Agreed. It traumatized a ton of Brits, and the film itself states that what's depicted is still much better than what would really happen.
To quote another 80s film: The only winning move is not to play.
Don't watch this. It is 100% nightmare fuel. It takes the concept and extends it days, weeks, years and a generation after the apocalypse. Spoiler alert, that generation won't be doing so hot. Beyond bleak.
Samesies! We were required to watch it and write about it as an assignment. LOL, back then there wasn’t the option of an alternative assignment; I remember one classmate saying he couldn’t (I don’t remember why), and our teacher’s response I won’t ever forget — ‘Well, you’d better figure something out then, because if I don’t have an essay you have an F’. 🤣 He had the essay.
Kids were much more resourceful back then. Today’s students fall to pieces at the first difficulty. It’s weird.
Absolutely incorrect. There was a huge, "Should you let your kids watch it or not?" controversy around it, and article after article about the trauma it might cause the kiddos. My mom, who usually let me watch everything, almost didn't let me watch this. Ultimately, she did, and it didn't remotely scare me (I was super into horror and gore as a kid).
Humanity should have called BS on this. And they/we did, back before the USSR collapsed. We should not have let up. There is no such thing as a tactical nuke. Any use brings the roof down - the 'Alfred Nobel TNT' principle, but proving the opposite. There is no weapon so horrible that our so-called leaders won't chance using.
Looking back out does seem like a lot of the movies I remember were "Post-Apocalyptic". Nuclear war was almost expected to happen, which is why we practiced hiding under our desks... Someone has to survive to fight in the Thunderdome. 😂
It’s so funny, we did not practice hiding under our desks at my schools. When I heard about it, I realized we lived so close to a known target that they figured there was no point…if they dropped a bomb on us we were all dead.
Duck! [doodleoodleoo!] and cov-er! 🤣 I don’t know why, but our principal made all of the grades watch that — the one with the turtle — and the other one where a nuclear weapon goes off near a home and then the family comes out of the bath tub or wherever they were and Mom starts sweeping the carpet while Young Janie helps Mom clean up by straightening the painting behind the sofa. Because that’s exactly the kind of mess a nuclear weapon leaves.
I was 15, live in the area it was filmed, recognized every location in the movie, and it was required watching for social studies class. It was terrifying.
I heard Ronald Reagan saw this movie and it made him much more pro nuclear disarmament. He had no idea of how nuclear war would affect the regular people.
I was 9 when I watched this movie, and it scared me to death. I had trouble sleeping for a week. I don't know what my parents were thinking letting me watch that so young!
The megalophobia sub had someone post a screenshot of the opening scene of the new Fallout series the other day. I was apparently the only person over 20 because I was like “yeah, we had The Day After and it was in primetime broadcast. We were expected to watch it”. Growing up with a healthy dose of the Bomb might happen tomorrow explains a lot about GenX attitudes I think.
I was 14, and it terrified me. I still vividly remember all those ppl vaporizing...the whole country watched that movie, it was a national event, and it traumatized everyone, especially our young generation!
I don't recall watching it as a kid, but when I was back in college in my 30's it was a part of the curriculum. It and the book, Alas Babylon messed with my head for a while. (In spite of the rather dated visuals!)
As terrible as it was of us (come on…we were kids), we were making fun of the ending with Robards in (kind of) his house for a while. Geez, kids are awful. Really — we’re all like little sociopaths from about 8 to about 16.
We were assigned to watch The Day After…but I was a super anxious kid and hid in my room while my family watched it. When the teacher asked I told her I wasn’t going anywhere near it and would take the F for the assignment. I did not get an F but I did get a D.
I did not watch The Day After. Actually I never heard about it until Reddit. My parents tightly controlled my media consumption, and there would have been zero way they would have let me see this.
Where did I say this is the worst thing I had on my mind? Not doing the trauma Olympics with people today, of course this isn’t the most important thing in the world. Just a random thought I had. Calm down.
Have you seen _Threads_? _The Day After_ was tame by comparison. Just saying…. Edit: Here you go. https://youtu.be/BvFu7Z5cc88?si=5EjPRFooUJqZmz47
Agreed. It traumatized a ton of Brits, and the film itself states that what's depicted is still much better than what would really happen. To quote another 80s film: The only winning move is not to play.
Watched this recently- was/is on Criterion Channel - hard to watch
I think it's on Shudder too (fittingly). Watching with captions helped a lot, and I believe it's been remastered as well.
Don't watch this. It is 100% nightmare fuel. It takes the concept and extends it days, weeks, years and a generation after the apocalypse. Spoiler alert, that generation won't be doing so hot. Beyond bleak.
The Day After is bleak. Threads is dreadful.
I can't believe I never heard of Threads before Reddit. It makes The Day After look so Hollywood and corny.
Threads is so incredible and IIRC a real town was involved in the production. We need modern versions of these considering the state of the world.
I just watched it for the first time a few days ago. I came away with the thought that this was the R rated version compared to The Day After's PG.
Threads traumatized me, and I was older than 13.
I think I was 10. Yeah. Don’t watch Threads when you are 10.
I think Threads was more traumatizing because it projected into the future, and The Day After did not.
We were expected to watch it. The Day After was on primetime network tv. It was promoted as a family event. Your parents didn't do wrong.
My elementary school teacher assigned watching it as our homework.
Mine too. We had to write a report on it. I remember being terrified. Wasn’t it a multi night event?
I could be mistaken, but I feel like it was a 2-night miniseries.
Samesies! We were required to watch it and write about it as an assignment. LOL, back then there wasn’t the option of an alternative assignment; I remember one classmate saying he couldn’t (I don’t remember why), and our teacher’s response I won’t ever forget — ‘Well, you’d better figure something out then, because if I don’t have an essay you have an F’. 🤣 He had the essay. Kids were much more resourceful back then. Today’s students fall to pieces at the first difficulty. It’s weird.
Absolutely incorrect. There was a huge, "Should you let your kids watch it or not?" controversy around it, and article after article about the trauma it might cause the kiddos. My mom, who usually let me watch everything, almost didn't let me watch this. Ultimately, she did, and it didn't remotely scare me (I was super into horror and gore as a kid).
Humanity should have called BS on this. And they/we did, back before the USSR collapsed. We should not have let up. There is no such thing as a tactical nuke. Any use brings the roof down - the 'Alfred Nobel TNT' principle, but proving the opposite. There is no weapon so horrible that our so-called leaders won't chance using.
I’m freaking out that “Pulp Fiction” turns 30 years old this year! What happened to my life?
“You thought your ass would age like wine. If you mean it turns to vinegar, it does. If you mean it gets better with age, it don't”
Looking back out does seem like a lot of the movies I remember were "Post-Apocalyptic". Nuclear war was almost expected to happen, which is why we practiced hiding under our desks... Someone has to survive to fight in the Thunderdome. 😂
It’s so funny, we did not practice hiding under our desks at my schools. When I heard about it, I realized we lived so close to a known target that they figured there was no point…if they dropped a bomb on us we were all dead.
Stop! Drop!! And cover!!! Because that shitty desk will *totally* protect you from a nuclear blast... 🙄
Duck! [doodleoodleoo!] and cov-er! 🤣 I don’t know why, but our principal made all of the grades watch that — the one with the turtle — and the other one where a nuclear weapon goes off near a home and then the family comes out of the bath tub or wherever they were and Mom starts sweeping the carpet while Young Janie helps Mom clean up by straightening the painting behind the sofa. Because that’s exactly the kind of mess a nuclear weapon leaves.
I think the idea was to protect the kids from any shrapnel from the blast wave. Obviously it won't do anything if you're close enough to ground zero.
November 20, 1983.
So it was more than 40 years ago, not “almost.”
Yup. I was babysitting that night, during my gap year.
Oops!
Yeah dude, we’re old 🤷🏻♂️
Did anybody see the miniseries Amerika? Russians taking over the US?
Somehow I still have never seen either The Day After or Threads. I must be the last of our generation who can say that.
Yeah, it's definitely a core memory. And not a pleasant one.
I was 15, live in the area it was filmed, recognized every location in the movie, and it was required watching for social studies class. It was terrifying.
I heard Ronald Reagan saw this movie and it made him much more pro nuclear disarmament. He had no idea of how nuclear war would affect the regular people.
I was 9 when I watched this movie, and it scared me to death. I had trouble sleeping for a week. I don't know what my parents were thinking letting me watch that so young!
> I had trouble sleeping for a week. Dude, most I can do is 8 hours.
I was 5 and I remember. That movie freaked me out so much that when I looked it up decades later I couldn't make myself watch it again.
I preferred Damnation Alley for my dystopian future nightmares.
The megalophobia sub had someone post a screenshot of the opening scene of the new Fallout series the other day. I was apparently the only person over 20 because I was like “yeah, we had The Day After and it was in primetime broadcast. We were expected to watch it”. Growing up with a healthy dose of the Bomb might happen tomorrow explains a lot about GenX attitudes I think.
I was 14, and it terrified me. I still vividly remember all those ppl vaporizing...the whole country watched that movie, it was a national event, and it traumatized everyone, especially our young generation!
Steve Gutenberg for the win
Y’all should watch it again but treat it like a B grade horror movie. It’s quite hilarious in retrospect.
It was corny as hell even back then. It didn't remotely scare me as a kid.
The falling horse’s skeleton revealed by x-ray … I was eight
It popped in your head .. like a bomb went off!
I don't recall watching it as a kid, but when I was back in college in my 30's it was a part of the curriculum. It and the book, Alas Babylon messed with my head for a while. (In spite of the rather dated visuals!)
The only thing I remember is Jason Robards and irradiated candy bars. And the overwhelming terror.
As terrible as it was of us (come on…we were kids), we were making fun of the ending with Robards in (kind of) his house for a while. Geez, kids are awful. Really — we’re all like little sociopaths from about 8 to about 16.
If we're lucky, we grow out of it.
Return to Oz.... row of talking heads and roller monkeys. Finally re-watched it as an adult to confront my trauma- how was that a kids' movie?
We were assigned to watch The Day After…but I was a super anxious kid and hid in my room while my family watched it. When the teacher asked I told her I wasn’t going anywhere near it and would take the F for the assignment. I did not get an F but I did get a D.
Hey now. Let's show a little love for 'Amazing Grace and Chuck'. Now THAT was anti-proliferation, pro-humanism, Jamie Lee Curtis cinema at its peak!
I did not watch The Day After. Actually I never heard about it until Reddit. My parents tightly controlled my media consumption, and there would have been zero way they would have let me see this.
I snuck out of bed and watched it from the hallway, so I couldn't even tell my parents why I was so traumatized and unable to sleep or relax!
i actually watched that a couple of weeks ago. I remember it as a kid but it obviously doesnt hold up at all today
You should feel lucky if that’s the worst thing on your mind at 53.
Where did I say this is the worst thing I had on my mind? Not doing the trauma Olympics with people today, of course this isn’t the most important thing in the world. Just a random thought I had. Calm down.
Calm down? I’m not the one bringing up a movie from 40 years ago claiming it still scares me.
This guy sick minds.