Plot

Ray Milland both starred in and directed the morose, minimalist sci-fier Panic in the Year Zero! (original title: Panic in Year Zero!). En route from Los Angeles to a vacation in the mountains, Harry Baldwin (Milland), his wife, Ann (Jean Hagen), and his teen-aged children, Rick (Frankie Avalon) and Karen (Mary Mitchell), are appalled to see a mushroom cloud forming over the L.A. skyline. With the highways clogged by panicking motorists, Milland and his family decide to head to the shelter of their fishing spot, there to wait until more news about the nuclear disaster is available. Everywhere they drive, however, the family is confronted by rampaging looters, heavily armed survivalists, and doped-up motorcycle punks. Attempting to remain calm and collected in the face of Armageddon, Milland ends up as violent and animalistic as everyone else. Though it avoids proselytizing for the most part, Panic in the Year Zero! does fall back on the old reliable "The Beginning" fadeout title. The most powerful aspect of the film is the "normalcy" of Milland's family: we are made to feel throughout that what happens to them could very well happen to us, and how then would we react? ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Review

What might at first appear to be another B-movie from American International Pictures is actually one of their finest efforts. In fact, Panic in Year Zero is surprisingly thoughtful and perceptive for a low-budget effort aimed at the drive-ins. The low budget actually helps here because it forces the film to keep things on a human scale and to explore the psychological and societal ramifications of a nuclear war. The resulting focus on drama makes Panic in Year Zero a film that remains surprisingly potent. It is also directed with confidence and style by star Ray Milland: his use of stark black-and-white photography enhances the film's mood and he gets strong performances across the board, especially from Jean Hagen as the wife who doubles as a conscience to Milland. Most importantly, Milland delivers a fine performance as Harry Baldwin, creating an edgy character who has noble ideals but is capable of doing brutal things to protect those ideals. There are a few missteps, namely a jazzy score by Les Baxter that sometimes incongruous with the onscreen action, but Panic in Year Zero remains effective overall and is highly recommended to anyone interested in checking out the best film from the American International Pictures library. ~ Donald Guarisco, Rovi

Cast

• Ray Milland - Harry Baldwin
• Jean Hagen - Ann Baldwin
• Frankie Avalon - Rick Baldwin
• Mary Mitchell - Karen Baldwin
• Joan Freeman - Marilyn Hayes

Richard Garland - Mr. Johnson; Richard Bakalyan - Carl; Rex Holman - Mickey; Neil Nephew - Andy; Willis B. Bouchey - Dr. Strong; O.Z. Whitehead - Hogan; Byron Morrow - Haenel; Shary Marshall - Mrs. Johnson; Russ Bender - Harkness; Hugh Sanders - Becker; Scott Peters

Credit

Daniel Haller - Art Director, Marjorie D. Corso - Costume Designer, Ray Milland - Director, William Austin - Editor, Anthony Carras - Editor, Les Baxter - Composer (Music Score), Ted Coodley - Makeup, Gilbert Warrenton - Cinematographer, Lou Rusoff - Producer, Arnold Houghland - Producer, Daniel Haller - Set Designer, Pat Dinga - Special Effects, Larry Butler - Special Effects, Jay Simms - Screenwriter, John Morton - Screenwriter

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