Damnation Alley

Damnation Alley is a 1977 post-apocalyptic film directed by Jack Smight, loosely based on the 1969 novel of the same name by Roger Zelazny. The original music score was composed by Jerry Goldsmith, and the cinematography was by Harry Stradling Jr. Poorly received with critics and audience, it has since achieved a cult following. Plot First Lieutenant Jake Tanner (Jan-Michael Vincent) shares ICBM silo duty at a US Air Force missile base in the Californian desert with senior officer Major Eugene "Sam" Denton (George Peppard). While signing in for their work shift in the underground base, Denton notifies Tanner he is requesting that command reassign him, since he feels Tanner is not a suitable team member for their two-man crew. While passing through base security checks, Denton and Tanner talk with Sergeant Tom Keegan (Paul Winfield). While Denton and Tanner are running procedure drills, the US detects incoming nuclear missiles from the Soviet Union. After confirmation that an actual attack is in-progress, Tanner and Denton launch part of the retaliatory strike. Although interceptor missiles destroy around 40% of the incoming Soviet missiles, the United States is hit hard, particularly major cities. Two years later, the Earth has been tilted off its axis by the nuclear detonations of World War III; radiation has mutated giant scorpions, the planet is wracked by massive storms, and the sky is in a perpetual aurora borealis-like state. Tanner has resigned his commission and has been scouting nearby Barstow, California, while Keegan (who has also left the Air Force), has been painting as an artist in one of the base's out-buildings where they have been relegated to. Mutated giant scorpions menace the area, requiring Tanner and Keegan to continually shoot the creatures with high-powered rifles. After returning from Barstow with provisions, Tanner gives an airman a stack of Playboy magazines he located. Later, the airman falls asleep in a bunk and drops a lit cigarette, starting a small fire, which causes an explosion. The explosions kill most of its inhabitants including the base commander, General Landers (Murray Hamilton). Keegan and Tanner are unscathed, as are Denton and Lieutenant Tom Perry (Kip Niven), who were outside, on their way to the bunker.