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A fascinating new documentary takes a look at an infamous incident in 1938 when Orson Welles' radio company had the US convinced the aliens really were coming!

The Day That Panicked America - The H.G. Wells' War Of The Worlds Scandal

Coinciding with the theatrical release of the Tom Cruise, Steven Spielberg (Jaws, Saving Private Ryan, Raiders of The Lost Ark, Close Encounters of The Third Kind, ET. the Extra Terrestrial, Schindlers' List, Jurrasic Park, The Lost World etc...) Hollywood blockbuster version of H.G Wells' 1898 novel War Of The Worlds, Ventura International brings you The Day That Panicked America - The H.G. Wells' War Of The Worlds Scandal.

Pictured (right): Welles does Wells, rather too convingly for Joe public...

Halloween 1938

On the night before Halloween 1938, Newark - New Jersey more than twenty families in a single block rushed from their homes with wet towels over their faces, fleeing from what they believed was a poison - gas raid. Elsewhere in New York traffic became
gridlocked amid scenes of genuine terror as people sought to escape imminent attack.

Across America phone-lines were overloaded as thousands called the police, newspapers and radio stations, seeking advice on protective measures, with many requiring medical treatment for shock. But what precisely had caused so many normally discriminating U.S. citizens to fear that their world was literally coming to an end?

They had fallen victim to a hoax perpetrated by none other than Orson Welles with his radio adaptation of H.G. Wells' sci-fi classic War Of The Worlds.

The documentary 'The Day That Panicked America' examines the events surrounding this infamous production, one that seismically altered our expectations of radio and TV drama forever. This special DVD package also contains a bonus CD of Orson Welles' original Mercury Theatre radio production of War Of The Worlds.

For an even more harrowing tale of the panic caused in Quito, the capital city of Ecuador on 12 Febraury 1949 when a local radio station re-staged the Welles broadcast with fatal results can be read here

An alternative 'period' (ie: faithful to the book) version of the tale has also been repotedly shot by US filmakers Pendragon Pictures. Pendragon expects a ‘spring’ 2005 release for their film - however the exact date is yet to be announced. Neither were we able to confirm whether the period feature will receive a British theatrical release, soon, or ever. Full trailer and further details are available at: www.pendragonpictures.com.

For those interested in finding out the original plot that inspired the new feature film, follow this link to read the whole 1898 novel of The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells – chapter by chapter. This link also gives access to further e-books of 'essential English literature' (including a good deal more Wells), which are free to read online. Enjoy!

Steven Spielberg's new updated big-screen Hollywood blockbuster version of War Of The Worlds is also in the shops now as a double-disc DVD.

For more on many of the interpretations of War of The Worlds the following fan-site is worth a look: www.war-ofthe-worlds.co.uk

The Day That Panicked America - The H.G. Wells' War Of The Worlds Scandal is out on DVD now. This fascinating documentary - which is narrated by Star Trek legend Leonard Nimoy (AKA: 'Mr Spock') is available to buy for £12.99.

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