A strange series of solar flares proves fatal for inhabitants of the Earth, except for the fortunate few who are somehow immune from the effects. Animals go insane and human beings turn to white powder, leaving behind only empty clothing. A handful of survivors attempt to rebuild their lives on the de-populated Earth.
**_When human (over)population is reduced naturally_**
A father, son & daughter (Peter Graves, George O'Hanlon Jr. and Kathleen Quinlan) are camping out in the high country of SoCal when something strange happens in the sky and they are forced to walk down to the nearest town to find out what happened. Yet the village is eerily silent and all the people are… gone. Verna Bloom plays a traumatized woman they find alive.
While debuting on television, “Where Have All the People Gone?” (1974) succeeds in making the viewer feel as if it’s an end of the world scenario. It’s thoroughly mundane, but dramatic and realistic. Don’t expect aliens or zombies to appear (rolling my eyes).
Future movies that cover similar terrain with a bigger budget include “Carriers” (2009), “The Road” (2009), “Vanishing on 7th Street” (2010) and “Monsters” (2010). It’s not as thrilling as “Carriers” or as good as “Monsters,” but I prefer it to the listless and overrated “The Road.” (I’ve never seen “Vanishing on 7th Street,” so I can’t compare it). “Monsters,” as the title suggests, throws in post-apocalyptic monsters, but not until the last act.
Naturally these kinds of downbeat flicks address grim questions like: Do you forsake all sense of morality in an attempt to survive – lie, steal, forsake and murder – or do you hold on to your moral compass, come what may? Is life worth living if you must become an immoral, wicked savage to survive? Isn't it better to live with dignity at all costs – fight with nobility and die with dignity when and if you must?
Human carcasses reduced to white elements was done previously in the original Star Trek episode “The Omega Glory” while the desolate post-apocalyptic scenario recalls “Miri.”
The movie runs 1 hour, 14 minutes, and was shot in the greater Los Angeles area as follows: Lake of the Woods (town of Rainbow), which is about an hour’s drive northwest of Hollywood; Agoura (grocery store), which is ten miles north of Malibu in the high country; Malibu Canyon Road in the Santa Monica Mountains; and Malibu (the house by the shore and beach scene).
GRADE: B-