Skip to content
HOLLYWOOD METRICS
HomeAboutCraftNewsAnalyticsScriptsBooksPricingAPIMCP
Catalog/Drama/The Day After
The Day After poster
A
Excellent
MASTER SCORE 80.5 / 100
1983·Drama / Sci-Fi / Science Fiction·2h 7m

THE DAY AFTER

“They told us it would be impossible to make this movie. They told us it would be impossible for you to watch it. We hope nothing is impossible.”

In the mid-1980s, the U.S. is poised on the brink of nuclear war. This shadow looms over the residents of a small town in Kansas as they continue their daily lives. Dr. Russell Oakes maintains his busy schedule at the hospital, Denise Dahlberg prepares for her upcoming wedding, and Stephen Klein is deep in his graduate studies. When the unthinkable happens and the bombs come down, the town's residents are thrust into the horrors of nuclear winter.

Above the Line
Nicholas Meyer·DirectorEdward Hume·WriterGayne Rescher·Director of PhotographyDavid Raksin·Original Music ComposerRobert Florio·Editor
Cast
Jason Robards·Dr. Russell OakesJoBeth Williams·Nurse Nancy BauerSteve Guttenberg·Stephen KleinJohn Cullum·Jim DahlbergJohn Lithgow·Joe HuxleyBibi Besch·Eve DahlbergLori Lethin·Denise DahlbergAmy Madigan·Alison RansomJeff East·Bruce GallatinGeorgann Johnson·Helen Oakes
Full Crew
(8 credits)
Directing· 1
Nicholas Meyer·Director
Writing· 1
Edward Hume·Writer
Camera· 1
Gayne Rescher·Director of Photography
Editing· 3
Robert Florio·EditorPaul Dixon·EditorWilliam Paul Dornisch·Editor
Sound & Music· 1
David Raksin·Original Music Composer
Production· 1
Robert Papazian·Producer
By the Numbers
80.5
OF 100
Master Score
7.0
OF 10
IMDb
—
CRITICS
Rotten Tomatoes
—
Worldwide Gross
0
Oscar Wins
Where to Watch

THE AVAILABILITY MAP

The canonical record of where this film lives across the streaming map.

Provider Index In Progress

Streaming, rental, and purchase availability for this title is being ingested from the TMDB watch-providers feed and will appear here once the next catalog refresh runs. Until then, the canonical source links below remain the fastest route.

Find on TMDB
Poster DNA

THE VISUAL DECONSTRUCTION

A bespoke vision agent's reading of the design language behind The Day After's key art.

Dominant Palette
3 colors
#0066CC
#FFFFFF
#666600
Mood
Ominous, Watchful
Composition
Diagonal
Era
1980s
Visual Style
Photographic

“A woman in a white dress with black polka dots stands in a grassy field, looking up towards the right with her hand shading her eyes. Behind her is a two-story ”

sci-fidrama
Key Elements
WomanHouseMissilesContrailsTree
Atmosphere
Bright
Color Mood
Mixed
Setting
Rural
Design Score
8/10
More Like This

THE NEIGHBORHOOD

Neighboring films in the catalog's similarity graph.

Keep Going

THREE WAYS DEEPER

Auteur
AUT
MORE BY NICHOLAS MEYER

Every catalog entry where Nicholas Meyer is credited as director.

Open
Family
GEN
MORE DRAMA

Top-ranked films inside drama, sorted by master score.

Open
Era
DEC
MORE FROM THE 1980S

The best films of the 1980s, ranked across every available metric.

Open
View on IMDbView on TMDBCatalog
HOLLYWOOD METRICS

The definitive mathematical oracle for cinematic success and creative script intelligence.

74,000+ Films100 Years1.1M+ Reviews
PRODUCT
  • Dashboard
  • Pricing
  • Script Analysis
  • Watch the Demo
  • The Red List
  • News
  • Analytics
  • API
  • MCP Connector
COMPANY
  • About
  • Track Record
  • Trust & Script Privacy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
CONNECT
  • ▶YouTube
  • ◉Instagram
  • ♪TikTok
  • @Threads
  • fFacebook
Get Started Free →
© 2026 Hollywood Metrics. All rights reserved.Powered by bespoke agents and autonomous agentic workflows