Episode 208 - The History of Atomic Horror: Part 1 - The Atomic Age
The atomic bomb changed the world in 1945, but it also changed the way people imagined horror.
In Part One of our history of Atomic Horror, Abby and Alan look at how the Manhattan Project, the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, nuclear testing, and the beginning of the Atomic Age influenced science fiction and horror cinema. As the threat of nuclear destruction became part of everyday life, filmmakers began turning those fears into stories about monsters, mutations, alien invasions, and the destruction of humanity.
We look at some of the films that helped establish Atomic Horror, including The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, Godzilla, and The Day the Earth Stood Still. We explore how these movies reflected fears about nuclear weapons, radiation, scientific experimentation, and the possibility that humanity had created something it could no longer control.
This is the beginning of the Atomic Horror story, from the development of the atomic bomb to the monsters that emerged from the nuclear age.
Follow us on social media @ TheLunaticsProject.
Get Lunatics Merch here. Join the discussion on Discord. Check out Abby's book Horror Stories. Available in eBook and paperback.
Music by Michaela Papa, Alan Kudan & Jordan Moser. Poster Art by Pilar Keprta @pilar.kep.
Sources
History.com article on the Manhattan Project
An Atomic Heritage Foundation article by Paul Tibbets and Curtis LeMay: Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki – 1945
PBS.org article Letter from Albert Einstein to FDR, 8/2/39
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
More description
The atomic bomb changed the world in 1945, but it also changed the way people imagined horror.
In Part One of our history of Atomic Horror, Abby and Alan look at how the Manhattan Project, the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, nuclear testing, and the beginning of the Atomic Age influenced science fiction and horror cinema. As the threat of nuclear destruction became part of everyday life, filmmakers began turning those fears into stories about monsters, mutations, alien invasions, and the destruction of humanity.
We look at some of the films that helped establish Atomic Horror, including The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, Godzilla, and The Day the Earth Stood Still. We explore how these movies reflected fears about nuclear weapons, radiation, scientific experimentation, and the possibility that humanity had created something it could no longer control.
This is the beginning of the Atomic Horror story, from the development of the atomic bomb to the monsters that emerged from the nuclear age.
Follow us on social media @ TheLunaticsProject.
Get Lunatics Merch here. Join the discussion on Discord. Check out Abby's book Horror Stories. Available in eBook and paperback.
Music by Michaela Papa, Alan Kudan & Jordan Moser. Poster Art by Pilar Keprta @pilar.kep.
Sources
History.com article on the Manhattan Project
An Atomic Heritage Foundation article by Paul Tibbets and Curtis LeMay: Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki – 1945
PBS.org article Letter from Albert Einstein to FDR, 8/2/39
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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