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This 1962 version of The Day of the Triffids has been a TV staple for many years, more probably because of a lasting affection for John Wyndham's original novel than any high regard for the film itself. The premise--a meteor shower blinds almost all of humanity, just as a space-borne strain of ambulatory killer plants begins to proliferate--is so strong that it's easy to overlook the frankly messy realization of it. The film opens well, sticking close to the book, as Howard Keel awakens in a London hospital after an eye operation and takes off the bandages to discover that he can see but most of the rest of the population can't.There are unsettling, effective bits with a plane literally flying blind and the beginnings of panic among the fumbling survivors, and one good Triffid encounter in a fog.

Then the film is strangely compelled to stray all over the map, with trips to France and Spain that have no discernible purpose.Director Steve Sekely's original cut was adjudged so disastrous that an uncredited Freddie Francis was brought in to shoot a whole new subplot, featuring Keiron Moore and Janette Scott in a vine-besieged lighthouse, to thread through the old footage.The results are less satisfying than the later BBC serial adaptation, but it still has some irresistible end-of-the-world and killer-plant material.--Kim Newman ... Read more

Reviews (4)

See Janette Scott Fight Triffids That Spit Poison And Kill
My star rating is based on the Cheezy Flicks DVD release. The movie gets four+ stars IMHO!

THE MOVIE: This clever classic from the days of my youth is still exciting to watch today. Although the idea of killer plants may seem cheesy, the mass blindness and resulting hysteria add that apocalyptic taste I so love! The Triffids don't move very fast, but they do make scary noises... and that's a good thing. The action is well paced and the camera work is interesting. Ultimately, this is sort of like a zombie flick, but instead of zombies we have killer space plants.

THIS DVD: The ONLY thing this DVD has going for it is that it's widescreen. The back of the box says, "4:3 Aspect Ratio" and, "Digitally Remastered"; both statements are wrong. The color is dull and a little pink, which is really sad for a film that made such dramatic, stylistic use of color. The print is pretty clean most of the way through except at reel changes and towards the end, buts that's forgivable. What is NOT forgivable is that the last chapter of this DVD is a pixilated, skipping, jacked-up mess that is totally impossible to watch (I checked on multiple players to be sure). I returned my first DVD and the replacement had exactly the same problem, which tells me that the problem is with "Cheezy Flicks" and their poor quality DVDs. Recently, fly-by-night DVD publishers like this have been showing up on Amazon charging top dollar for discs that belong in the bargain bins. No matter how much I love this movie, this is one of those bargain bin discs. However, BOTH current DVD versions of this film have little to recommend, other than the film itself.

The Better Quality DVD
The movie Day of the Triffids has always been a favorite. I have been waiting for years to add this movie to my DVD collection. The Chezzy Flicks release brought the movie out in letterbox the way the movie was filmed. The picture and sound quality are certainly acceptable and much better than the poor quality Allied Artist release. As others have mentioned, the color is washed out and it does not look like a new transfer, but it is the best quality version available at this time. If you must add this film to your own collection, go with the Chezzy Flicks release.

Better than you might think...
I saw this film when it first came out. I loved it then and I love it now. The Widescreen version is great, though the colors have faded badly, and this "remastered" version isn't "re-imagined". The sound is fine, though, and with a little imagination, the film comes off well (I DO miss some of the colorful landscapes...the greens & reds are very washed-out, and this IS a film about plants!). A later-career performance by Howard Keel is solid, as is the performance of Nicole Maurey (her red hair comes thru!). The important scenes involving Kieron Moore and Janette Scott, filmed separately, were integrated well. There were no cast lists, but the performance of the little girl was wonderful, whomever she may be. I hate bad kid-actors. This IS a fine film; I remember the critics praising this film. I know director Sekely has made other films that I admire that I can't recall. This is definitly worth a look. John Wyndham's book is well translated to the screen. The goofy extras at the beginning are fun, though you can't forward to the film without watching them...

Day of the Triffids - Wide Screen
I love the movie Day of the Triffids. This second release brought the movie out in letterbox the way the movie was filmed which is way better. But the quality is not that great. The colour is washed out and it does not look like a new transfer or remastered like the write up says. It is a pricey DVD for the quality of this movie and not being a well known company that put it out. There is also cheapy ad's before the movie starts.
But it is good to have it wide screen at least. ... Read more