Why is the end of the world so doggone fun? Yes, I’m drinking, but that’s not the point. And no- I’m not being sarcastic and making some current comment on the political climate/pandemic currently raging as of this writing. Trust me- I’m not that “lucky” – this will be something we collectively recover from- over a period of time with cycles of sheltering, lots of hand washing, and eventually a series of vaccines. Simmer down.
What I’m talking about is one of the really great subgenres of fiction that I have always been drawn to and loved (much to the awkwardness and concern of familial relations): Post-Apocalyptic movies. I’m sure there is much one could infer if they were to plop me down on a psychologist couch and dig into the deeper meaning behind the where’s and why’s of my enjoyment of this genre, but as I look around and it becoming mainstream…there are clearly more and more people that really enjoy the concept of a story set in a terrifying wasteland- populated by fearsome raiders, slavers, mutations, and cobbled together vehicles.
On one hand it would be a more simplified existence- note, I’m not inferring wasteland survival would be easy. No taxes, no devices, no meetings. When you take into account Maslow’s hierarchy of needs- all you are really worried about is covering the basics: do I have food, water, shelter and am I safe? Seems pretty basic. Sure, in my current existence I don’t have to worry about being chained to the fender of a truck belonging some guy named Dozer, self-proclaimed warlord of the “LaSalle Territory,” but that doesn’t mean there wouldn’t be some perks. Meal planning would be rendered rather simple- hell it would be a game- “guess what’s in this can” and for those with advanced hunting/foraging skills “name this animal roasting on the storm grate.”
I dunno- maybe it’s the concept of almost unlimited freedom- one would think obviously the post-apocalypse would be the ultimate time for libertarians and survivalists to put their money where their mouth is- but it’s the greatest time to really let that self-expression show. Flat tops, dyed mohawks, crazy-eye makeup- the sky is the limit, I assure you. Plus, since the genre seems to look down on anybody that would use woven cloths or fibers to garb themselves- this is really the time to take your inner freak off its leash. Seriously, if there is one lesson we can take away from the Mad Max franchise, it has taught us that leather S&M gear is going to be all the rage, so you may want to make sure you know what size of assless chaps are right for you now- before the flag goes up and the bombs fall.
If you haven’t gathered by now, I’m being only slightly facetious. I was raised Catholic- we talked about the end of the world every week- who do you think we were kidding? Eschatology- “the study of the last” – we got an ass load of it growing up- and to “cutesy” it up or to clutch ones pearls and pretend that’s not what we were talking about- that’s willful ignorance. I was going to post all of this at the beginning of the month, but frankly I’ve been rather sick and it’s all I can do to keep up with this stuff as is- but I figured this was as good a time as any to dive into our history of apocalyptic fiction at large.
Thinking any of this is a new form of entertainment…that’s just arrogance. We are not the first people on the planet to have the crazy thought of “what would happen if I burned this mother down?” Estimated to being written over 1800 years B.C.E. The Epic of Gilgamesh- a poem from ancient Mesopotamia is our proof positive that mankind has been having thoughts about what the end of times would look like. Written in Sumerian on clay tablets, the story is of the ancient hero Gilgamesh, King of the Urak people- who battles the gods and searches for the secrets to eternal life, and within the epic there is a terrible world ending deluge/flood event that destroys all life and creates the world anew. All of this from a bronze age culture existing over 4,119 years ago, and pre-dating the mythology of the Abrahamic faiths (Judaism, Christianity, Islam). See…apocalyptic stories have been around since we started writing in cuneiform…they are here to stay.
But you know what- I can forgive Bronze-Age people who were afraid about such notions as to “where the sun went” at night for worrying about the end of the world. Life was scary. Carnivores, diseases, famine…you had very real things to worry about…and in our capacity to write and reflect on our written thoughts…we could scare ourselves with larger more ominous notions. So, what’s our problem today? Why is the envisioning of things all going to pot considered ideal fodder for our own entertainment? I would fault our westernized cultural trait of admiring rugged individualism as being somewhat to blame. We like to have stories where against great adversity one survivor or a small group of people manage to eke out a victory against superior odds- be that a harsh environment, other survivors, or an external force. I like to think of it as our commitment to the notion of manifest destiny turned up to 11. We like stories of survival and in the right circumstances we enjoy rooting for survivalists.
Our use of the phrase “Cozy Catastrophe” as this month’s theme is more than just some clever alliteration. The term itself was coined by British author Brian Aldiss in the early 1970’s and refers to a disaster that causes the end of civilization as we know it- leaving just a few people alive to be our protagonists. Thus they get to give us a story that is note tied to any of the normal limitations of polite society and we can then get our leather clad, motorcycle riding berserkers laying siege to what used to be a Wal-Mart. Usually in these scenarios stores, food, vehicles are all available an function as one would expect- a depopulated setting for new adventure to take place in.
Film production really likes a story that is set with a cozy catastrophe- just make everything look abandoned and dress your sets so they appear to be in disarray. Oh? You need to make the world look empty- hire like 4 actors and call it a day. Let’s shoot this! Indeed, our 4 films this month are all varying levels of catastrophe- but not quite as simplistic as Aldiss had originally envisioned with this turn of phrase. We are dealing with a wasteland of muck, dirt, creatures, mutants, and killers…and he was more wanting to address a singular threat- if there was any at all.
For as much as I enjoy the concept as a fictional trope, there is a sobering element to it all- but not on the surface. We tend to think an apocalypse has to look dramatic, exciting- like the books, media, films that we consume make it out to be. The part that modern society doesn’t take the time to consider- because culturally we are thriving, surviving, with our head tilted towards phones and our focus on all things unimportant; we are clearly not experiencing the end of things for ourselves, at least not yet (and no, I’m not tempting the fates). Rather if you would like to consider what an apocalypse would actually look like- the end of the society you knew, grew up with, the culture you attempt to hold onto, numbly rehearsing in the hopes it won’t fade away from a world that dismisses it outright- I would tell you look no further than our Native Americans/First Peoples of the Americas. While war and conquest brought European backed colonists did eventually win the day-in the end, it was the foreigner’s diseases that killed more of those native peoples than bullets ever could. Their way of life ended. They have their stories, their culture is somewhat preserved and they have some lands, rights, but they live in a completely different culture and society than what would have existed without the savage pandemics and wars that brought them to this point of existence. In all of our films this month, we focus on stories (unintentionally I might add) where the catalyst for “the end” of civilization was due to a nuclear exchange…the ever-present boogeyman of my youth…until the collapse of communism. There were plenty of films that focused on pandemics, zombies, aliens…but in light of the bile and vitriol out there in a world reeling from COVID right now…I thought the concept of us just being “general assholes” and films where we blow it all up seemed almost charmingly lighthearted based on how reality is shaping up.
So please- take this month’s selection of films in the spirit in which they are intended: entertaining fun. Some are more thought provoking than others…well actually only one of them really has any gravitas about it…the rest of them are pure Grade A- Cheesy fun…which is how a lot of good cult films are. Cinematically it’s the end of the world as we know it and we are absolutely entitled to feel just fine about it…because it’s all in good fun. So, go ahead- get comfortable in you own skin, start picking out the type of leatherwear you think you are going to be able to squeeze into and join us here at the LSCE as we feature some celluloid apocalyptic goodness.