The Night The World Exploded

The Night The World Exploded is one of the earliest disaster movies. The film was produced by Sam Katzman and directed by Fred Sears and stars Kathryn Grant and William Leslie in the lead roles. The world is being threatened by increasingly violent earthquakes and the two lead scientists have to find a solution before catastrophe occurs.

The film is a fairly typical 1950’s B movie and viewers feel that anyone who is not already a fan will not be impressed with it. Many genre features can be found such as the monotone narrator the use of stock footage and the burgeoning relationship between the hero and heroine. The age of the film is shown particularly in the gender roles, the man saves the day and the woman is a whimpering wreck.

However, the plot is sound and the acting is good for such a low budget film. There is also a subtle undercurrent of the Cold War which would have been picked up by audiences at the time.

A scientist has invented a machine to predict earthquakes and it is showing that there appears to be a growing epidemic of tremors coming, that if not checked will destroy the Erath. The leading protagonists discover a new element underground that is unstable when dry and this is causing the earthquakes. Can they find a solution in time?

Film Release 1957

Certificate 12

Available on DVD