From Jonathan Klotz
| Published
Long before M. Night Shyamalan turned plants into killers The eventand a few years before George Romero helped turn horror on its head Night of the Living Deada British science fiction horror classic, introduced the world to the Triffids. Adaptation of the hit book of the same name, The Day of the Triffidsperhaps about aliens rather than zombies, but it left a lasting mark on zombie horror for 60 years. In particular, 28 days later And The walking dead were heavily influenced by the 1963 film.
Man is the real monster
The Day of the Triffids begins with a strange meteor shower that blinds anyone who sees it and spares Bill, a naval officer who was recovering in a hospital when it occurred. The scene where Bill wanders out of the hospital and onto the empty city streets is one of those scenes that you probably never would have guessed was an homage. Danny Boyle made sure he scored Cillian Murphy the same in production 28 days laterbut that’s not the only scene the two films have in common.
“Man is the real monster” has become the expected message in most horror films 28 days later expresses this in the third act, the arrival of the soldiers, who are housed in an abandoned house. It is similar to the same sequence in the 1951 novel The Day of the Triffids, right down to the use of the zombies/Triffids as weapons. The film made significant changes compared to the novel, including changing the ending to something more hopeful, but between the two you can see the DNA of 28 days later.
While the film version of The Day of the Triffids has little to do with the novel and doesn’t make it clear exactly where the Triffids came from. In the novel it is implied that they are the result of Soviet experiments, but then the film also includes spores spread by the mysterious meteor shower, making it seem like they are an invader Foreigner Species. Both versions feature a young girl, Susan, who Bill befriends and defends as they wander the countryside in search of a safe haven.
60 years later
The Day of the Triffids isn’t a traditional zombie film, but it still helped establish the template that the genre would follow. The 1963 film currently enjoys a fresh 78 percent critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes, compared to a weak audience rating of 51 percent, but that’s with over 5,000 audience reviews for a 61-year-old film, and it’s still a better rating than that most others Science fiction Films releasing in 2024. Later adaptations would remain more faithful to the original novel, including the 2009 miniseries starring Jason Priestly, Brian CoxVanessa Redgrave and Eddie Izzard, but neither had the long-lasting but underrated impact of the original.
George Romeros Night of the Living Deadthe most influential zombie film of all time, hit theaters five years later The Day of the Triffidsbut together the two films helped launch a horror subgenre that is still popular today. Over the past 20 years, zombie films that deconstruct the genre and twist tropes sideways have gained popularity Shaun of the Dead To The dead don’t diewith mixed results. But despite all this, the 1963 British sci-fi horror film has quietly influenced countless films and novels.
Before you watch it again 28 days later prepare 28 years laterDo yourself a favor and stream The Day of the Triffids free of charge Tube, Philoor Crackleand see if you can spot the homages and references.
