“The Day of the Triffids” is a classic 1960s era sci/fi horror film. The movie begins with a bang, followed by mass blindness and a invasion of the mighty, vegetable-like Triffids. In between, there are a variety of characters that exemplify different degrees of the human condition, some worth dying or saving.
The Triffid is a bit of a sight, a three-pronged hairy fennel-type plant that is capable of walking. While a single Triffid seems defeatable, there is never just one Triffid. They travel in large gangs, moving quickly as if on roller skates, and are capable of walking/floating up stairways and penetrating barriers. While it is alive and roaming for humans, it is invincible and ugly. Yet for all of its physical power, the Triffid is pretty easily disposed of if there is sea water and a nearby ice cream truck that can play warbly music.
“The Day of the Triffids” offers so many peaks and dips that it is hard to pinpoint whether this film truly is a classic or just a very silly, preachy movie. I saw it with my friend Sabyl at at Worst Movie Film Festival back in San Francisco. While I never thought the film was on the scale of horrible like “Invaders from Mars”, there were quite a few unintentional comedic points. Also, the film really does suffer from the subpar physical form of a daunting monster that should be striking fear into the viewing audience. A giant walking vegetable is a hard sell.
The highlight human in this film is played by Jeannette Scott (remember her name from the “Rocky Horror Picture Show” opening song?), who has perfected panic posing and rounding her lips into a perfect “o” when confronted by horror.
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