The Day of the Triffids (1981)

The original BBC mini-series adaptation (later redone in 2009) from the 1951 post-apocalyptic novel by John Wyndham. Triffids are roughly man sized, mobile, carnivorous plants from outer space, for years after they first starting appearing on Earth in roughly the 1960's, humans kept them around in cages to harvest for there clean burning oil. As the series begins gamma radiation from a passing comet renders all humans who look at it directly blind, the triffids get out of there cages and start eating, and a mysterious new disease appears wiping out many of the surviving people. The story follows Bill Mason (the great John Duttine of To Serve Them All My Days) who had worked as a biologist at a triffid farm and Josella Payton (Emma Relph) a young female 'sighted' survivor as they struggle to survive and stay together amidst a world plunged into chaos. The story actually raises some interesting issues concerning various approaches to reorganizing a society after a catastrophe, the good and bad in human nature, the limits of technology ect. While the triffids are kind of corny looking (remember there carnivorous plants on a 1980's British television budget) the story, its themes and characters are compelling, and somewhat reminiscent of Stephen King. If you can get past the production limitations (which aren't as bad as they could be) you'll probably enjoy it, I did. Recommended.