One of the speculations I made in an early essay on War of the Worlds is that the movie was actually a nightmare, a Fruedian and mytholotical acting out of Ray Ferrier's worst fears. These images seem to support that theory

While I am still very early in a shot by shot study of War of the Worlds these images here seem to support the idea that sounds, images and other things gleened by Ray's unconscious mind while struggling to sleep became the stuff from which the nightmare was created later

Here is a visual hint of his rebellious son, Robbie -- which may have stirred Ray to get up to play ball with him a moment later

On the TV screen, we get a train briefly -- one of the elements from which the alien machines may have been created -- this also foreshadows the firy train in Athens

The monster may also have been shaped from light of the train or the headlight of Ray's own car -- which Robbie later steals opening the nightmare

Pressure at work and the elevated machine in which Ray works may also have contributed to what the alien machine would look like.

Sounding like a jet engine -- which fly over the port where Ray works, gushing water like the ships from which Ray unloads, we get the alien machine at last.

Playing ball with his son -- an image straight out of Field of Dreams -- turns into a nightmare when Ray throws the ball in frustration through the window.

This is a major symbol of the film, of the isolated Ray -- it is the eye of Ray unconscious fears and desires that leads to the eventual conclusion in image that Ray is the alien.

While we see this image in many places through the film, here is one of the most obvious scenes in which Ray is looking at his daughter.

It is impossible to avoid the comparision between that hole and the eye of the alien -- so that in this nightmare, Ray struggles to save his kids from whom? Himself, of course.