History NightmareFuel / TheDayAfter

** In fact, the Petrov save incident (as it's known), is part of a small handful of WorldWarIII close-calls in the 70s and 80s. Other famous examples include the NORAD computer failure of 1979, the Able Archer tensions of 1983, and the Yom Kipper War.

* If you're young enough to have first watched it ten years or better after the fact, long after the UsefulNotes/ColdWar was over, [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny you really aren't going to grasp the full impact of the film]]. On first run television during the time period, the US was neck-deep in very real nuclear fear, levels not seen since the sixties. ABC even had to open a temporary hotline during the film to calm viewers down during the original broadcast. Not only was the culture awash with apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic imagery, but the news was also on constant alert to what the Soviets were doing at any moment ''and'' every credible expert was saying that the odds were very likely that nuclear war was at some point inevitable. Two entire generations grew up believing that they would not survive to adulthood and that unlike the post-apocalyptic fiction common at the time, there would be no survivors. The film wasn't presented as what "might" happen, it portrayed what everyone believed ''would'' happen and did so in a brutally factual fashion. And not only did it grip the nation with its vivid depiction of what everyone was already imagining and terrified of, it actually convinced U.S. President Ronald Reagan to overrule the hawkish military establishment and begin diplomatic overtures to the Soviets by co-signing nuclear weapon proliferation treaties. That's right, it was so terrifying it actually caused a change in foreign policy so profound that it might have directly prevented the horror it depicted. Pretty much, this movie helped ended the Cold War. That's not just nightmare fuel, it's '''thermonuclear grade''' nightmare fuel.

When you've got a film that was considered terrifying enough to have '''helped end the Cold War''', it's safe to say there's gonna be a lot of NightmareFuel. And since this is a film with a very detailed and realistic description of nuclear war, there are ''tons'' of it.

* If you're young enough to have first watched it ten years or better after the fact, long after the UsefulNotes/ColdWar was over, [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny you really aren't going to grasp the full impact of the film]]. On first run television during the time period, the US was neck-deep in very real nuclear fear, levels not seen since the sixties. ABC even had to open a temporary hotline during the film to calm viewers down during the original broadcast. Not only was the culture awash with apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic imagery, the news was on constant alert to what the Soviets were doing at any moment ''and'' every credible expert was saying that the odds were very likely that nuclear war was at some point inevitable. Two entire generations grew up believing that they would not survive to adulthood, and that unlike the post-apocalyptic fiction common at the time there would be no survivors. The film wasn't presented as what "might" happen, it portrayed what everyone believed ''would'' happen and did so in brutally factual fashion. And not only did it grip the nation with its vivid depiction of what everyone was already imagining and terrified of, it actually convinced U.S. President Ronald Reagan to overrule the hawkish military establishment and begin diplomatic overtures to the Soviets by co-signing nuclear weapon proliferation treaties. That's right, it was so terrifying it actually caused a change in foreign policy so profound that it might have directly prevented the horror it depicted. Pretty much, this movie helped ended the Cold War. That's not just nightmare fuel, it's '''thermonuclear grade''' nightmare fuel.
** It may help to get a feel for the tenor of those times to think of the "SwordOfDamocles" nuclear scare that the world experienced in 2022 due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, especially after Putin's nebulous and saber-rattling decision to put his nuclear forces on a undefined "special alert status". Just remember that the US and Russia have, as of 2022, somewhere in the neighborhood of 6,000 devices each. And those 6,000 devices have factored heavily in the calculus on the part of the West in providing aid to Ukraine without accidentally crossing a nuclear tripwire. in 1985 (2 years after the film was released), The United States had an estimated 21,392 devices, and the [=USSR=] had a whopping ''39,197''. A nuclear war today would be horrific. In 1983, it would have been literal ''Armageddon''.

** It may help to get a feel for the tenor of those times to think of the slow-burn nuclear scare that the world experienced in 2022 due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, especially after Putin's nebulous and saber-rattling decision to put his nuclear forces on a undefined "special alert status". Just remember that the US and Russia have somewhere in the neighborhood of 6,000 devices each. And those 6,000 devices have factored heavily in the calculus on the part of the West in providing aid to Ukraine without accidentally crossing a nuclear tripwire. in 1985 (2 years after the film was released), The United States had an estimated 21,392 devices, and the [=USSR=] had a whopping ''39,197''. A nuclear war today would be horrific. In 1983, it would have been literal ''Armageddon''.

** It may help to get a feel for the tenor of those times to think of the slow-burn nuclear scare that the world experienced in 2022 due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, especially after Putin's nebulous and saber-rattling decision to put his nuclear forces on a undefined "special alert status". Just remember that the US and Russia have somewhere in the neighborhood of 6,000 devices each. in 1985 (2 years after the film was released), The United States had an estimated 21,392 devices, and the [=USSR=] had a whopping ''39,197''. A nuclear war today would be horrific. In 1983, it would have been literal ''Armageddon''.

-> ''The catastrophic events you have just witnessed are, in all likelihood,'' [[FridgeHorror less severe than the destruction that would actually occur]] ''in the event of a full nuclear strike against the United States. It is hoped that the images of this film will inspire the nations of this earth, their peoples and leaders, to find the means to avert that fateful day.''

* The poster, shown on the main page. A tranquil, picturesque room...with a nuclear missile launching outside. Its haunting beauty helps sell that this movie truly is about the end of the familiar.

* If you're young enough to have first watched it ten years or better after the fact, long after the UsefulNotes/ColdWar was over, [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny you really aren't going to grasp the full impact of the film]]. On first run television during the time period, the US was neck-deep in very real nuclear fear. ABC even had to open a temporary hotline during the film to calm viewers down during the original broadcast. Not only was the culture awash with apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic imagery, the news was on constant alert to what the Soviets were doing at any moment ''and'' every credible expert was saying that the odds were very likely that nuclear war was at some point inevitable. Two entire generations grew up believing that they would not survive to adulthood, and that unlike the post-apocalyptic fiction common at the time there would be no survivors. The film wasn't presented as what "might" happen, it portrayed what everyone believed ''would'' happen and did so in brutally factual fashion. And not only did it grip the nation with its vivid depiction of what everyone was already imagining and terrified of, it actually convinced U.S. President Ronald Reagan to overrule the hawkish military establishment and begin diplomatic overtures to the Soviets by co-signing nuclear weapon proliferation treaties. That's right, it was so terrifying it actually caused a change in foreign policy so profound that it might have directly prevented the horror it depicted. Pretty much, this movie helped ended the Cold War. That's not just nightmare fuel, it's thermonuclear grade nightmare fuel.

* The scenes in which the nuclear bombs make people turn into skeletons. The effects may be a little hokey, but considering the nature of the film [[NarmCharm it's incredibly effective]]. Especially as we hear their horrified screams as they're instantly incinerated.

* If you're young enough to have first watched it ten years or better after the fact, long after the UsefulNotes/ColdWar was over, [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny you really aren't going to grasp the full impact of the film]]. On first run television during the time period, the US was neck-deep in very real nuclear fear. ABC even had to open a temporary hotline during the film to calm viewers down during the original broadcast. Not only was the culture awash with apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic imagery, the news was on constant alert to what the Soviets were doing at any moment ''and'' every credible expert was saying that the odds were very likely that nuclear war was at some point inevitable. Two entire generations grew up believing that they would not survive to adulthood, and that unlike the post-apocalyptic fiction common at the time there would be no survivors. The film wasn't presented as what "might" happen, it portrayed what everyone believed ''would'' happen and did so in brutally factual fashion. And not only did it grip the nation with its vivid depiction of what everyone was already imagining and terrified of, it actually convinced U.S. President Ronald Reagan to overrule the hawkish military establishment and begin diplomatic overtures to the Soviets. That's right, it was so terrifying it actually caused a change in foreign policy so profound that it might have directly prevented the horror it depicted. Pretty much, this movie ended the Cold War. That's not just nightmare fuel, it's thermonuclear grade nightmare fuel.

* The last message of the film states that its events were far from the worst possible scenario of an actual nuclear exchange. ''[[FalseReassurance Bleak as it was, the film was extremely optimistic.]]''

** The father of the girl in the dress asks a nearby woman, Marilyn Oakes, where the shelter is, and once they're inside, Marilyn tries to calm down the girl by sitting down with her and giving her some paper to draw with. When the bombs hit the city, the boiler starts to explode, causing a massive stampede that pushes the father and Marilyn out, and tramples the little girl. Marilyn runs with the crowd, and finds an exit from the shelter that leads outdoors. In the final version, she is vaporized instantly (as seen on the page image), but here, she ''catches on fire and is burned alive''. A little later, it cuts to her ''completely engulfed in flames, running and screaming.'' The shot of Marilyn on fire running made it into the final cut, but she's quickly engulfed by a wall of fire to avoid creating a PlotHole.

* A major creepy thing for some was a complete lack of background music, aside from the opening and closing credits, and the scenes from ''First Strike''.

* The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MobwUGgdI3A Workprint version]] provides more scenes, and more nightmare fuel:

** The father of the girl in the dress asks a nearby woman, Marilyn Oakes, where the shelter is, and once they're inside, Marilyn tries to calm down the girl by sitting down with her and giving her some paper to draw with. When the bombs hit the city, the boiler starts to explode, causing a massive stampede that pushes the father and Marilyn out, and tramples the little girl. Marilyn runs with the crowd, and finds an exit from the shelter that leads outdoors. In the final version, she is vaporized instantly (as seen on the page image), but here, she ''catches on fire and is burned alive''. A little later, it cuts to her ''completely engulfed in flames, running and screaming.''

* The last message of the film states its events was far from what would be likely during an actual nuclear exchange. ''[[FalseReassurance It was extremely optimistic.]]''

* A character is horrified when he learns the military is executing looters, thieves, etc. without trial, but later passes by a firing squad execution and doesn't even blink. The nightmare fuel isn't the execution, but rather what it illustrates: the breakdown of society. The legal system has become largely irrelevant and by necessity people may need to resort to behavior that would have been unacceptable before the bomb. They might have to rethink the most basic ideas about the value of human life (for instance, euthanasia may become widespread/accepted because of severely limited medical supplies and food). Essentially, the survivors have to learn to live in a whole new world, with different rules.

** The father of the girl in the dress asks a nearby woman where the shelter is, and once they're inside, the woman tries to calm down the girl by sitting down with her and giving her some paper to draw with. When the bombs hit the city, the pipes nearby the shelter burst, causing a massive stampede that pushes the father and the woman out, and tramples the little girl.
** The woman from the last scene runs with the crowd, and finds an exit from the shelter that leads outdoors. In the final version, she is vaporized instantly (as seen on the page image), but here, she ''catches on fire and is burned alive''. A little later, it cuts to her ''completely engulfed in flames, running and screaming.''

* The scenes in which the nuclear bombs make people turn into skeletons. The effects may be a little hokey, but considering the nature of the film [[NarmCharm it's incredibly effective]].

** Said misunderstand was the NATO training exercise Able Archer, which the Soviets believed was a genuine first strike. And on top of that, just two months earlier, a Russian radar station had a false alarm of an incoming nuclear attack due to an atmospheric phenomenon. 1983 was a year that came very close to ending the world.

* During the attack scene there's a shot of a little girl wearing a dress. Later on, there's a shot of a panicked crowd trampling over that same dress.

* If you're young enough to have first watched it ten years or better after the fact, long after the UsefulNotes/ColdWar was over, you really aren't going to grasp the full impact of the film. On first run television during the time period, the US was neck-deep in very real nuclear fear. ABC even had to open a temporary hotline during the film to calm viewers down during the original broadcast. Not only was the culture awash with apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic imagery, the news was on constant alert to what the Soviets were doing at any moment ''and'' every credible expert was saying that the odds were very likely that nuclear war was at some point inevitable. Two entire generations grew up believing that they would not survive to adulthood, and that unlike the post-apocalyptic fiction common at the time there would be no survivors. The film wasn't presented as what "might" happen, it portrayed what everyone believed ''would'' happen and did so in brutally factual fashion. And not only did it grip the nation with its vivid depiction of what everyone was already imagining and terrified of, it actually convinced U.S. President Ronald Reagan to overrule the hawkish military establishment and begin diplomatic overtures to the Soviets. That's right, it was so terrifying it actually caused a change in foreign policy so profound that it might have directly prevented the horror it depicted. Pretty much, this movie ended the Cold War. That's not just nightmare fuel, it's thermonuclear grade nightmare fuel.