The Andromeda Strain opens across the U.S. in 1971. Robert Wise’s Oscar-nominated sci-fi thriller, based on Michael Crichton’s bestselling novel, about a group of scientists investigating a deadly extraterrestrial virus is notable for Douglas Trumbull’s pioneering special effects. The film is a minor hit on its release and later named by the Infectious Diseases Society of America in 2003 as the “most significant, scientifically accurate,” film of the genre.
This Day in Halloween: Robert Wise’s Oscar-nominated sci-fi thriller, "The Andromeda Strain" opens across the U.S. in 1971. / Illustration by Kyo Johnson
