The End. 50 Apocalyptic Visions from Pop Culture That You Should Know About...Before It's...

239 Pages·2013·6.49 MB·English

by  Laura Barcella

First published in 2012 by Zest Books
35 Stillman Street, Suite 121, San Francisco, CA 94107
www.zestbooks.net
Created and produced by Zest Books, San Francisco, CA
© 2012 by Zest Books LLC
Typeset in Sabon and Myriad Pro
Teen Nonfiction History Arts & Entertainment Library of Congress Control Number: 2011942758
ISBN: 978-0-98273225-0

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means—
graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval
systems—without the written permission of the publisher.

CREDITS
BOOK EDITORS: Dan Harmon and Karen Macklin CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Hallie Warshaw ART
DIRECTOR/COVER DESIGN: Tanya Napier GRAPHIC DESIGN: Tanya Napier MANAGING EDITOR/
PRODUCTION EDITOR: Pam McElroy RESEARCH EDITOR: Nikki Roddy INTERN: Alice Dalrymple
TEEN ADVISORS: Amelia Alvarez, Ema Barnes, Anna Livia Chen, Huitzi Herrera-Sobal, and Felicity
Massa
Manufactured in China
LEO 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
45XXXXXXXXX
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information presented is accurate. The publisher disclaims
any liability for injuries, losses, untoward results, or any other damages that may result from the use of the
information in this book.
INTRODUCTION
I've always liked apocalypse-themed books and movies—especially zombie
ones—and now, after putting in a zillion hours of writing and research on this
book, I'm proud to consider myself a bit of an expert on this odd little mini-
genre. One thing I'm sad to report is that there's an alarming lack of women in
the coming apocalypse—at least as Hollywood imagines it. I found a few strong
offerings by or about women, but I wished there were, well, more—especially
since women have as much to lose in the end times as men do. Something else I
learned? Considering the gloom and doom of the subject matter, some artists
have managed to create surprisingly hilarious takes on the apocalypse (see the
British “zomcom” Shaun of the Dead, page 122, and Stanley Kubric's now-
classic film Dr. Strangelove, page 59). And perhaps the most useful bit of
information I gleaned while writing this book (or not): If a human-sized plant
that resembles asparagus begins to walk toward you, run.
As I immersed myself in writing The End, I realized just how many interesting
ideas there are about the number of ways the world could end. It was
overwhelming at first, having to narrow the list down to just fifty! People have
been depicting the apocalypse through their art since, well, forever. And seeing
these movies, listening to these songs, and reading these books was eye-
opening, to say the least.
It was also a little scary! I found myself pondering “the end of days” way more
than I ever had before. One night, a friend and I were driving home after a
movie. It was after midnight on a Friday night and the usually bustling streets of
our San Francisco neighborhood were surprisingly empty. Then we noticed—
none of the stoplights or streetlights were working. The usually super-busy
Mission Street was eerily dark and quiet. My first thought? Something like this:
“We're done; it's finished; sayonara.” Something terrible must have happened
during those two hours we were in the movie theater and now … game over.
Fortunately, those fears passed quickly enough as we realized that certain
apartments had lights on inside. Apparently the power had gone out; it was
nothing more sinister than that. It made me realize, though, how deeply this
apocalypse stuff had invaded my subconscious.
And that's probably the reason why the end of the world strikes such a nerve
with artists. The idea of the apocalypse happening (and happening in our
lifetime) is so major, so unthinkably big, that most of us can't handle dwelling
on it—instead we just freak out, and spend the rest of the night watching
reassuring sitcom reruns as an antidote. But the creators of these fifty works
showed no fear; they tackled the apocalypse head-on, making it seem not only a
little more imaginable, but a little less paralyzing. And some of them depict
what might happen after an apocalypse—an idea that's both dour and hopeful.
No matter how you feel about the end of the world, I hope you enjoy reading
this celebration of other people's ideas. There's something in here for everyone,
and if you're a pop-culture junkie or an apocalypse buff, I don't think you'll be
disappointed. And be sure to tell me what you think!
Laura Barcella
www.LauraBarcella.com

CONTENTS
Introduction
1. 12 Monkeys (MOVIE)
2. 28 Days Later (MOVIE)
3. 99 Luftballons (SONG)
4. 2012 (MOVIE)
5. Angels in America (PLAY)
6. Battlestar Galactica (TV SERIES)
7. The Big Swallow (VISUAL ART)
8. Blindness (BOOK)
9. A Canticle for Leibowitz (BOOK)
10. Cat's Cradle (BOOK)
11. Children of Men (MOVIE)
12. The Colony (TV SERIES)
13. The Course of Empire: Destruction of Empire (VISUAL ART)
14. The Day After Tomorrow (MOVIE)
15. Day of the Triffids (TV SERIES)
16. Deep Impact (MOVIE)
17. Dog Act (PLAY)
18. Dr. Strangelove (MOVIE)
19. Earth Abides (BOOK)
20. Endgame (PLAY)
21. Eve of Destruction (SONG)
22. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (VISUAL ART)
23. Gimme Shelter (SONG)
24. I Am Legend (BOOK)
25. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (MOVIE)
26. It's the End of the World As We Know It (SONG)
27. Jeremiah (TV SERIES)
28. The Last Judgment (VISUAL ART)
29. The Last Man (BOOK)
30. Logan's Run (MOVIE)
31. The Machine Stops (SHORT STORY)
32. Mad Max 2 (MOVIE)
33. Marisol (PLAY)
34. Night of the Living Dead (MOVIE)
35. Oryx and Crake (BOOK)
36. The Road (BOOK)
37. The Scarlet Plague (BOOK)
38. The Seventh Sign (MOVIE)
39. Shaun of the Dead (MOVIE)
40. The Stand (TV MINISERIES)
41. Tank Girl (MOVIE)
42. V for Vendetta (COMIC BOOK SERIES)
43. WALL-E (MOVIE)
44. The War of the Worlds (RADIO BROADCAST)
45. Watchmen (COMIC BOOK SERIES)
46. Waterworld (MOVIE)
47. When Worlds Collide (MOVIE)
48. World War Z (BOOK)
49. Y: the Last Man (COMIC BOOK SERIES)
50. Z for Zachariah (BOOK)
Index