Los Angeles family vacation is interrupted by nuclear war. Now they must escape into the mountains to avoid the radiation, the panic, and the rapists.

Despite the insipid nuclear holocaust effects (looks more like a thunderstorm),this is a surprisingly effective movie. Milland elicits effective performances from each and every member of his cast (Frankie Avalon has never been better). The menace, humiliation and sheer terror of rape has never been more poignantly depicted on the screen, and all without nudity. A minor classic.

Nice little gem here on what it would be like to have to handle family safety and security in case civilization failed. The movie is believable and holds up even though it was made in the 50"s. The survival themes don't change and it does get realistic to see how far a civilized person will go when faced with tough choices. This movie takes you there. I got some stomach wrench meaning tension during some scenes where you might find yourself rooting and taking sides. The question of what would you do just ropes the viewer in and the movie itself takes us there when the two main players disagree on main issues. I couldn't help but think that I would become a little more ruthless than portrayed but then again, everyone handles emergency differently. Check yourself out while watching. It is important to note that food, shelter and clothing become extremely important in a crisis with money and certain material items becoming near worthless until order is restored. This is a good reminder of that subject. There is rape, killing and theft plus more handled very well allowing the viewer to know what happened instead of seeing it. That's the way it was back then in the movies. Today, they go all out leaving this viewer in a tight spot. I don't like to see in your face certain subjects for the thrill factor. I am more supportive in this as long as what takes place is critical to the story-line and to keep in credible but with class not crass. Enjoy Ray Milland and his supporting actors who do the job fairly well. Good movie to snack with and of course have a tasty drink on standby. Sandwich works too. Enjoy and don't "panic"....

Ray Milland and his family are on vacation from Los Angeles--heading towards the mountains. Suddenly, there is a blast in the distance--Los Angeles has apparently been nuked!! Soon afterwards, people all around them begin to panic and lawlessness reigns. Milland takes to this pretty well and it's a dog-eat-dog world--though his wife and daughter are horrified at his ruthless behavior. His son, played by a young Frankie Avalon takes to the new order rather well--becoming adept at the new mantra of "every man for himself".

What I liked about this film best was its look at the worst of human nature. When disaster strikes, you see supposedly good people do very bad things--all in the name of survival and self-preservation. As a doctor later says about the after-effects--"you scrape off and apply enough disinfectant,...there's a chance society will recover".

A tough and rather cynical script, decent acting and a new look at the dangers of nuclear war--this film is a keeper. Surprisingly, Ray Milland not only starred in this one but ably directed as well.