So here’s a new idea for a column I have called “That Was A Thing?” It’s basically where I cover incredibly weird pop culture blips that your average person may have either forgotten happened or didn’t know existed. So for the inaugural entry, on its 40th anniversary I’m looking at Special Bulletin, a television drama that actually won an Emmy but hardly gets mentioned when the scariest disaster films of its decade are mentioned.
The Cold War paranoia of the 1980s was major fuel for a number of nuclear disaster epics, and while Special Bulletin never becomes as graphic and unsettling in showing the horrors of mutually assured destruction as Threads or The Day After do, this 1983 made-for-NBC film has a disturbing matter-of-fact approach to its situation that will easily give you chills once you suspend your disbelief a little.
Even the way it starts catches the viewer off guard. Outside of a “what you are watching is not real” disclaimer, no credits or hint that this is a TV drama appear until the film’s end. Unlike the (also pretty solid) film Before The Looking Glass, which mixes its realistic reports with filmed dramatic segments in-between them, this movie keeps the newscast gimmick going from start to finish. If you didn’t immediately recognize Ed Flanders as anchorman John Woolley for the fictional RBS network, the presentation and how the title just blips on the screen interrupting a jazzy promotion for game shows and the soap opera “Morningside” will make you go “wait, what?” as it transitions to reports of gunfire breaking out in a Charleston harbor.
David Clemson is believably creepy as terrorist Bruce Lyman, the leader of a group of nuclear scientists in a boat who plan to detonate a small-scale bomb and destroy Charleston, SC unless the US government begins an immediate disarmament plan. It doesn’t take long for RBS to get limited information about the terror group and the buzz around the city evacuation plans, showing in the canon that they’re a pretty swift organization as far as getting quick scoops, to an almost TMZ-like degree.
The sheer insanity of what’s happening isn’t lost on some of RBS’s on-scene crew following the human interest stories, who comment on the sensationalism of our media and the viewer’s need for instant thrills all while they participate in said sensationalist reporting. You can imagine how one of the terrorists becoming frantic and trigger-happy certainly adds to RBS viewers’ morbid curiosity.
Writer/director Edward Zwick adds tons of little touches and nuances to this film that enhances its realism considerably, such as the actors sometimes talking over one another and filming it on videotape as opposed to film, giving it a more raw visual quality.Kathryn Walker’s performance as anchorwoman Susan Myles is a highlight, maintaining a strong air of professionalism as the terrorists’ deadlines are counting down, and her reserve cracking as the situation becomes more grim. Ditto Ed Flanders, trying not to look flustered as one of the gunman mocks his reputation on-air.
Allegedly some people in the Charleston area were so creeped out by Special Bulletin’s emphasis on hyper-realism (despite RBS not being listed in any TV Guides) that scared viewers made multiple calls to the city’s NBC affiliate NCIV, and also hundreds made calls in cities like LA, New York and Chicago. It was so bad that WCIV flashed the word “FICTION” on the screen during its airing.
When the “big moment” occurs, while it’s not quite as overwhelming as other films of its kind, the acting displayed during it is so too-notch that it really feels like what would actually happen if such a tragedy occurred. The reaction of reporter Megan Barclay (played by Roxanne Hart, for those who didn’t recognize her from Highlander) is off the charts, very believable as someone who’s soul has been just shattered by the inhumanity they’ve just witnessed. Even happening from a distance and with a limited special effect budget, it still packs a lethal punch. What’s more, it’s left unclear whether or not the events in Charleston will affect the attitudes of the world leaders in this story.
If you haven’t seen Special Bulletin, I’d suggest checking it out if you’re up for an unorthodox horror romp that knows when to take it’s time and when to explode (no pun intended) with bursts of action and energy. There’s a good reason why it’s picked up a small cult following among 80s thriller aficionados, and its still unique style is a major factor why. And if you’ve gotten a chance to watch it, let us know your opinions on it as usual on FAN’s social media hubs!