Guest Post: Eco-Horror Films - What Are The Consequences of Energy Consumption, Pollution, and Radiation?

Happy 1st of December!

I would all like you to give another warm welcome to my guest here at CRR's! 

Maria is a writer interested in comic books, cycling, and horror films. Her hobbies include cooking, doodling, and finding local shops around the city. She currently lives in Chicago with her two pet turtles, Franklin and Roy. You can follow her on Twitter @MariaRamos1889.

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Eco-Horror Films: What Are The Consequences of Energy Consumption, Pollution, and Radiation?

There’s nothing more terrifying than a force we cannot physically fight or a threat that we have unleashed upon ourselves. Eco-horror movies tap into the very real fear of mankind destroying themselves when we abuse and destroy the environment for personal gain. About 82 percent of global warming emissions come from energy consumption, like cars and electricity, according to Alberta Energy. If we continue down this destructive path there’s no telling when exactly Mother Nature will decide to fight back with the fiery vengeance of these movies.

Godzilla (1954)

Godzilla stars Akira Takarada (Hideto Ogata) and Momoko Kochi (Emiko Yamane) along with a few other actors who have played a part in the franchise since its birth. It tells the story of a massive dinosaur-like creature who has awoken due to excessive hydrogen bomb testing. Godzilla goes on a rampage upon her awakening and it’s up to Emiko and Hideto to figure out a way to stop her, but how do you stop a beast that has become immune to radiation and explosives?

C.H.U.D. (1984)

Police Captain Bosch (Christopher Curry) must team up with Shepard (Daniel Stern), a local volunteer who works with the homeless, and Cooper (John Heard) to uncover the truth about what’s really going on in the sewers and how to stop it. The NRC has been secretly transporting toxic waste beneath Manhattan, in the sewers, even though they were strictly advised not to. Unfortunately, as a result of storing the toxic waste, the homeless population who live in the sewers began to mutate into cannibalistic humanoids pulling people down into the sewers to devour them.

The Bay (2012)

Donna Thompson, a young news reporter (played by Kether Donohue), recalls the tragic events that broke out in a small town in Maryland. The Chesapeake Bay has been receiving factory runoff for years - a problem no one really took too seriously until the day of an annual seafood festival when parasites from the runoff infects the town’s water supply. During the festival, panic and confusion ensues as people are being devoured by mutated fish and become violently sick and deformed by the water itself. This film is sure to make you think twice about indulging in seafood.

Children of Men (2006)

In Children of Men, constant pollution has caused a flu pandemic that killed many and destroyed humanity’s ability to reproduce. Clive Owen plays Theo, a man who must escort the only pregnant woman in the world, Kee (Clare-Hope Ashitey) to the safety of a scientific group determined to solve man’s self-inflicted infertility. Along the way they must evade many who wish to stop them with any means necessary, even if it means mankind becomes extinct as a result.

The Day after Tomorrow (2004)

This movie is the worst case scenario for the effects of global warming and the best depiction of just how Mother Nature’s wrath can annihilate humanity. Dennis Quaid plays a climatologist intent on warning the president of the impending intense shift in climate change. His son, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, is trapped with his friends in New York when flood waters rise and super storms begin to pound the continent forcing the world into the next ice age.

Conclusion

Perhaps some of these situations seem implausible but they’re still worth contemplating. If we aren’t quick to change our ways or work on better sources of fuel, some fear we may be destined for these types of devastating outcomes. Though who’s to say, maybe we need a Godzilla or an ice age to initiate a new renaissance and make us appreciate the beautiful destructive resilience of our planet Earth.