Synopsis
Postwar America. The 1950s. A prosperous time for the nation. But underneath the happy facade, fear was lurking. The horrible devastation left by the Atomic Bomb weighed heavily on the minds of the average Americans. Could such a disaster happen here? The Cold War with Russia began heating up. Nuclear arms proliferated. The fear of a communist takeover was very real. Science and technology were progressing at an alarming rate. The Age of Innocence was coming to an end. Inevitably, Hollywood stepped in and utilized these fears to produce more than a decade's worth of horror and science fiction films that played up this undercurrent of terror. Giant Monsters born out of nuclear war, Martian invasions as a metaphor for communism and Mad Scientists unleashing death and destruction across the land: this was The Atomic Age. From 1950 until 1962 and beyond, Atom Age Horror reigned supreme at the box office. Here is the complete oral history of the genre as told by the actors, writers, directors and historians that lived through it. Six years in the making, Monsters! Martians! Mad Scientists! Horror and Sci-Fi In The Atomic Age leaves no stone unturned. Part One - The Atomic Age Post-war, Cold War, communist infiltration, bomb shelters, UFOs, fear mongering, science and technology gone mad, nuclear proliferation, the birth of a new genre in movies. Part Two - A World Gone Mad Three Dimensions, Alien invasions, giant bug-eyed monsters spawned from nuclear disasters, teenagers run amok, mad scientists' experiments with disastrous results. A tidal wave of terror from movie producers. Part Three - Fade To Red The early 60s. Real fears came to the surface. The Vietnam War, Civil Rights, corrupt governments and color film. Horror films turned the corner with sex, gore, violence and realism. Hammer Films rose and the Atomic Age was over.