Throughout the years, there have been countless monstermoviesmade about nuclear radiation and nuclear waste. Some of the world’s most popular movie franchises spawned from this incredibly niche genre, with monster movies going on to be popular for decades. Even today,monster movies still pull an incredibly large audience, withfranchises likeGodzillaandKingKongcontinuing to release films every few years or so. Still, the sorts of monsters that have made the biggest impact on this genre of kaiju-centric monster films are the ones born from the rise of nuclear power across the world.
Initially gaining popularity in the 1950s,these monster moviesfirst rose to prominence out of the desire to portray the horrors of nuclear warfare.After the end of World War II, the terrors of nuclear war were fresh in filmmakers' minds, and so many of film’s most iconic monsters were born. This golden era was only the beginning, however, with many different atomic monsters coming in the years that would follow.
C.H.U.D.
Cast
C.H.U.D. is a 1984 horror film directed by Douglas Cheek that delves into the mystery of missing homeless people in New York City. The film follows a photographer and a police captain who uncover a government cover-up involving mutated creatures, known as Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers, living beneath the city. Starring John Heard and Daniel Stern, C.H.U.D. combines elements of horror and social commentary.
The film C.H.U.D., short for Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers, is a science-fiction horror film centered around the monsters described in the title. As it turns out,these monsters were once human beings, previously the homeless population living beneath the city in the sewers.However, after extensive exposure to the radioactive waste dumped into the sewers by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, these people were transformed into terrifying monsters.
Although it initially released to less than stellar praise, in the years that followed it gained a relatively strong following as a cult classic. A few sequels to the original film would later be released with countless properties, includingThe Simpsons, Rick and Morty,andFuturama, even referencing the film. This cult status shot the film into the cultural lexicon, introducingC.H.U.D.to far more people than it reached upon release.
It Came from Beneath the Sea
It Came from Beneath the Sea is a 1955 science fiction film directed by Robert Gordon. The film stars Kenneth Tobey and Faith Domergue as a naval commander and a marine biologist, who confront a giant octopus that rises from the depths of the Pacific Ocean following nuclear testing. Using innovative stop-motion animation by Ray Harryhausen, the film emphasizes the dangers of atomic experimentation on oceanic life.
Originally released as a double feature withCreature with the Atom Brainin 1955,It Came from Beneath the Seadepicts a giant octopus that had been exposed to too much radiation as a result of hydrogen bomb testing in the South Pacific. Throughout the film, the monster attacks several different installations and locations, including a nuclear submarine and the city of San Francisco itself.The monster’s attack on the Golden Gate Bridge is the most famous moment in the movie, later being shown as a quick cameo inGodzilla(1998).
The film was one of many monster movies of a similar make to release in the 1950s. Despite this,it was well received at the time and a general success, with its special effects and stop-motion animation being the elements of the film that garnered the most praise. The excellent filmmaking and the public’s positive reception to dramatic monster films shaped up to makeIt Came from Beneath the Seaan American classic.
Night of the Living Dead
George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead did more than just invent the modern zombie, it revolutionized the horror genre. Following a small group of humans who hide in a secluded farmhouse when the dead begin to rise and crave human flesh, Night of the Living Dead examines the relationship between humanity and paranoia in times of crisis.
When atomic monsters are brought up, zombies are typically the last monster that comes to mind. Typically,zombies are created as the result of some sort of widespread pandemic, reducing the average person to nothing more than an undead creature that hungers for living flesh. BeforeNight of the Living Dead,zombies were typically depicted in problematic fashion as the thralls of voodoo magic.
The originalNight of the Living Deadfrom 1968 removes this connotation entirely, separating the zombie from the films that came before. Instead of following the lead of the films that came before,this movie instead implied that the zombies that attacked were a product of radiation from space.Though this implicit explanation for why the zombies came to exist would be removed from later films in the franchise, it still offers a frightening possibility to think about.
The H-Man
The H-Man (1958) is a Japanese science fiction horror film that follows the mysterious and deadly consequences of nuclear radiation exposure in Tokyo. When a series of bizarre disappearances and deaths are linked to radioactive sludge, scientists and police race to uncover the truth behind the terrifying H-Men. Directed by Ishirō Honda, the film explores the dangers of nuclear fallout and its unforeseen effects on humanity.
The H-Manbegins in what might be considered a unique manner for atomic monster movies, centering first on a mystery. Set in the rainy streets of Tokyo, everything kicks off when a drug smuggler named Misaki is pronounced dead, with his body somehow melting away after being killed. It is possible that this occurred due to theradiation lingering in the rain.
After this, a glowing figure is discovered to be roaming around, dissolving innocent people throughout the city.This is one of the eponymous H-Men, created as a result of deadly radiation from hydrogen bombs.The rest of the film follows the police force as they struggle to hunt down the H-Men in an attempt to save Tokyo, eventually eliminating the threat to the city.
The Incredible Hulk
The Incredible Hulk (1977): In this film, scientist David Banner suffers a gamma radiation overdose, triggering a transformation into a giant, muscular green creature whenever he becomes angry. This condition compels him to undertake a journey to understand and control his monstrous alter ego.
As a character, The Hulk has had a storied but ultimately rocky history in film. He has been depicted across the ages by actors such as Lou Ferrigno and Mark Ruffalo, but perhapsone of the most important performances of the character was Edward Norton’srendition inThe Incredible Hulkin 2008. Though divisive, this film has its fans despite mostly being struck from Marvel’s Cinematic Universe, instead changing direction towards Mark Ruffalo’s performance inThe Avengers.
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The Hulk is one of the most powerful characters in the Marvel Universe, but surprisingly, this level of power has nothing to do with his strength.
From the very beginning, The Hulk has been a creature born from radiation.Developing inside of Bruce Banner asa result of what would otherwise be deadly gamma radiation, The Hulk would be considered a monster by some and a hero by others.His depiction in the 2008 film is considered to be one of the best in modern times, relying on the comics to tell the story of an unlikely hero.
The Hills Have Eyes
The Hills Have Eyes is a 1977 horror film directed by Wes Craven. The plot centers on a suburban family whose car breaks down in a remote desert area, leaving them vulnerable to attacks by a brutal clan of cannibalistic mutants. The film is noted for its intense scenes of survival and confrontation as the family fights to stay alive against a relentless and savage enemy.
Following the story of the Carter family as they are stranded in Nevada while on vacation,The Hills Have Eyesexplores a horrifying version of the effects of nuclear radiation. The Carter family has inadvertently strayed too close to an old nuclear testing sight, one wherethe effects of the radiation can still be felt by the people who live there.These people are the same ones who live in the titular hills, cannibalizing any passersby who are unlucky enough to stop there.
Paranoid and unexpected,this film manages to scare its audience all while being one of Wes Craven’s first films.While not a monster movie in the traditional sense, the film shows how monstrous this sort of atomic testing was through the tragedy of its characters, both the protagonists and the villains. It would later go on to be remade in 2006, a testament to how good the original really is.
Them!
In groundbreaking monster movie Them! a nest of giant irradiated ants is discovered in the New Mexico desert and quickly become a national threat when the queen escapes to build a new colony. The national search that follows climaxes in a battle with Them in Los Angeles.
Although the premise might initially seem a bit silly,Them!was a foundational film during the trend of ’50s monster movies. Created by Warner Bros. in 1954, it wasone of the first to feature a monster that grew to such enormous sizes as a result of nuclear radiation.Like many similar movies, it takes place in the New Mexico desert, featuring a colony of now carnivorous ants that has mutated as a result of atomic bomb testing.
The film was a smash hit at the time and is generally regarded as one of the best monster films of this era in film history.Them!would go on to inspire countless other projects, including the Japanese kaiju filmRodanas well as the video game seriesIt Came from the Desert.Its special effects earned it an Oscar nomination, and though it was eventually beaten by another contender on this list, it just goes to show how incredible these effects were at the time.
Godzilla Minus One
In Godzilla Minus One, set in postwar Japan, an unyielding Godzilla emerges in a landscape already ravaged, leaving survivors to unite against the monstrous threat. With no aid from military forces or government, the community must confront their fears to fend off the escalating peril.
When it comes to nuclear-inspired monster films, theGodzillaseries easily takes the cake. Not only is Godzilla one of the most famous monsters of all time, butits creation was also inspired by the nuclear fearsthat were prevalent in Japan as a result of World War II.Godzilla Minus Oneis the series' most recent Japanese-made film, with the 2024 release ofGodzilla x Kong: The New Empirehaving been made in America.
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Godzilla has been beaten by humans a total of seven times throughout the franchise, despite fighting multiple kaiju, which is an impressive feat.
Godzilla Minus Oneis really a testament to how far these sorts of films have come.Set in a 1945 post-war Japan,the film explores the Japanese perspective on nuclear fallout, with Godzilla representing this horrible tragedy. It was released at a similar time toOppenheimer,showing what would be an alternate perspective to the spectacle that many fans were hoping to see in that film.
2The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms (1953)
It Spawned Many Different Monster Movies
The Beast from 20,000 Fathomsis often cited as having started the trend of monster films that would follow in later years, with even the titan of the genre,Godzilla,supposedly taking inspiration from it.Beginning north of the Arctic Circle at a nuclear testing site, a giant dinosaur once frozen in the ice is awakened from its slumber as the result of several atomic explosions. It would then go on a rampage, making its way all the way down the Hudson River and leaving countless dead in its wake.
Not only was it an incredible film, but it won accolades at the time, stealing the Oscar fromThem!for the film’s noteworthy stop-motion special effects. It was praised for its science-fiction flavored drama, a drama that was only heightened by the distress of nuclear testing. It was a film influenced by the era it was set in, launching an entire genre along with it.
Godzilla
1954 Japanese film Godzilla follows Japan’s panic as ships are mysteriously sunk near Odo Island. An expedition discovers a giant monster, Godzilla, whose rampage threatens global destruction.
AlthoughGodzilla Minus Onewas also briefly mentioned before, there is no better nuclear monster film than the originalGodzillafrom 1954. Originally living beneath the water as an ancient sea creature,Godzilla only comes up above ground once its peace is disturbed as a result of atomic testing.It then went on to terrorize Japan, taking on the entire Japanese Armed Forces and leaving countless innocents with radiation sickness as a result of its irradiated breath.
At its core,Godzilla is a representation of the atomic bomb itselfand the terrible carnage that weapon left in its wake across Japan. It is a bleak story, but also so very true to life in a way many science fiction movies fail to capture.Godzillais the bomb and the fears that came along with it, and because of this direct representation and the legacy it would leave, it is the best atomic movie monster of all time.
