We all know carnivorous plants exist like the Venus Fly trap exist. But Hollywood likes to take the concept of the killer plant to the extreme.  Since Halloween is just around the corner, it's a good time to recap movies with killer or menacing plants.  There are literally dozens of movies that fit this bill, so only the most popular are recapped here, in no specific order.  Almost all of them can be viewed online for free.

Day of the Triffids(1963)

Starring Howard Keel (yes, the Howard Keel that starred in the musicals Showboat and Kiss Me Kate) as Mason, a sailor who is one of a few people on the planet who can still see, this is my favorite killer plant movie.  A once in a lifetime spectacular meteor storm ends up blinding everyone who saw it. Mason was in a London hospital the night of the meteor shower with his eyes bandaged as he recovered from eye surgery and missed seeing the meteor shower.  He teams up with a young orphaned school girl named Susan who was stowed away on a train the night of the meteor shower, and thus can also see.  What we learn is that  the meteor shower also brought with it billions of triffid seeds.  Trifids are fast- growing carnivorous tall, upright plants that can spew poison.  They can also uproot themselves and move about in search of prey.

Mason and Susan learn from a radio broadcast that a Navy vessel that was submerged during the meteor storm was planning a rescue pickup for survivors at a port in Spain in a short time.  So Mason and Susan start their dangerous trek to the rescue point facing bands of triffids and other dangers along the way.  But fear not for the human race, because before he film ends a common element on earth is discovered to kill the triffids.

Two remakes of the film were also done in 1981 and 2009 but pale in comparison to the original 1963 film.  (Can be watched for free at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hVUuRAAF_s))

Seeds of Destruction(Original title The Terror Beneath) (2014)

In this made for TV movie, a well-preserved ancient seed from the Garden of Eden is unintentionally released into the soil.  The plant, and specifically its roots, grow at an exponential rate due to the toxics in the environment.  As the root grows (up to 30 miles per minute), it causes destruction in its path.  A scientist and government agent race to find a way to stop the plant roots before they eventually destroy the continent.  (Can be watched for free at https://www.bing.com/search?q=seeds+of+destruction+terror+beneath&qs=n&form=QBRE&sp=-1&pq=seeds+of+destruction+terror+beneath&sc=0-35&sk=&cvid=4A8C90ED1F33482ABD7A3F63470B0BDE&ghsh=0&ghacc=0&ghpl)

Little Shop of Horrors(1986)

Who can forget this musical comedy starring Rick Moranis as a nerdy plant shop worker who has a crush on a fellow employee named Audrey.  To stop the plant shop from closing, he suggests to the shop owner that they display an unusual plant to draw in customers.  Rick Moranis has just the plant he found one day.  But it that turns out that the plant is from outer space, can talk, and feeds on human blood.  He calls the plant Audrey II.  The plant turns out to be a huge success.  But Audrey II demands Rick Moranis supply it with human blood to survive.  (Can be watched for free at https://pluto.tv/en/on-demand/movies/the-little-shop-of-horrors-1959-1-1-ptv1)

Sound of Thunder(2005)

Based upon the Ray Bradbury short story by the same name, killer plants play only a supporting role in this science fiction film which warns of the danger of time travel.  In the future, a time traveler who travels back to the Cretaceous period unknowingly kills a butterfly, changing evolution, and the future.  But the future doesn't change all at once, but in ripples, known as time waves.  After the first time wave plants and trees become highly resilient and grow to enormous sizes.  After the third time wave, the main characters confront wandering bramble vines that cause paralysis, insanity and death, and that like to attack humans.  (Can be watched for free at https://0123movies.com/movies-a-sound-of-thunder-2005-0123movies.html)

Treevenge (2008)

This 16-minute horror film is shot from the perspective of the Christmas trees who feel brutalized as they are cut down, mounted, and decorated for Christmas.  So they take their bloody revenge on humans. It may cause you to pause the next time you think about buying a fresh cut Christmas tree!  (Can be watched for free at https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=treevenge&docid=608035694496214457&mid=536ACE564932F396DF24536ACE564932F396DF24&view=detail&FORM=VIRE)

The Happening(2008 )

SPOILER ALERT -  If you haven't seen this movie, skip this recap!  In this film directed by M. Night Shymalan, people start committing suicide en mass.  The suicides seem to occur in populated areas, or where there are groups of people.  What we eventually learn is that the trees and plants can emit a toxin causing the suicides.  (Can be watched for free at https://www.bilibili.tv/en/video/2009222253)

Please Don't Eat My Mother!(1973)

In this film, a middle aged Peeping Tom who lives with his mother buys a small plant that turns out to talk, and is carnivorus.  The Peeping Tom supplies the plant with all its food.  As the plant grows, so does its taste, moving from flies, to frogs to dogs.  One day it eats the man's mother, and develops an insatiable appetite for humans, especially sexy women.  Although this film is billed as a horror comedy, I consider it to be a sex film because it seems to focus more on graphic scenes of couples making love that the man spies upon, rather than on the lame story line. (Can be watched for free at https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7ts8am)

The Ruins (2008)

If your not a fan of horror movies, then this may be a good film for you to watch on Halloween.  The story centers around a group of friends and a tourist who decide to go on an archaeological dig in the jungle during a Mexican vacation.  But there's something sinister in the ruins in the form of killer vines.

And we can't forget about the movies with malevolent seed pods!

Invasion of the Body Snatchers(1956) 

In this classic 1956 science fiction film, alien seed pods fall from space into the fictional town of Santa Mira, California.  As the seed pod grows, it assimilates not only the physical characteristics of a person sleeping next to it, but it also it takes on their memories and personality as well.  Once the new alien grown seed person is completely grown, the human dies and is replaced by the seed pod grown alien.  But the new alien person is devoid of all emotion.  The film follows the efforts of the alien pod people in spreading seed pods in an attempt to take over the earth, and the human doctor who discovers the aliens' plans and attempts to warn everyone.  Four remakes of the film have been made to date.  If you've seen one of the remakes, especially the engaging 1978 remake, it's still definitely worth your time to watch the original film.

(Can be watched for free at https://archive.org/details/invasionofthebodysnatchers1956_201911)

Seedpeople (1992)

An alien plant lands in the Comet Valley.  As it pollinates, it spews seeds covering people with them.  The people then become walking seed carriers, spewing seeds on other people as they attempt to take over the earth.  All I can say is beware of seeds and plants from outer space!

(Watch for free at https://tubitv.com/movies/478272/seedpeople)