Byron Conrad Haskin was an American film and television director, special effects creator and cinematographer. He is best known for directing The War of the Worlds (1953), one of many films where he teamed with producer George Pal.

The War of the Worlds is a 1953 American science fiction film directed by Byron Haskin, produced by George Pal, and starring Gene Barry and Ann Robinson. It is the first of several feature film adaptations of H. G. Wells' 1898 novel of the same name. The setting is changed from Victorian era England to 1953 Southern California.