It’s TOTAL DESTRUCTION DAY! Break out the party favors! I meant the Geiger counters. Gather the women ‘round and tell them the news: the sooner they have kids, the better for all of mankind!
Wait. What? Welcome to the paranoid world of 1950s America! The cultural paranoia that is characterized here in Day The World Ended is not isolated to its 79-minute running time. No! The entire world was triggered by the events which brought about the end of WWII. Nuclear weapons?! Who’s next?
As Day The World Ended begins, there’s no signs of life anywhere. Not in New York. Not in London, Rome, or Moscow. If the blast didn’t wipe out all of humanity, the nuclear fallout most certainly will. Unless, of course, former U.S. Navy Commander Jim Maddison (Paul Birch) can somehow get a group of seven ragtag survivors to band together, but that’s going to take a lot of unwelcoming, to put it frankly. Maddison doesn’t want them anywhere near his home and he makes it clear. He will kill them if they threaten his preparation work.
Gulp. Turns out EVERYONE is triggered in this fun and goopy slice of science fiction pie. Just what awaits them in the new glowing wilderness?!
Maddison lives with his daughter Louise (Lori Nelson) in a home which has been stockpiled and prepped for this day to come and these unwelcome strangers - a geologist, Rick (Richard Denning), his exposed friend (Paul Dubov), a small-time hood, Tony (Mike Connors, yes, Mannix himself), his "moll" Ruby (Adele Jergens), a miner named Pete (Raymond Hatton), and his burro named Diablo.
But no one listened to him in the build-up to the nuclear war and no one is listening to him now. No one cares to change their paths. And now the end is upon them all. Unfortunately, NO ONE is prepared for the MUTATED MONSTER which awaits them. Created and performed by Paul Blaisdell, this monster means business. It is, after all, his world now. The humans had their chance and they screwed it up!
Produced and directed by the ONE and ONLY Roger Corman, Day The World Ended begins with an awesome atomic explosion that levels everything. With wonderfully science fiction tones by Ronald Stein, this completely saturated world of nuclear fallout offers a warning that what is depicted in this gloriously kooky B-movie might not come to pass, but none of that means that we shouldn’t be prepared for it anyway.
Total destruction by nuclear weapons! Now an atomic haze of death hangs over the world. Those left out in the elements are endlessly wandering the earth, eating raw meat. It seems mankind has done its best to destroy itself. This is how the movie begins.
With survivors descending upon Maddison’s home and rain set to fall anytime now, Day The World Ended builds up its suspense as the group begins to fracture when the men can’t keep their eyes and hands off of Louise.
Even the monster wants a shot at her supple flesh! With all these eyes on her, the masculinity is bound to boil over. Tony wants her. Rick wants her. The Monster steals her. And Maddison must protect her!
Day The World Ended is now on blu-ray with a new 2K scan from a fine grain element thanks to Shout! Factory. Happy landings, sweetheart!
Home Video Distributor: Shout Factory!
Available on Blu-ray - December 21, 2021
Screen Formats: 2.00:1
Subtitles: English
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; single disc
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A
THERE IS A FORCE MORE POWERFUL THAN MAN! After the world has been destroyed by nuclear war, an unlikely group of survivors take refuge in a mountain retreat. With tensions mounting and trust all but gone, they discover that fighting each other is the least of their problems. Something outside is stalking them ... something dangerous ... something mutant. This '50s sci-fi classic stars Richard Denning (Creature From The Black Lagoon) and Touch "Mike" Connors (Mannix) and is produced and directed by Roger Corman.
Video:
Framed in a 2.00:1 transfer, the new 2K transfer is beyond immaculate. Crackling with intensity and solid black-and-white images, the transfer is golden. Minted from 35mm film elements, this transfer is detailed with sharp edges and dynamic sets that absolutely pop against the background. Unrealistic and spooky, the science fiction elements are all in place for a memorable experience as the women in the group are told they should have children as soon as possible!
Audio:
The uncompressed monaural soundtrack included here makes the dialogue front and center, which is ought to be.
Supplements:
Commentary:
- Oddly enough, the commentary isn't listed. But there is one from Tom Weaver, Film Historian, and David Schecter, Music Historian and it is SOLID.
Special Features:
There aren’t a lot, but the interview with Corman is PERFECT and so is the 18x24 poster which is included if you purchase from Shout! Factory. Copies are limited. But this B-movie Creature Feature is worth it.
- NEW 2K Scan From A Fine Grain Element
- NEW Interview With Producer/Director Roger Corman
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Composite Blu-ray Grade
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MPAA Rating: Unrated.
Runtime: 79 mins
Director: Roger Corman
Writer: Lou Rusoff
Cast: Richard Denning; Lori Nelson; Adele Jergens
Genre: Sci-fi | Horror
Tagline: ATTACKED... by a creature from hell!
Memorable Movie Quote: "The water! He's afraid of the water!"
Theatrical Distributor: American Releasing Corporation
Official Site:
Release Date: December 1955
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: December 21, 2021.
Synopsis: In a world devastated by a wide-scale nuclear war, all that remains are teetering ruins and a handful of scrappy survivors. The group includes a weathered rancher (Paul Birch), his lovely daughter (Lori Nelson), a tough gangster (Touch Connors), his mouthy woman (Adele Jergens) and a shaken geologist (Richard Denning). This motley crew faces internal and external conflicts as they traverse the treacherous land. Along the way, they are forced to confront a mutated human monster (Paul Blaisdell).
