Here at Channel 37, our aesthetic is based on the 1950s and early 1960s style. As well as having very distinct visual and musical styles, this era was also undergirded by a most peculiar blend of euphoria and paranoia. At its essence, the American philosophy was something like this: there’s nothing we can’t do, but someone out there is determined to stop us from trying.
One of the results of this cultural schizophrenia was the iconic Civil Defense film “Duck and Cover,” which gave a generation of schoolchildren the confidence that they could ride out a nuclear holocaust by hiding under their school desks — the original “Nuke the Fridge.” (if you’ve never seen the ur-documentary of the genre, The Atomic Cafe, you must do so now. You will understand Channel 37 so much better.)
It was also the golden era of the alien invasion story, particularly flying saucers. This is the era that gave us Earth vs. the Flying Saucers among many other science-horror films along the same lines.
And now, thanks to the good folks at SciFiWood, we have just learned about a short film that manages to blend all of these themes together into a single, wonderfully-twisted Civil Defense film from a parallel alternative past. From the dangerous minds of Dastoli Digital, we present “Keep Watching the Skies!:”
Enjoy! If you dare!
I one time found a copy of “The Atomic Cafe” filed under “Black Humor” at a video store. I hate to think of reality as black humor.
I didn’t see a notice that any dogs were disintegrated in the filming of the video!
After posting this installment, I re-watched “The Atomic Cafe” yesterday. It was both fun and weird to revisit some of those unforgettable real-life characters. The one who still sends chills down my spine is that psycho-looking priest talking about how it’s morally OK to kill “the needy stranger” who shows up at your bomb shelter. (*shudder*)
When they said our government would be corrupted, I kinda started to wonder if the aliens hadn’t already landed.