Ooh, how delightfully horrific! I find pregnancy pretty terrifying as it is (I am child-free, shocker), and mix in the 80s nuclear war fears and that’s a powerful punch! I remember US shows that were similar, which we saw in Canada, very scary to teenage me!
Yes! Pregnancy is so effective in horror and dystopia because it is a universal symbol of hope for the future that can so easily be subverted. It made me think of Children of Men and The Handmaid’s Tale where infertility is a major cause of the dystopia, and also Rosemary’s Baby where the new life she’s fought to protect becomes the antithesis of hope.
Oof, I've never seen Threads but your description reminded me of When the Wind Blows, which a quick Google search tells me came out just two years later. (I cried like a little baby watching that one...)
I really enjoy how you tie together different aspects of pop culture to get your point across. It's very interesting seeing the common anxieties and leitmotifs that we share as a society.
We watched When The Wind Blows in an English lesson in secondary school when we studied war poetry. It feels incongruous thematically and artistically and I think that is very effective.
That's a very good point. The one image that really sticks out to me is when the wife is flying around like a little cherub, dreaming of happier times. You couldn't really accomplish that kind of imagery effectively with a live action film.
That's interesting because Threads is sort of the opposite, it feels very kitchen sink and 'real' but that quality becomes increasingly unsettling as what's happening gets worse and worse
Thanks so much, Kit, I’ve really enjoyed researching and writing them - if ‘enjoyed’ is the right word for this particular topic. I’ve not yet watched ‘When the Wind Blows,’ I think I need to take a break after Threads!
We seemed to make it through without the anxiety and mental health issues of modern youngsters. Who would believe that social media could be more terrifying than the threat of nuclear war?
Hi Rebekah! Are you getting tired of me saying 'I knew it was that one'? It's so nice to see this song properly examined. As you say, it really hit a zeitgeist. I remember conversations in the early 1980s as we tried to get our heads around a kind of war unlike any other. The details of Kate's songs are as compelling and clever as the big-picture concepts - for instance that line 'breathing the fall-out in, out-in'.
I also remember Threads! We watched it recently. It was astonishingly bleak, a kind of darkness I don't think would be accepted with today's tastes.
And your next choice? Following the nuclear war, the winter. Nicely played.
"Following the nuclear war, the winter" I need to start getting you to write my taglines for me, Roz! The 80s is such an interesting decade: terrifying for geopolitics, excellent for music. I'm a 90s baby so my coming-of-age horror was the NSPCC adverts of the 00s (I'll have to write an article about those some time...) I watched Threads for the first time last year and was stunned by just how dark it gets even though I was aware of its reputation. Heavy stuff! It'll be nice next week to turn to something a bit more spooky and folkloric...
If you're able to get to Kelvedon Hatch in Essex, it's well worth a trip. It's the bunker where the government was to repair to in the event of atomic war. Not only is going around it a surreal and chilling experience, there's a story that unfolds in the labels on the exhibits that finally lands with a level of existential horror that Lovecraft would have been proud of.
That sounds fascinating Dave, I love the idea of a story happening through an exhibition. You’ve also now made me want to go and research the connection between the legacy of Lovecraft and metaphors for nuclear war — I’m used to thinking about Kaiju in Japan.
Ooh, how delightfully horrific! I find pregnancy pretty terrifying as it is (I am child-free, shocker), and mix in the 80s nuclear war fears and that’s a powerful punch! I remember US shows that were similar, which we saw in Canada, very scary to teenage me!
Excellent article, as always, Rebekah💕.
Thank you Sheila! Me too, pregnancy seems awful
Yes! Pregnancy is so effective in horror and dystopia because it is a universal symbol of hope for the future that can so easily be subverted. It made me think of Children of Men and The Handmaid’s Tale where infertility is a major cause of the dystopia, and also Rosemary’s Baby where the new life she’s fought to protect becomes the antithesis of hope.
All such great examples! The Alien franchise has done some fascinating stuff with pregnancy metaphors in a completely different context.
Oof, I've never seen Threads but your description reminded me of When the Wind Blows, which a quick Google search tells me came out just two years later. (I cried like a little baby watching that one...)
I really enjoy how you tie together different aspects of pop culture to get your point across. It's very interesting seeing the common anxieties and leitmotifs that we share as a society.
We watched When The Wind Blows in an English lesson in secondary school when we studied war poetry. It feels incongruous thematically and artistically and I think that is very effective.
That's a very good point. The one image that really sticks out to me is when the wife is flying around like a little cherub, dreaming of happier times. You couldn't really accomplish that kind of imagery effectively with a live action film.
That's interesting because Threads is sort of the opposite, it feels very kitchen sink and 'real' but that quality becomes increasingly unsettling as what's happening gets worse and worse
Thanks so much, Kit, I’ve really enjoyed researching and writing them - if ‘enjoyed’ is the right word for this particular topic. I’ve not yet watched ‘When the Wind Blows,’ I think I need to take a break after Threads!
atomically potent. you've brought Threads right up to the top of my to-watch list!
Let me know what you think of it, I feel like I need a support group for people who survived the experience...
We seemed to make it through without the anxiety and mental health issues of modern youngsters. Who would believe that social media could be more terrifying than the threat of nuclear war?
It's strange to imagine what the reaction to things like Chernobyl would have been if social media had been around...
I love these Kate Bush editions so much. She's my number one listen right now.
Thanks so much, Sean, it’s been lovely having an excuse to dance around the house to her songs for the last few weeks!
Has anyone ever considered creating an opera based on Bush's music?
No but that would be interesting! Her work contains so many operatic themes — then again they work so well as short weird pop songs.
Hi Rebekah! Are you getting tired of me saying 'I knew it was that one'? It's so nice to see this song properly examined. As you say, it really hit a zeitgeist. I remember conversations in the early 1980s as we tried to get our heads around a kind of war unlike any other. The details of Kate's songs are as compelling and clever as the big-picture concepts - for instance that line 'breathing the fall-out in, out-in'.
I also remember Threads! We watched it recently. It was astonishingly bleak, a kind of darkness I don't think would be accepted with today's tastes.
And your next choice? Following the nuclear war, the winter. Nicely played.
"Following the nuclear war, the winter" I need to start getting you to write my taglines for me, Roz! The 80s is such an interesting decade: terrifying for geopolitics, excellent for music. I'm a 90s baby so my coming-of-age horror was the NSPCC adverts of the 00s (I'll have to write an article about those some time...) I watched Threads for the first time last year and was stunned by just how dark it gets even though I was aware of its reputation. Heavy stuff! It'll be nice next week to turn to something a bit more spooky and folkloric...
Thanks for sharing this
If you're able to get to Kelvedon Hatch in Essex, it's well worth a trip. It's the bunker where the government was to repair to in the event of atomic war. Not only is going around it a surreal and chilling experience, there's a story that unfolds in the labels on the exhibits that finally lands with a level of existential horror that Lovecraft would have been proud of.
That sounds fascinating Dave, I love the idea of a story happening through an exhibition. You’ve also now made me want to go and research the connection between the legacy of Lovecraft and metaphors for nuclear war — I’m used to thinking about Kaiju in Japan.