The Day of the Triffids (1963)
The screenplay of The Day of the Triffids was probably extremely interesting to read, and even through the cheesy finished product, I was able to recognize the original worth of Bernard Gordon and Philip Yordan’s script. I don’t know if Steve Sekely and Freddie Francis’s directing made the film silly, or if the studio insisted on turning the movie into a cheap horror movie. It starts with an extremely similar premise to Little Shop of Horrors: While everyone watches a meteor shower, they’re blinded, and man-eating Venus Flytraps try to take over the world. The few people who didn’t watch the meteor shower can still see, but the vast majority of the population are blind and helpless. Imagine an airplane full of blind passengers, crew, and pilots—an extremely suspenseful scene featured in the film!
Howard Keel and Janina Faye team up to save the human race, while Kieron Moore and Janette Scott also try to stay safe amidst the chaos. The worst parts of the movie are the horror bits. Women scream and extremely fake plants attack, and the audience rolls their eyes at the silliness. Had the scary scenes been cut out or handled with more drama and class, the movie probably would have been very good. As it is, if you liked the original Little Shop of Horrors from 1960, you might like this one. Despite the presence of musical king Howard Keel, there are no songs in this one. It’s still pretty interesting though, so give it a shot if the premise appeals to you.
More Howard Keel movies here!
Howard Keel and Janina Faye team up to save the human race, while Kieron Moore and Janette Scott also try to stay safe amidst the chaos. The worst parts of the movie are the horror bits. Women scream and extremely fake plants attack, and the audience rolls their eyes at the silliness. Had the scary scenes been cut out or handled with more drama and class, the movie probably would have been very good. As it is, if you liked the original Little Shop of Horrors from 1960, you might like this one. Despite the presence of musical king Howard Keel, there are no songs in this one. It’s still pretty interesting though, so give it a shot if the premise appeals to you.
More Howard Keel movies here!