Let's Dissect a Prepper Movie !!!!

[Illini Warrior]

https://archive.org/details/Panic.in.Year.Zero.1962.720p.BluRay.x264X0r

FIRST UP FOR DISSECTION >>>> Panic In The Year Zero - 1962 classic for preppers ///////////

"Mom With A Prep" review >>

Made in 1962 during the height of the Cold War/Bomb scare, this movie is about a family having gone on vacation and missed the attack on LA – and learning to survive in a civilization gone mad (as mad as a 1962 semi-mainstream movie for white middle-class folks is allowed to be).

The Baldwins leave their “Leave it to Beaver” life to head on a camping vacation. Sometimes after hitting the mountains, they see that Los Angeles has been attacked by a nuclear bomb, and just refuse to believe it and head back to LA (really.) After seeing how civilization is already unraveling within the first 2 hrs of the attack, Harry Baldwin decides to continue to his destination with his family to the camping grounds where they could hide out until it was safe to return.

So we all have the same opportunity to join the discussion - free MP4 download >>> Review the movie with the perspective of a prepper that could be possibly experiencing the same SHTF circumstances in the future - it's a good surviving PAW flic and doesn't need a vote or review in that way ....

Posted this in the newbie section of the forum - it's a teaching & learning opportunity - What's done right? Wrong? Different today than 1962? What your plan would have been? Actions that should have been taken? Action not taken?

 

[Proud Prepper]

Or starters,, obviously Don't immediately head back to where the nukes went off.

 

[tmttactical]

Good film considering the time period. Points made: Cash is king during SHTF. Lack of OPSEC will get your group in deep fecal matter. Mental prep is as important as food, lack of either will get you in serious trouble. Ammo will be in short supply very quickly during a SHTF event. If you don't have firearms before it hits the fan, you won't have them after either. During a major emergency, the law abiding very quickly become the lawless. The film is worth watching.

 

[Jim Costa]

Thanks for sharing the movie Illini Warrior, I had never seen it.
And thanks for starting the discussion.

tmttactical did an excellent analysis, thanks TM.

The only meat I saw left on the bones was that in a survival situation:

* One must immediately go all in and treat it as a full survival situation.
All must be onboard for that as well, all must be in 100%.

* No hidden guards protecting those working outside.

* Leaving camp without prior approval/notification.

* Leaving any signs of life at your location.

* Trying to survive in a camper or mobile home is suicide when hungry armed looters are around.
Those locations will be easy pickings as they cannot be defended from inside.
Better to be in a brick home or small wooden home with walls fortified around the windows.

 

[tmttactical]

J

Thanks for sharing the movie Illini Warrior, I had never seen it.
And thanks for starting the discussion.

tmttactical did an excellent analysis, thanks TM.

The only meat I saw left on the bones was that in a survival situation:

* One must immediately go all in and treat it as a full survival situation.
All must be onboard for that as well, all must be in 100%.

* No hidden guards protecting those working outside.

* Leaving camp without prior approval/notification.

* Leaving any signs of life at your location.

* Trying to survive in a camper or mobile home is suicide when hungry armed looters are around.
Those locations will be easy pickings as they cannot be defended from inside.
Better to be in a brick home or small wooden home with walls fortified around the windows.

JC, excellent points. Guard sitting on a stump out in the open, results family member wounded. Family member wanders off and gets assaulted. Lots of lessons to be learned from this film.

 

[Illini Warrior]

problem solved >>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

[tmttactical]

Just finished watching the remake of Red Dawn. More holes than swiss cheese. Not a good example of a resistance group. the original Red Dawn was much better.

 

[Illini Warrior]

Just finished watching the remake of Red Dawn. More holes than swiss cheese. Not a good example of a resistance group. the original Red Dawn was much better.

neither of them make a very good prepper discussion - the latest is a joke having a Subway making sandwiches in the middle of a commie takeover - McD's yes - Subway no .....

 

[Proud Prepper]

It' definitely was a sleeper, I fell asleep 4 times.

 

[Jim Costa]

Illini - Thanks. I am watching it this morning.

Hint: If in a hurry begin at the 20 minute mark.

 

[Proud Prepper]

https://ia802502.us.archive.org/24/items/684_20220411/Testament. 1983.mp4

Second Film To Consider >>>> Testament >>> 1983 sleeper SHTF nuke film //////////////

It is just another day in the small town of Hamlin until something disastrous happens. Suddenly, news breaks that a series of nuclear warheads has been dropped along the Eastern Seaboard and, more locally, in California. As people begin coping with the devastating aftermath of the attacks -- many suffer radiation poisoning -- the Wetherly family tries to survive. Led by mom Carol (Jane Alexander), the clan tries to support each other even as they take in other stranded survivors.

[Testament] is a haunting, emotionally devastating movie.

It is impossible not to be affected or frightened by Testament

What lingers after seeing Testament is a warm feeling, one which comes from watching a group of people continue to give of themselves, to show compassion and love, even in the face of unimaginable adversity.

Living an unspeakable nightmare from which there's no waking, [Alexander] suggests a resilient admirable core of humanity.

2 things to learn from this boring sleeper is a Ham radio will be useful and a radiation detector for persons, animals and food.

 

[Jim Costa]

Illini Warrior: Been in a meeting most of the day. Just finished the Testament film.

The Boring Part some mention is due to no big gun shootouts or car chases.
Also consider the audience was 1980 (screenplay written) and that was 45 years ago. There was no real Prepper movement at that time.
Therefore, the movie was ultra low-key and focused on a nuke war. The film was a true introduction.
[Today if America was to be attacked it most likely would be biological and/or EMPs.]

This is the approach I took in my analysis:

Due to the 45 year time difference, I did a mind experiment and pictured the book writer
giving a Prepper Meeting talk today pointing out what he tried to convey in his book.


28 Minute Mark (MM) Civil Defense agency was discussed in a church.
I don't think that the Civil Defense exists except in name only.
They were mostly replaced by CERT (Community Emergency Response Teams).

[I have been through their training courses twice. They train for a major collapse situation in my opinion.
What I found offensive about CERT is it trains persons to gather the survivors and injured
but CERT leaves them without supplies and support in a Katrina like environment.
Without ambulances and hospitals rescuers have just adopted all they rescue.]

[That scene took place in a church. However in this day and time preachers have been terrified to
hold such meetings for fear of losing their tax exempt status.
So today I can't see a preacher helping to organize the community in place of the government.]

31 MM Expect everyone to be highly agitated, nerves on end, in panic and not able to think altogether reasonably.

34 MM Grocery shopping alone will be most dangerous. You will be easy pickings on the way home.
Best to have an armed guard following the shopper but appearing to be unrelated.

37 MM, 57 MM Depression, constipation, diarrhea and sleeplessness will happen due to stress, lack of sleep and water.
Inventory for the above. Rotate leaders in the event a leader can't lead at that time.

40 MM Burial will be needed to be done for health reasons. Fuel for fires will not be available.

45 MM Pet issues must be dealt with. Otherwise if not fed they will eat corpses and cause health issues.

45 MM Torn clothes will be expected after about a month due to infrequent laundry practices.
The oil from our bodies will deteriorate the clothing.

48 MM, Psychological Impact on adults and kids will be horrific. Structured life (65 MM) is best to calm people down.
A set time to eat, a time to recreate and have fun, fellowship, etc.

50 MM & 970 MM HAM Radio reliance. Needed for walkie talkies for local coms but long HAM radios will be useless after a month.
This is because of loss of energy as well as depression, fear to operate and dying of older folks with HAM experience.
Repeaters will go down as they are not designed for long term emergencies.

60 MM Rotating Leadership needed in event a leader can no longer lead. A system should be in place so a clear succession can occur quickly and smoothly.

60 MM, 110 MM - People will die. Family may die. You will not know the status of family.

63 MM Scavenging will become a way of life. Know what material is around you for that purpose.

67 MM Security needed & attack method known. An attack will most likely come at night through a glass or weak door.
If looters see you alive you are a target. Groups are needed to guard 24 hours per day.

70 MM One has to grow and get strong to survive. Survival is a deliberate decision, not an accident.

 

[Jim Costa]

One last note on the boring part of the movie.

I have done a lot of reading on our Civil War. One common trait in all of the reading was how boring it was.
Probably 95% of the time the soldiers sat around bored to death. And during this boredom they suffered miserably.

So too will it be with a collapse and reset situation if it results in chaos. I doubt it will be exciting like in Red Dawn.

 

[jackalope]

Just finished watching the remake of Red Dawn. More holes than swiss cheese. Not a good example of a resistance group. the original Red Dawn was much better.

I live in Spokane, where the remake was set. If the Norks were to invade here, half of North Idaho and western Montana would come a runnin'. That's in addition to those of us already here. This part of the country is particularly heavily armed and would love nothing better than to shoot easily identified Commie invaders to pieces.

 

[rainingcatzanddogs]

There were many good points raised in the movie. And I will second, Thank you @Illini Warrior for posting. I am going to focus on one aspect because it is step one in the journey. Bugging out.

---City folk not allowed. Unless you live there be prepared to not be able to move through small towns. (I would not suggest trying to run a road block as they did. Most will not scatter for a stopped vehicle working its way up to speed, and they won't be such bad shots as in the movie).

It is highly likely that once the small towns get wind of problems in the cities, they will, as seen in the film, put together either formal or informal protection brigades to guard entry and pass through points in their towns.

It is sad to say it but, over the last couple of decades or so, city/suburban dwellers have done little to endear themselves to rural residents. Even if you have a deed to land in a far flung place, you may have a problem when you show your DL and it says Sugarland, Arlington Heights, Mount Clemens, Oklahoma City, Boulder, Austin, Atlanta or any other suburb or big city on it. Even if you are from a small town, if it isn't local, you will have difficulty.

This being said, I think it is not enough to just have a BOL, you must become part of the community, interact with and do things for those there. However, this probably will still not help in passing through on roads in other small communities on your way to a BOL.

How easy would it be to block a pass through? At BOL 1 we have a lake to the south, and are surrounded by hilly, rocky, rugged terrain. LITERALLY, there are two ways into the nearest town and one way out. Not a one small side road, even dirt, to get you to the other side by vehicle. It is heavily wooded and even an ATV would have a very difficult passage through private property.

To show the issue. About 29 years ago there were some bad floods because a tropical system parked itself over us for 10 days and we, and all of the other towns for 15 miles west, were literally cut off from everyone else. We were an island onto ourselves. Nothing went in or out via road for several days. Health emergencies were handled by helicopter.

There is one bridge, on the main road in, that if taken out, would make passage on foot, horse/mule/donkey the only option. Same on the main road out. There are several smaller bridges on the only other smaller road that, once taken out, would make the road impassable to anything except lifted 4 wd vehicles, horses or specially designed UTV’s. If the water is high and flowing, then it is even less crossable. People die here trying to cross flowing waters in vehicles during flash flooding. The only access at that time, was by boat or air. What happens if none of your “group” is able to get to the BOL? Can you make your survival plans work alone?

The locals know we can cut ourselves off and if the SHTF, I fully expect someone will independently do exactly that; We have therefore not put all of our eggs in one basket and split our supplies between BOL 1 and 2. This is why it is important to be able to pack up and leave within an hour or less of a crisis. Sitting and debating (like the couple did at the beginning of the movie), is not an option. It is called the Golden Hour for a reason.

Some of you are the preppers in your family and have spouses who are not quite so enthusiastic. It is important that you work out an agreement ahead of time, that when you say it is time to go, you will not only have their…for lack of a better term, obedience, but also, their help in doing so!

Implications of this for those with properties bordering throughways: Even if your community sets up a road block, desperate people, hyper focused on attaining a destination, convinced it will be their family’s only salvation, will probably cut fencing and trespass properties to get through/around. It is important for you to have a plan in place on how to deal with it. You may be able to handle a couple of those by yourself but, hundreds or thousands? Then what? People move like cattle, one leads and the others follow. Your neighbors will be busy with their own issues or helping the town. You may be on your own for the most part.

Then there is just plain logistics. One BOV and BO plan is not enough.

We have several contingency plans, one of which is staying put and another is for alternate means of transport. We have pre-1990 vehicles in the event of an EMP. More modern vehicles all 4 wd capable. Trailers with high clearances. Atv’s, UTV’s and horses which are specially trained for extreme trail riding (and so are the riders). We also have one person who can fly a plane and another who can fly a helicopter if the opportunity presented itself....we would need to steal one, but, who knows what would be the situation?

We have a canoe, kayaks, paddle boards, bikes (motorized and non) and of course all of us stay in good enough physical shape that, if need be, we could hoof it for days with a good pack and broken in appropriate footwear. Not saying this to toot our horn, we have been working our way up to this for decades, just giving others an idea of what to look for at garage sales and auctions when you have a dime to drop.

In short, all of the preps and plans made to BO, are useless if you do not get there!

 

[user 7704]

Just finished watching the remake of Red Dawn. More holes than swiss cheese. Not a good example of a resistance group. the original Red Dawn was much better.

Love the original

 

[MaterielGeneral]

I watched this movie yesterday. For a vintage film it was pretty good thanks for posting.

 

[tmttactical]

Finished watching "The Road" again. I watched it from the view of a prepper, what to do and what NOT to do. This is not an action film, it is very depressing and no warm spots to uplift the viewers spirits BUT there is a lot of very realistic situation exposed to the viewer. Setting a minimum of 5 years after an apocalypse event. Scene example: Father and young son (about 5 yrs, old) sneak into what appears to be an abandoned house, upon entering they see a huge pile of different sized shoes (many, many dozens) in one room. Should this be a red flag? Comments please.

 

[Jim Costa]

I have not seen the movie.

I assume they are used shoes, so it is not inventory from a closed shoe store.
My guess it is salvaged shoes to be bartered in some manner.

But if I just broke into an abandoned house the shoes would not mean anything to me that should be a red flag.

 

[MaterielGeneral]

They either have a shoe fetish or are cannibals.

 

[tmttactical]

They either have a shoe fetish or are cannibals.

You are correct on one point. Should be interesting what others perceive.

 

[MaterielGeneral]

I think it is the shoe fetish.

 

[rainingcatzanddogs]

You are correct on one point. Should be interesting what others perceive.

I have both read the book and seen the movie so I won't give it away. Many things could be for trade. Shoes, like the one guy in the movie that beats up the main character and steals his, would have value so I could see someone collecting them as well as things like winter clothing...so no a pile of shoes would be creepy (Think old pics of concentration camps) and put me on alert but, not necessarily be something that would say, get out ASAP. IT does however, signal that the house is probably NOT abandoned, and that is definitely a reason for proceeding with caution!

BTW, buildings that have not had a human presence in them for a long time, smell different than ones that have...not just dirt and dust, humans have a particular smell. Employ all your senses.

 

[DrHenley]

It's a reference to Auschwitz

Or possibly Dachau

 

[rainingcatzanddogs]

Auschwitz

Exactly!

 

[tmttactical]

Judgement --- another situation.. Father leaves young son to watch their camp as he goes to investigate a nearby ship wreck. Upon the father's return, he discovers somebody has stolen all their equipment and supplies but his son has not been harmed. The father and son set off to recover their stuff. They catch up to the thief and due to the father being armed with a pistol, and the thief only has a knife, they are able to control the encounter and meet out justice / retribution. The question before us is what would be your response / course of action?

 

[MaterielGeneral]

Take all of his supplies and make him strip naked and take his clothes.

 

[Amish Heart]

I don't understand why they walked away from that bunker full of food

 

[tmttactical]

I don't understand why they walked away from that bunker full of food

Fear, the father heard a dog and became frightened that people might be with the dog and would discover them.

 

[tmttactical]

Take all of his supplies and make him strip naked and take his clothes.

Was this the best course of action or would you have done something different?