Arts & Culture

Threads of Fear: How Nuclear Apocalypse Stories Haunt Us More Than Horror Films

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Two weeks ago Russia became the first nation to use an intercontinental ballistic missile in combat. Though the missile was reportedly experimental and not armed with nuclear warheads, its deployment was an ominous reminder of how close humanity still is to the brink of nuclear war. As international tensions rise, so too does the relevance of art that explores these catastrophic possibilities. Putin’s nuclear Sabre rattling will only grow lounder and so I think there is no better time to look back at Threads, a film that not only epitomizes the post apocalypse genre but I would argue is one of the most frightening films ever made, more so than any traditional horror film that is. 

Threads, written by Barry Hines and directed by Mick Jackson, was created to outdo its American counterpart, The Day After, which the filmmakers believed softened the horrors of nuclear war. Set in Sheffield, England, the film begins by drawing the audience into the lives of Ruth Beckett and Jerry Kemp, an ordinary young couple preparing for marriage and parenthood.

Letters To

LETTER TO THE EDITOR | We Must Have Integrity During Times of Controversy

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Re: “The Coalition for Mutual Liberation Threatens to Harm Cornell From Within” (opinion, March 8)

According to the Cornell Standards of Ethical Conduct, “an environment that encourages the highest level of integrity from its members is critical to the university.” Integrity here demands further clarification. Oxford Dictionary defines integrity as “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles” (I do not want to sound too lawyerly, but please bear with me). Honesty with moral principles requires us to speak up when witnessing moral wrongdoings. Protest is one way to do it. Writing is another way.