scores. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $0.8M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
263 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Steve Sekely, shot by Ted Moore. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Ron Goodwin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Howard Keel and Janina Faye and Nicole Maurey carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "From the nightmare novel that made the world shudder!".
7IMDB entry: tt0055894 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 23 themes, including "london, england", "paris, france", "based on novel or book", "marine biologist".
9Released under 20 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Ted Moore
Original score: Ron Goodwin
Makeup / hair: Eileen Warwick
Runtime: 93 min · 1h 33m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $750,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Day of the Triffids (1963)

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Steve Sekely

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Community reviews

What people are saying

talisencrw2016-07-05
★ 8/10
This was solid and surprisingly very effective at getting across both the dread and horrific atmosphere of such a predicament--and would make a very good double bill with Kaufman's (70's) 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers'. I love my veggies, but I'll never look at a salad the same way again...
Wuchak2021-09-30
★ 5/10
Attack of the Plant Monsters After a curious meteor shower creates havoc on Earth, a merchant navy officer (Howard Keel) in England is forced to contend with mobile vegetation-based creatures; meanwhile on an island off of Cornwall a troubled scientist couple working at a lighthouse try to solve the problem (Janette Scott & Kieron Moore). "The Day of the Triffids” (1963) is a British creature feature that borrows from “War of the Worlds” of ten years prior (particularly the ending), but it’s not in the same league. While the creators did their best to create scary-looking plant monsters, they’re just not as formidable as the Martian threat in that other movie. It doesn’t help that the females are depicted as dainty, useless screamers (I realize it’s a sign of the times but, c’mon, they could do more than stand idly by screaming). Still, if you like 50s-60’s Brit horror, like "Island of Terror" (1966) and "Night of the Big Heat" (1967), you’ll probably appreciate it (it’s on par with the former, but not as good as the latter); just don’t expect Peter Cushing or Christopher Lee. The movie runs 1 hour, 33 minutes and was shot at Shepperton Studios, just west of London, as well as locations in London and Spain. GRADE: C
CinemaSerf2024-12-30
★ 6/10
I loved this film as a child - and almost sixty years later, it is still a very entertaining, fast-moving sci-fi tale. A meteor shower deposits loads of walking plants that render their victims blind. Before we know it, civilisation is facing chaos as there are hardly any folks left who can see - cars and planes are crashing; people are starving - you name it, it's going wrong. A few can still see, and Howard Keel ("Masen") and Nicole Maurey ("Durrant) travel through Europe trying to escape their clutches and make it to a naval base in Cadiz. Meantime, another pair, Janette Scott & Kieron Moore are stranded in a lighthouse where they think themselves safe - well "an ill wind" blows and soon the "Triffids" are threatening them too. It's a well directed adaptation of John Wyndham's story - the performances are fine, not great, but good enough to create a sense of fear and jeopardy (OK, maybe just a little too much screaming) and the ending is just in the nick of time!!