Hill House Halloween

No one gave a thought to the older worlds of space as sources of human danger, or thought of them only to dismiss the idea of life upon them as impossible or improbable. 

-The War of the Worlds

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Invaders From Mars

The 1953 version.

This was one of those films I saw when I was young enough to become instantly convinced that members of my family might no longer be members of my family.  The kind of fear that makes you try to stay awake, because your brother might be waiting for you to fall asleep so he could kill you.

The remake in 1986 was way cool too, with some amazing creature effects.

Click below for the trailer:

The Great Martian War

Currently watching this faux documentary, hilariously produced as though it were the real deal...  and trying to stay true to the timeline in H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds.

Click below:

NASA Curiosity Rover

Step 1:

Step 2:

Step 3:

Story here.

And here.

If It's War They Want

It is still a matter of wonder how the Martians are able to slay men so swiftly and so silently. Many think that in some way they are able to generate an intense heat in a chamber of practically absolute non-conductivity. This intense heat they project in a parallel beam against any object they choose, by means of a polished parabolic mirror of unknown composition, much as the parabolic mirror of a lighthouse projects a beam of light. But no one has absolutely proved these details. However it is done, it is certain that a beam of heat is the essence of the matter. Heat, and invisible, instead of visible, light. Whatever is combustible flashes into flame at its touch, lead runs like water, it softens iron, cracks and melts glass, and when it falls upon water, incontinently that explodes into steam.

Image source.

War Of The Worlds

Back in the 80s, I watched every episode of the War of the Worlds television series. After watching this fan tribute, I'm not entirely comfortable with that.

Click below:

War

At any rate, as the dusk came on a slow, intermittent movement upon the sand pits began, a movement that seemed to gather force as the stillness of the evening about the cylinder remained unbroken. Vertical black figures in twos and threes would advance, stop, watch, and advance again, spreading out as they did so in a thin irregular crescent that promised to enclose the pit in its attenuated horns. I, too, on my side began to move towards the pit.

Then I saw some cabmen and others had walked boldly into the sand pits, and heard the clatter of hoofs and the gride of wheels. I saw a lad trundling off the barrow of apples. And then, within thirty yards of the pit, advancing from the direction of Horsell, I noted a little black knot of men, the foremost of whom was waving a white flag.

Image source.

War Of The Worlds

The costume in the previous post reminds me of the alien design in the original 1953 WAR OF THE WORLDS film (and the short-lived TV Series in the 90s). Turns out there was a plan to make a television series sequel back in the 70s.

Here's a sketch of one of the revised aliens for that series:

More information.