I've just watched the film 'Threads' for the first time. If you haven't seen it already, don't watch it!

[worriedhidinginplainsight]

I have been following some of the 'threads' on MN regarding people being scared of WW3/Nuclear war. Personally I don't worry about it. I have always been firmly in the camp of not worrying about something that I have zero control over. Also not worrying about something in the future, to the detriment of today. However, I noticed this particular film mentioned a few times during the discussions so today, out of curiosity, I decided to watch it.

What a mistake that was! It was a horrible terrifying watch. I would not recommend that anyone else watches it! Quell your curiosity.

It's just left me feeling really horrible and feeling like as humans we are all so vulnerable. I also felt very worried about my cat, if anything like that were to happen! Innocent animals would suffer so much because of very dangerous humans. If humans didn't exist, and the world was populated by only animals, it would be a much safer and peaceful place.

It did seem like a nuclear bomb would transport the survivors back to medieval times. In a way it has also made me feel that as humans we are pretty amazing, how we have built up and created our societies, technology, engineering. I feel really grateful for what we have.

But overall it was horrible and I wish that I never watched it.

This evening I have found myself on Amazon looking up gas masks, fireproof boxes and googling all about prepping!!

I need to forget about this film!!

I was also shown it at school around age 12. Would not recommend. I already lay awake at night worrying about nuclear war, and wether we were closer enough to the local submarine base to die immediately in the event of a strike.

Haven't seen Threads, but I googled it to see that it was written by Barry Hines, of A Kestrel for a Knave.

Given that that's one of the bleakest, most hopeless, depressing books I've ever read, I think I'll swerve Threads.

Watched it last night.

Although horrible directly after the fallout, not too sure the following years would be accurate today.

Live in London so I'd probably be instantly obliterated.

It made me think where I'd try to go in 3 mins that's underground but then thought with all the debris on top after, I'd be trapped.

Your post has just made me Google what they’ve got at a site near us.
Luckily it’s just Cold War stuff.

We are halfway between a couple of well known Cathedrals and cities though.
So I’m guessing a wipe out here.

Oh I definitely wanted the immediate obliteration after watching Threads!!

I watched it last week. 35 years old, for context.

When it finished DH and I both agreed it wasn’t as horrific as people had made out, but it was interesting. We didn’t regret watching it but didn’t really think much of it. I think that’s our age showing, because we’ve never felt the threat of nuclear war like those in generations before us.

Despite our initial reaction, I ended up not sleeping that night. I could not stop thinking about it. Have slept better since but have thought about the film every day.

My god it’s so bleak. It’s so well done in the film. There are little to no jokes (except prawn cocktail crisps?!), no one smiles after the bomb, characters just disappear, it is truly relentless. It is nothing like how they would make a similar film today with romance, action, heroes, miracles and drama built in.

The initial bomb scene itself was horrifying but the aftermath and nuclear winter scenes were worse. Weeks, months and years of bleakness. We all say the same thing - “I want to be killed in the initial blast” - but the film showed that survival mode must kick in for many of those who survive it. It’s something I can’t comprehend - why would I want to live a life with nothing to live for?

A truly impactful film and I’m glad I watched it. They shouldn’t remake it. It needs the roughy-cut bleakness to make its full impact.

I watched it back in 1984 when it was first broadcast on TV. I don't remember an awful lot about it 40 years on,but I DO remember it disturbed me deeply. I think the media at the time described it as 'The night that Britain didn't sleep'.

I watched it in the 80’s well o watched half of it then was sent to bed as I was getting too scared

difference is at the time we had the USSR and we feared them a lot more than we do Putin. I am taking about the UK. We didn’t know how powerful they were just that they were very powerful and we knew little about life in the USSR so the treat seemed was unknown that makes it more powerful

it isn’t quite the same now

I can’t give the thought of a nuclear attack much headspace it too frightening to go there

I agree, and I think it is foolish that so many are dismantling the non-tech systems that could be easily be used if digital services had an outage.

Look at how long it took Transport For London to get its services running properly again after an attack (getting child Oyster cards only resumed in the last week or so). Now imagine that across other services. And I think BT have dome the wrong thing in deciding to turn off analogue telephony for the same reason.