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10 Most Chilling Nuclear War Films of All Time

Ranked #1,808 in Entertainment, #21,890 overall

When The World Was On the Brink of Annihilation

As hard as it is for the younger generation to believe, there was a time for about 40 years when millions of people lived under the constant threat of nuclear war. The threat was so omnipresent that for many people living during this era it wasn't a question of if nuclear war would ever happen, but when.

Not surprisingly, as nuclear war seemed imminent, many films were produced to address the horrors of WW3, in the hopes of staving off what at the time seemed so inevitable. If you were lucky enough not to have lived during this period but would like a glimpse of the cultural climate of the so-called "atomic age", then check out this compilation of the 10 most chilling nuclear war films of all time.

10. This is Not a Test

What would you do if you found out suddenly that nuclear war was about to break out in a few short hours? Commit suicide? Wallow in self pity? Cry? Decide to go out in a blaze of glory? Take charge? Or immediately plot your escape? For decades everyone played this scenario out in their heads.

This Is Not a Test was the first film to actually explore this angle in a character study of several motorists who are suddenly forced to confront the unthinkable when a highway patrolman informs them that nukes from Russia are fastly approaching. Kids today may not understand the nuances of why this film is so chilling, but for those who remember waking up in a cold sweat from time to time wondering "what if?" they will understand it all too well.

9. Miracle Mile

This 1989 film about a musician who finds the love of his life on the eve of destruction may be a black comedy, but just like "This is Not a Test" it does an effective job at conveying the type of mayhem, panic, and desperation that you'd imagine happening if an entire city learned that WW3 was about to start in a matter of hours. The last scenes of Anthony Edwards and Mare Winningham racing against the clock to reach a helicopter as civilization breaks down around them has become classic, as well as their final scene together.

8. Barefoot Gen

Most people would scoff at the idea that any animated film about nuclear war could be chilling. But then again, very few people have actually seen Barefoot Gen, the anime version of a graphic novel written and drawn by Keiji Nakazawa. Like the manga, the film documents the horrors that Nakazawa endured as a small child when the atomic bomb was dropped over his home in Hiroshima. Although some of it tends to be on the schmaltzy side, its depiction of the actal Hiroshima bombing and its aftermath is not-- the sequence in which human beings and animals alike are incinerated is the most graphic image of the effects of a nuclear bomb put on film, only rivaled by the one in Terminator 2.

7. Testament

What if you lived in a small town miles and miles away from any major metropolitan city or military target? Surely you'd be safe then? This is the scenario that millions of Americans across the country began to comfort themselves with. Testament promptly ridded small town residents of any illusion that life after nuclear war would be survivable even in the most remote places. By the end of the film the message is clear-- even if you were miles away from any nuclear blast when WW3 happened, you would still die a slow, miserable, horrible death. In fact, life would be so bad that you'd consider the victims incinerated at ground zero the "lucky" ones.

6. Special Bulletin

What if terrorists got hold of a nuclear bomb device and exploded it in a major American city? Believe it or not, at least a decade before 9/11 and the War on Terror made the term "dirty bomb" a household name, a TV movie played out this exact same scenario in a production that was ahead of its time. Called "Special Bulletin", this 1983 movie was shot in the exact style of a fake newscast following the exploits of anti-war scientists who hold the city of Charleston hostage with, ironically, a nuclear device of their own. Back then, the very idea of something like this happening seemed like the stuff of science fiction, but in an era of dirty bombs the possibility of a portable nuclear device being detonated domestically by terrorists has become all too real.

5. Countdown to Looking Glass

Following in the footsteps of "Special Bulletin", this Canadian-produced TV drama also played out the scenario of full-scale nuclear war breaking out by presenting it in the form of fake newscasts. Even though it was made in the early 80s, Countdown to Looking Glass's scenario of conflict in the Middle East leading to WW3 is all the more chilling in light of 9/11. The entire production is gripping from beginning to end, but watch out for the chilling scene of a reporter out on the field onboard a US battleship-- it'll certainly haunt you.

4. The Day After

Probably the most controversial TV movie to date, this 1983 ABC film about the effects of nuclear war on a small Midwestern town caused anger no matter which side of the debate you were on. Anti-nukes proponents protested that the film wasn't graphic enough; pro nukes proponents scoffed that it was nothing more than alarmist propaganda. Regardless of what anyone felt about the film, there is no denying that it was the first anti-nukes film that forced the American public to finally confront the prospect of nuclear war whether they wanted to or not. It had such a sobering impact that President Ronald Reagan himself said that it was instrumental in changing his tune about the arm's race.

3. The War Game

The War Game is a little-known black and white film that was produced in England during the 1960s, but banned by the government because it was considered too disturbing. Looking at this stark movie, one can see why; it's probably one of the most frank films ever made on nuclear war. At the time it was made, a lot of people harbored a naivety about what could happen to you during a nuclear blast. This was one of the first ones to explain in graphic details all the dangers one would face if caught in the vicinity of a mushroom cloud. Given that so many people at the time comforted themselves against the horrors of nuclear war with the idea of "Civil Defense", it's no wonder it was banned.

2. Threads

As if The Day After wasn't enough to freak everyone out in 1983, along came Threads, the so-called "English answer" to America's entry into the nuclear war genre. Freed from the censorship constraints of American network television, the makers were allowed to be as graphic as they needed to be to convey the horrors of nuclear war. So instead of stylized "skeletons" (the notorious X-ray effect) and panicky extras merely scampering around in a panic, there were women wetting themselves in terror; cherished English landmarks being destroyed; charred, burned bodies amongst ruined landscapes; and human civilization falling apart at the seams.

1. "Q.E.D." A Guide to Armageddon

In the early '60s, The War Game dared to finally educate the public on what it would really be like being in the vicinity of a nuclear blast. A Guide to Armageddon took it all a step further, making a complete and utter mockery of so-called "Civil Defense" by showing how little one could really protect oneself against heat, blast, and fallout from a detonated nuclear bomb. Unrelentlessly bleak (it famously ended with the warning that if you managed to survive a nuclear war you're problems were really about to begin), this film is no doubt the most chilling nuclear war movie ever made.

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Bye, and thanks for viewing!

--Atomic Girl

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Lens Guestbook

Are you a young person still wondering what it was like to live during the Cold War? Or maybe you actually lived during this era and remember it all too well. Post your questions and related comments below!

  • raitoavi May 3, 2012 @ 9:07 am | delete
    Dr Strangelove will always be my favorite, but there are many here that I've never heard of and definitely want to check out, thanks for the great lens.
  • Einar_A Apr 28, 2012 @ 10:47 pm | delete
    Dr. Strangelove was/is an interesting one, also.
  • Timewarp Apr 25, 2012 @ 10:47 pm | delete
    I don't mind horror movies but these are too scary for me!
  • fugeecat Mar 3, 2012 @ 6:33 pm | delete
    I remember The Day After it was terrifying.
  • AaronSquid Jan 31, 2012 @ 5:38 am | delete
    I saw 'Threads' when I was a kid - scared the hell out of me.
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AtomicGirl

I'm a young person with an old soul who has a passion for all things retro. When I'm not busy collecting vintage magazines, I'm either building pages... more »

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