It's interesting to note that, with the reality of THE bomb, horror movies in the 1950s took on the gnawing concerns.
Japan, the target of bombs in WWII certainly had reason to ponder that. In fact, Godzilla invention seemed to start a plague of concerns.
I admit, I'm of an age that I recall those practice drills for if the bomb drops and those sirens that silently stare down on us from poles along the playground.
I got in a bit of trouble when told we must dive under our desks. My desk was beside a row of windows. Being a highly precocious child, the concept of diving under a desk wasn't going to do me a bit of good. So, when the drill began, I rushed to the coat closet on the far side of the room. My teacher made an example of me for not listening to life-saving information.
I had to ask, "if we don't go near windows during tornadoes and hurricanes, why would I do it during a bomb?"
The next time we had a drill, all the kids joined me in the closet. The drill practiced stopping after that. 😁
On the subject of radioactivity and monsters, we should first cover this important question - is it possible for radioactivity to create giant scary monsters?
First, in some ways, it's possible, in that radioactivity can cause mutations. For a better explanation of what radioactivity can do genetically, check out THIS LINK from NIH. It would appear, from this explanation that genetic mutations can be passed on for generations.
And, here's a real surprise, low doses of ionizing radiation may be beneficial to us. Ironically, our planet protects itself from radiation bombardment with the Van Allen Belt (that acts like a net to protect earth from solar radiation), but sending our astronauts out into unprotected territory can have long-term effects. This reminds me of the vaccination policy of a "a bit of the illness strengthens you."
Here's some of those vintage nuclear-created movie monsters born from the new era of nuclear destruction -
The Incredible Shrinking Man
A man on a boat trip with his wife is outside and his wife indoors when the boat passes through a strange mist. From that point on, he keeps shrinking and shrinking.
Godzilla
In this fantastic Japanese-spawned movie, atomic bomb testing has created an enormous monster that rises out of the sea and terrorizes Japan.
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms
This plot was fun. Atomic testing in the arctic brings forth a dinosaur. The monster rampages his way to New York.
Them!
Atomic testing in the desert creates a horrifying scenaio, gigantic ants that go on the attack. A favorite of mine!
It Came From Beneath the Sea
A radioactive giant octopus rises from the Pacific to attack the West Coast of America.
Attack of the Crab Monsters
A group of scientists go to an island where nuclear testing occurred to study the effects. Their plane explodes and they are stuck on the island with giant mutated crabs.
