Scariest Apocalypse/Nuclear War Movie

Lucky man is now pushing Daisy

 

The History Channel had a documentary recently on the Cuban missile crisis. Now *that* was scary, since it appears we came kind of close to actual nuclear holocaust. But for the Hollywood version, I'll second the nomination for Fail Safe.

Scariest non/nuke division: The Exorcist.

 

Threads is said to be the "best" one, but I've never been able to bring myself to watch it.

 

Fail-Safe.

I had never seen "On The Beach" until a few weeks ago, when it was on Retroplex, and it was very good. Amazing, considering it was put out in 1961, IIRC.

When you think of nuclear-war movies, you think you're going to see mushroom clouds, fireballs, and utter devastation. In "On The Beach," you don't see that (although it's made clear enough that stuff did take place in other parts of the world).

Everything looks fine, and life seems to be going on reasonably acceptably. Except everybody knows everybody's going to die in a few weeks.

"The Day After" was supposed to be brutally realistic, etc etc in 1984, but watching it, if you've seen any of the Hiroshima documentary footage, you know it still isn't even close.

A year or so after "The Day After," 1985-86, there was a novel titled "Warday" by Whitley Schreiber and Jim Kunetka dealing with the aftermath of a 2-hour nuclear war between the U.S. and U.S.S.R. In the U.S., New York, Washington D.C., San Antonio and the northern plains ICBM ranges are hit (destroying most of the nation's food-growing capacity in the process).

Five years later, the country is still in virtual chaos. The economy in ruins (EMP damage to computers and information systems had destroyed virtually the entire financial system of the U.S.) famine widespread, disease rampant (including new radiation-spawned cancers) and the nation dissolved into a half-dozen fractious regional states. With the U.S.S.R. in even worse shape, it falls to Great Britain to assume control of the world (with Australia and Japan becoming the other global powers. Presumably, China is also hit in the war).

 

Ever see Night of the Comet?
It was pretty bad, but Catherine Mary Stewart sort of made it worthwhile.

 

This isn't really the same thing, but the movie "Rollover" ends with the collapse of the world economy.

 

These are words that don't really go together.

 

"Threads" is the one movie that really, truly left me scared after watching it.

 

Are you saying you didn't cry when Goose died?

 

Always, always stay through the credits, especially at horror movies.

 

His best work was probably 'Gotcha.'

 

Danny Mason Keider ruled at video games.