Looks like the 1960s in post apocalypse film In The Year 2889

Added: 2026-05-13

[00:00:00][music] >> This place is cursed. This week on Dark Corners, Redneck Romeo and Juliet, >> [screaming] >> square man boobs, I and I alone will say when and how much food we eat. and God gets the bomb. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night. We're looking at Larry Buchanan's In the Year 2889, a remake of Roger Corman's Day the World Ended, and one of a series of remakes of 50 sci-fi movies that were not that great to begin with, and yet Larry Buchanan manages to make them so much worse. Well, what have you got to say about it? The title, incidentally, comes from an unrelated Jules Verne story.

[00:00:47]This is very clearly not 800 years in the future.

[00:00:51]There's been a nuclear war.

[00:00:54]3 billion people murdered by a thousand nuclear bombs and the lethal fallout.

[00:01:00]Nobody won. Maybe there's no one left to hear my voice.

[00:01:04]But I'm still the most popular DJ on the planet. Who's wasting his life now, Mom?

[00:01:10]But there are still a few people left, including Joanna and her father, John.

[00:01:15]Why, we may be saved, just as I planned it. Planned it? Our house out here miles from any city, the cliffs, the updrafts of air to fight back the radiation, and provisions for the three of us for months. Thank goodness this happened, otherwise I'd have looked a fool.

[00:01:30]They were to be joined by Joanna's fiance, Larry, but he hasn't shown up. I couldn't very well order Larry to come out here and stay with us, even though you are engaged to him. I may have forgotten to mail the invite. Never really warmed to Larry, but now Someone at the door, Dad. It's Larry. He's made it. Larry? Don't open that door. We can't take the chance. But I've got to open that door.

[00:01:56]Don't touch him. He's red hot with radioactivity. It's not Larry. Oh, well, he can stay then. The irradiated Granger arrives with his brother, Steve. They can't stay here.

[00:02:08]They're followed by Mickey and Jayda.

[00:02:10]Don't shoot. There's a girl out here.

[00:02:12]You can't stay here. And Tim. He can't stay. My policy is consistent.

[00:02:18]Their place in the middle of nowhere is oddly busy, but John lets them stay with good grace. You're not welcome here. And we get to know them. Jayda is an exotic dancer, while Mickey is the obligatory jerk. I got some things working for me in LA, big things. So, how long before we can get out of here? How long is this nuclear winter going to last? I've got business in the smoking embers of civilization.

[00:02:44]And Tim is a drunk.

[00:02:47]Humanity is doomed. From Robot Monster to Invasion from Inner Earth, only morons survive [snorts] the apocalypse.

[00:02:56]The six of us in this house may be the beginning of a new era, a new civilization.

[00:03:01]How did they survive? I've spent 10 years getting ready for this day.

[00:03:07]It took 5 years just to build this model. It's not to scale, but I painted it.

[00:03:11]Granger sits out this meeting as he's busy dying of radiation.

[00:03:16]Or is he? I'm not going to die.

[00:03:18]He's fine. I need fresh meat, raw meat. Okay, maybe not fine, but not everyone else was killed by the blast.

[00:03:30]And despite his fine impression of Captain Oates, I'm going outside for a walk. This may be the fate that awaits Granger as John sensitively outlines to his brother, Steve. Face it.

[00:03:46]He's a freak of this new atomic world of ours. Fortunately, John has a solution.

[00:03:51]He should be destroyed. But Steve won't agree to that. This is his brother.

[00:03:56]We have to study him. Compassionate.

[00:03:58]Steve's worried that they will all go the way of Granger, but what can they do about it? You know, when my brother couldn't find the answer to something, he looked it up in the Bible. And that's why he never got his TV to work.

[00:04:11]This is the same brother who's turning into a flesh-eating monster. His brain is still moist. So, I wouldn't call it 100% effective.

[00:04:19]Surely there's something to alleviate the grimness of life here. Maybe we could take a swim in the pool.

[00:04:27]Thank goodness they packed bikinis for the apocalypse. You are good-looking.

[00:04:31]Nice that they have clean water. I've taken more baths in the past 2 months than I have in all my born days together. And that's why I arrived here alone. But food is running out. I've stored some seeds and grain, and I have books and materials on every craft necessary to sustain life. We can eat those. There's other stuff going on.

[00:04:55]Joanna is hearing voices.

[00:04:57]Do you believe in mental telepathy?

[00:04:59]Mickey is making a move on her. Hey, look, what's so bad about me?

[00:05:04]Come on.

[00:05:06]Don't. You belong Nobody loves the bad guy.

[00:05:10]And the debate about Granger continues.

[00:05:13]John, he's the only way to find out what we're up against. Don't you see that? Again, lovely reason to keep your brother alive, but John already knows what will happen as he was involved in nuclear tests on animals.

[00:05:28]That was a chipmunk. You should see his brother, Theodore. They were normal except for their appearance. The chipmunk's personality remained unchanged. They have to plan for the future. I'll tell the girls the first thing in the morning.

[00:05:42]Girls?

[00:05:43]Yes.

[00:05:45]They should bear children as soon as possible. I dibs on the one who's not my daughter. Difficult subject to broach.

[00:05:53]A sea captain can perform the marriage ceremony in case of an emergency. On a related topic, Joanna, I want you to marry Steve.

[00:06:01]I want you to have children. I do love the fact that he's basically asking his daughter to be a womb for hire, but she better be married first. This is a Christian post-apocalypse.

[00:06:12]But before the forced breeding can start, a mutant arrives in the valley.

[00:06:18]He doesn't last long.

[00:06:22]He's hot.

[00:06:23]More striking than hot.

[00:06:25]Look at the head, the strange bone structure.

[00:06:28]Yeah, the bone structure. That's what struck me first, too. Things now go south.

[00:06:34]Tim heads over the wall in search of booze. I had no idea he was an alcoholic. He hid it so well. NO! DON'T BREAK MY JUG, PLEASE.

[00:06:45]THAT WAS THE LAST drop I had. As for Granger, he's dead.

[00:06:53]>> Who'll be our lab rat now? And John continues to push his agenda. You and Joanna are the new family now, perhaps for the whole human race. A whole race descended from me. What a time to be alive. But the mutants are coming closer.

[00:07:11]>> [screaming] >> She said it looked like a an ape. What the hell kind of zoo did you go to?

[00:07:22]And Mickey kills 50% of the female population just because he prefers Joanna.

[00:07:28]He'll kill you, Steve.

[00:07:30]Get him first. Not saying he's totally wrong, but John's strict morality is very much a moving target. Maybe the most realistic thing about this film.

[00:07:42]Matters come to a head when Joanna is telepathically drawn outside.

[00:07:48]And >> [screaming] >> Steve goes after her. There's no other way. Use that Luger on Joanna. Winning the Dark Corners Ethan Edwards award for I'd sooner see her dead than whatever the other option is.

[00:08:06]Back at the house, Mickey makes his move.

[00:08:09]Well, you've been no help. There, I've said it. But what can save the young lovers?

[00:08:15]The water. IT'S AFRAID OF THE WATER.

[00:08:18]WINNING the Dark Corners Dr. No award for all it takes is a good shower to wash away that pesky radiation.

[00:08:26]Then there is a future.

[00:08:29]Yes, Joanna.

[00:08:31]And the truth about Joanna's telepathy is revealed. It was Larry.

[00:08:36]The mutant was her fiance. Wow. Even Richard Curtis would say that was a rough way to treat the third point of a love triangle.

[00:08:45]Didn't come, Dad.

[00:08:47]Larry didn't come.

[00:08:49]Thanks for watching. Please forbid the like button from staying here. Why not pick up one of Dark Corners B-movie inspired T-shirts for yourself. As I said, the title means nothing. What other films have appropriated the titles of classics to no real purpose? Let us know in the comments below.

[00:09:08]Then there was none.