20 Things You Didn't Know About War Of The Worlds

As you already know, the aliens' designs were fiercely guarded by Spielberg, such that when audiences finally sat down to envision them during that terrifying basement scene, they really had no idea what to expect.

Their offputtingly unconventional design was in fact modelled on both jellyfish and red-eyed tree frogs, with Spielberg favouring an amphibian look best characterised primarily by their moist skin.

This helped ensure the movie's aliens were far away from stereotypical "little green/grey men," and to make them more enigmatic, Spielberg also insisted that they never be referred to as "Martians" on-screen. He said of this choice:

"The reason the word 'Martian' is never said in this film is because my aliens are not from Mars. They probably come from as far away as E.T., but a much darker part of the universe."