Thanks go out to The World of the Weird Monster Show for not only playing The Day of the Triffids last Friday, but showing highlights from the recent Chicago horror convention, Flashback. I really wanted to attend, but I had to leave town for a two day shoot in Milwaukee. Anyway, this year’s Flashback brought back together a lot of the cast from the Nightmare on Elm Street films. I was never a huge fan of the series, but the original is still a classic in the genre. And I had a crush on Heather Langenkamp back in the day (remember Just the Ten of Us?). I think I would have just gotten the biggest thrill getting to say “hello” to the guys at the WOW booth. Hopefully next year.
As for The Day of the Triffids, some how I have gone my whole life without seeing this B movie classic. I suppose I always thought Day of the Triffids was more on the lines of a Z grade flick, but I was quite impressed with the acting and powerful story (based on the novel by John Wyndham). The set up is really fantastic as our hero, American sailor Bill Masen, is recovering from a surgery in London where his eyes are bandaged, thus causing him to miss out on a massive meteorite storm. The next morning when Bill wakes up he discovers that the meteorite storm from the previous night has left nearly everyone who witnessed the spectacle blind, except for a few lucky souls like Bill. Along with the blindness, the storm also seems to have had an effect on various plants that are now capable of uprooting themselves and feeding on humans. Bizarre, huh? The story continues as Bill teams up with a young girl, traveling through the countryside searching for a place that isn’t affected. The film reminds me of several others: 28 Days Later, Night of the Living Dead, and the Twilight Zone pilot, “Where Is Everybody?,” to name a few. Unfortunately, the killing plants are rather laughable and the ending is quite abrupt (much like the original War of the Worlds). The Day of the Triffids is one of those movies where a modern day remake could improve on the special effects but the charm of the original would sure to be lost in the translation.
An upcoming episode of The World of the Weird Monster Show is going to play Spider Baby, another “classic” that some how has eluded my screening eyes all these years.
Anyway, thanks WOW!