Nuclear War Scenario Movies

Subcide · Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2012 7:27 pm Post subject: Nuclear War Scenario Movies

Cold War Nuclear Holocaust Scenario Movies

Not directly Metal, but definitely influential for a lot of Metal (I mean look at the name of this forum and label) is the concept of Nuclear and post Nuclear War. These days people seem have forgotten about the constant threat and fear of Nuclear War that most older metal heads will remember during the Cold war prior to 1990. Modern movies like "The Road" sort of skip over that fear. But around the early/80s there were some awesome Nuclear war Scenario movies.

The most depressing of these with the least destruction is Testament(1983). This movie focuses on a family in a small town out side of the blast area of a Nuclear explosion in LA. The Father of the family is in LA at the time of the explosion and this grim slow moving story features such happy highlights as the town cemetery running out of plots as the local population slowly die of radiation sickness, the mother of the family having one of her sons die and losing her nerve whilst attempting to commit suicide with the other son with exhaust fumes. You can watch this fun feel good story here: http://youtu.be/UIW8nWXTkEY

Next up on the happy scale is Threads(1984). A Docudrama that when aired one Sunday night at 9pm to an unsuspecting UK TV audience, was credited with single handedly put the nation off the nuclear war effort. This one features probably the most graphic images and also has an epilogue that takes an interesting look at the devolution of the human race several years after the event. Watch the full movie here: http://youtu.be/_MCbTvoNrAg

The Day After(1983) was originally a US TV movie that was so popular that it received a world wide cinematic release. It's also probably the most well known of the genre. I haven't watched this one in years but I'm told that it hasn't aged well although it features some good scenes of nuclear destruction. You can watch it here: http://youtu.be/r2B7sdLPMfc

When The Wind Blows(1986) is kind of like an animated version of Testament. Only from the viewpoint of a retired couple, James and Hilda Bloggs who live in rural Sussex, England. Their only perception of war is of living through WWII so they go about their daily lives after the war naively unaware of what's going on around them or what is happening to them. Watch it here: http://youtu.be/N9aHT-IlkHo

Lastly is the The War Game(1965) which is kind of the odd one out as it was made 20 years before the movies mentioned above. But it's not so odd when you discover that, due to it's graphic nature, it was pulled from it's original UK TV showing on the 12th anniversary of Hiroshima and not seen on TV until 1985. Watch it here: http://youtu.be/xjy9MLNxS1s

As an aside, these days it looks like a lot of old disused missile silos have become hot property to be souped up into trendy modern homes: http://www.missilebases.com/properties
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speedeathrash · Joined: 19 Nov 2006 Posts: 407 Location: Toronto, Canada

The list is deceptively expansive (Defcon 4? Mad Max? Etc...) but these are some of the best, most subtly unnerving horror films.

I gotta say though, THREADS takes the cake for me. So horrifyingly real and cold-heartedly factual. And the final scene with the stillborn baby and the sobbing is CRUSHING. Anti life.

Ihslahm · Joined: 12 Jun 2008 Posts: 823

I watched The day After a little while ago for the first time since it was on TV in the 80's and it brought back fond memories. I was both Threads and Martyrs but haven't watched them yet, but I did run across this movie Countdown to Looking Glass which is basically all staged news footage on the eve of nuclear war. Other than a few added bits of drama, most of the movie is news commentators and politicians talking about various events leading to world war III as they are happening and discussing the motivations of verious countries for their actions. Interesting bit is that it interviews real politicians as though the events are really occurring. I don't remember it too well cause i was stoned in the middle of the night when I watched it, but I do remember Newt Gingrich being in it being his usual dickhead self. Only recommended if you are a fan of watching crisis news, otherwise it might come of pretty boring. This one is from 1984 too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDwD4ns2gWA&feature=related
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HW · Joined: 17 Jun 2010 Posts: 104

Subcide · Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2012 9:16 pm Post subject:

Mortado · Joined: 11 Mar 2009 Posts: 552 Location: Seattle area, USA

The War Game is my favorite. Aside from it being a killer film I learned where Discharge got several of their samples from. All of the director's films are great!
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Brooklyn Bastard 666 · Joined: 08 Oct 2009 Posts: 1966 Location: Brooklyn, NY

How is it that I am 39 yrs old, know all about and fully remember THE DAY AFTER ....but never in my life heard of TESTAMENT until 3 mins ago?????

Need to watch it!

THE DAY AFTER is fucking AWESOME.
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Tireheb · Joined: 18 Aug 2007 Posts: 4393 Location: Finland

Terminator movies?
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triskelion · Joined: 08 Nov 2008 Posts: 130

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_jet%C3%A9e
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Subcide · Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2012 9:50 pm Post subject:

ADB · Joined: 20 Jan 2009 Posts: 2288 Location: Melbourne

I remember "When the Wind Blows" as being a graphic novel for some reason (and quite clearly too).

Also:

...and...

...and pretty much the other other half of Japanese popular culture that isn't about tentacles... Wink

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Subcide · Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2012 10:14 pm Post subject:

ADB · Joined: 20 Jan 2009 Posts: 2288 Location: Melbourne

Yep, I borrowed it from my school library when I was but a little todger. Makes sense now!
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DTBRex · Joined: 04 Mar 2009 Posts: 2184 Location: Arktogäa

This is a great topic but one awesome movie is missing here, namely:

Письма мёртвого человека

One of the most depressing and nihilistic movies ever, a must-see. Luckily I found a rip with English subs, but it happened to be on YouTube too.

Here's some sort of trailer: http://youtu.be/CLURml9vk_U

Synopsis: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Man's_Letters
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Grengar · Joined: 29 Jun 2011 Posts: 288 Location: Los Angeles

I actually just watched Matinee today with some family. Was excellent, best film I've seen in a long time.

During the cuban missile crisis an independent film maker shows his horror flick about ant people to a town on the Coast the crisis concerns. Lots of quirky little films within it.

The central point of the film is the that protagonist's dad is on one of the ships off the coast of a cuba.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matinee_(film)

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