Nuclear War Movies
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Epic and Disaster
Slatch371 — 5 years ago(May 14, 2020 10:22 PM)
Quite a few out there. Here's a small list I put together by country:
USA:
The Day After - 1983 Made for TV Movie. Was pretty scary to watch as kid
when this first aired. Still holds up today. You can watch the full
movie on YouTube.
Testament - 1983. Little House on the Prairie meets Nuclear War. No special
effects here. Just a lot of people close to each other slowly dying from
radiation sickness. Watch for a young Kevin Costner.
England:
Threads - 1984. The scariest Nuclear War movie, BARNONE! I watched this one
as a kid. Gave me nightmares for years. If you're not from England, it
might be hard to understand some of the slang. Film ends 13 years after
the Nuclear War. It's grim…very grim. Shocking! A must watch. Don't get caught with your pants down watching this one.
Soviet Union:
Dead Man's Letters - 1986. Worth watching. Endless piles of rusty metal,
interminable yellow twilight,
dirty radioactive puddles of mixed water and blood. Oh, and dead bodies.
Canada:
Def-Con 4 - 1985. Even Canada got in on making a Nuclear War Movie.
And it's Bad. Very very very very bad.
Australia:
One Night Stand - 1984. Forget Mad Max, this film made Nuclear War fun! There's a Nuclear War going on outside? Let's play Strip Poker!
There is, one of the scariest scenes depicting the aftermath of a
nuclear attack on humans (and a dog.) It comes late in the movie, and it
will keep you up at night.
"That's a dumb question, Miss Glenn’s Organ." -
Cerridwen — 5 years ago(May 14, 2020 11:34 PM)
Threads
is my personal favourite! Fantastic and frightening film.
There Will Come Soft Rains
, based on the short story by Ray Bradbury, is a great short depicting the aftermath of nuclear war:
Hark! Harold the angel sings. -
Slatch371 — 5 years ago(May 15, 2020 12:23 PM)
Italy:
Creation of the Damned (1974) - North America, in the near future. Two married couples live in a strange apartment that is actually an anti-atomic shelter. The world has been devastated by a nuclear war and the group waits for the radioactivity to disappear.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072071/
I have this film on DVD. Can't find it online anywhere. This just one snippet from You Tube:
Italy knows how to make a nuclear war movie! After an Atomic Attack, there are still buildings and fully stocked grocery stores!
"That's a dumb question, Miss Glenn’s Organ." -
Slatch371 — 5 years ago(May 15, 2020 12:52 PM)
Japan:
The Last War - 1961. Yes even Japan got in on a Nuclear War movie of their own. I mean, who knows the aftermath of an atomic war better than them? (not funny, okay.) Not a bad flick for it's time. Don't expect Godzilla or flying robots. This film, stands well on it's own. I think the full film is on YouTube.
The film begins with a narration over shots of a modern-day Tokyo, noting that 16 years have passed since the end of World War II, and Japan has achieved rapid recovery.
Five ICBMs are eventually launched from both sides in the climax of the escalating war, with targets being major cities around the world including Tokyo, London, Paris, New York and Moscow. The Tamura family stay behind in the midst of the city's panic and hold a final dinner. That night, Tokyo is enveloped in a flash of nuclear light and blown apart, with the ground being torn asunder by the explosion and resulting in a violent volcanic eruption that almost completely consumes the wreckage of the city. Tamura and his family are killed by the detonation over Tokyo as their house is blown away by the ensuing fireball. Shortly after Tokyo is destroyed, the remaining four missiles strike their targets, obliterating all of them. The next morning after Tokyo's decimation, Takano's ship changes course to arrive at the remains of the destroyed city, prepared to die by the intense radioactive fallout. ..
"That's a dumb question, Miss Glenn’s Organ."