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• 1 media/1950s-Favs-Header-1024x576.png 2023-03-10T20:42:03-08:00 The Historical Influence of Radiation Eco-Horror on Film 38 image_header 2023-03-17T08:47:01-07:00

   Being that our topic is radiation eco horror, we have to shed light on the fact that nuclear energy and radiation were especially important in the 1950s. The world was stunned by the potential of nuclear energy because of the first atomic bombs in Japan. In response to this, many films and books arose with similar plots such as Godzilla (1954), Tarantula (1955), and The Beginning of the End (1957). 
  
  An important aspect of this period was gender roles and their influence on the media. One striking example of this is in the cover images of Tarantula, The Beginning of the End, and Them!, which prominently feature a skinny, white woman in distress, specifically in the mouth of the predator. This repeated portrayal of white women as helpless victims underscores the societal values of the era. It also highlights the pervasive fear of nuclear weapons and their potential catastrophic effects. In this context, white women and children were viewed as innocent and vulnerable, who should not have to suffer the devastating consequences of nuclear war.

  Essentially, many people did not know the long-term effects of radiation, so the many films that were released due to this newfound “unknown,” made up their own realities, which contributed directly to the horror genre and in this case, eco horror. In the last scene of Them!, Robert says, “If these (the giant mutant ants) were a product of the first atomic bomb in 1945, what about the others (possible incidents from the bomb) since then?” In response, Dr. Harold Medford says, “When man entered the atomic age, he opened a door into the new world…what we’ll eventually find in that new world, nobody can predict” (Them!). To raise the suspense, intense music begins to play as the movie ends, leaving the audience without closure of the situation. The movie intended to raise awareness and suspicion about this new “technology” in the 1950s. This was a response to the possibility of nuclear war.