A generation of adults was scarred for life watching an imagined nuclear devastation of a northern British city – but for me, Threads was a life-affirming experience.
I’ve often wondered why so few people talk about nuclear war. That’s never how I imagined I’d open any piece about action movies or TV shows, but this year marks a special occasion.
If you’ve been lucky (or unlucky) enough to experience extreme physical mutilation on the big screen, it’s probably because Threads turns 40 this year, and there are plenty of screenings to “celebrate.”
I’ll be honest with you – I’d never heard of the film before a few months ago. A friend, who is particularly fascinated with public health movies from decades gone by, had booked us in to watch it, sharing little more than vague suggestions that it was in some way nuclear.
An hour and 40 minutes after arriving at the theater, we left shellshocked – and that’s not just a clever war pun. Not only could I not believe Threads had been shown on BBC2, but I couldn’t get my head around the bravery of its transparency. Unlike Hollywood war films or romanticized Netflix dramas, Threads puts the ugly truth out in the open.
There’s no sugarcoating the potential reality of what Sheffield – a city only 100 miles away from me – would look like if it were hit by an atomic bomb. If you watch it, you’ll probably puke. Afterward, I tweeted about my shock, only to be met with hundreds of stories from traumatized Gen X-ers who’d been made to watch it at school.
40 years on, Threads still has a tight grip on people’s anxieties, yet in a backward way, seeing it made me feel much better about myself. Simply put, it doesn’t matter who we are. If nuclear war hits like this, we’re f**ked. (Editor’s note: Cheery)
Rational fears, irrational movie
I’m sure you’re dying to work out exactly why I’ve been left both reeling and soothed by watching Threads, so let me set the scene. It’s Sheffield in the 1980s, a bustling Northern city with a healthy helping of working-class families. Shops like Woolworths and Mothercare still existed, and the price of a pint of beer was under a quid.
We follow young couple Ruth and Jimmy as they fall in love and get pregnant, bringing their families reluctantly together. This is our main storyline for the first third of the movie, but a disturbing social commentary fritters away in the background. Russia and the US are at war over Iran, and nuclear attacks are threatened.
But who cares because that’s never going to affect us, right? Wrong! Government officials secretly formed emergency local councils, and before you know it, women are wetting themselves in the street as a military base explodes in the distance.
Even better – the fun has only just started! The blast eventually reaches Sheffield and instantly kills tens of millions (including our Jimmy and half his family), leaving the rest without limbs or completely disfigured. With no food, water, amenities, natural light, or any healthy way to exist, we watch people die out over weeks and months of trying to sustain themselves on nothing.
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The only shining light in this is Ruth, who’s survived. In fact, she and her baby last for 13 years, and we’re following them for the ride. This is less Disney and more “Wow, I wish the blast would have taken me there and then” vibes… and it’s grim and slim pickings.
By the time Threads is over, you’ll be left wondering what the point is of even stepping outside again. And isn’t that truly the magic of cinema? The idea that children at primary school were watching this in 1984 is almost as shocking as what’s on screen and gives us a good idea of just why so many are secretively tetchy about nuclear war.
If nuclear war hits like Threads, we’re all shafted
But let’s get back to terrified little me, who’s watching this and would have definitely wet herself outside Woolworths if all of this was kicking off. It’s safe to say I’m not the most practical girl – I write about TV and movies for a living, for God’s sake – and I’ve always worried about how I’d handle this kind of situation.
From The Last of Us to The Walking Dead, all of our favorite stories tell us that you need physical skills to survive. Something life-alteringly devastating happens in the blink of an eye, then anyone left standing needs to adapt. Whether that’s finding shelter, hunting for food, or bartering with a complete stranger who’s woken you up by prodding a shiv into your guts, I’m just not that girlie.
I can hardly be responsible for myself let alone anyone else – my cooking is bare basics, my sewing skills are so-so, and I’d frankly struggle to adhere to new hierarchies decided on the fly. This is all stuff that keeps me up at night, but after watching Threads, I’ve realized none of that matters.
While others have been left unable to think about anything other than potential nuclear atrocities, I’m thankful for the peace of mind. It doesn’t matter that I’m not equipped for warfare – if nuclear sh*t hits the fan, I want to be wiped out in the first blast. Ruth struggled on for 13 years so I would make the executive decision to bow out when the going was still good.
In reality, there’s unlikely to be a power hierarchy either. Sure, plenty of desperate people would be left squabbling over a dire lack of resources, but anyone pouring their pre-war savings into first aid classes and fancy safety kits would be wasting their time. The moment an explosion hits, we’re all one and the same… and that’s shafted.
If you do happen to watch Threads (I’d still advise against that – even actor Reece Dinsdale apologized to me), try to think of it as seeing the light rather than being bogged down in death that could literally prevail at the flick of a switch. If that moment ever did come, we’ve had a good run, and we’re all going down together. Ruth and her daughter are martyrs for the greater good, so make sure your newfound trauma has a logical payoff.
You can watch Threads on Apple TV+, MUBI, or Shudder. Why not scare yourself silly some more with the best horror movies on Prime Video, the best serial killer documentaries, and the Neon horror movies you need to watch before Longlegs. You can also take a look at new movies streaming this month.