Extra Extra!The End Times, Onscreen

Alien invasions, viruses, zombies, meteors, natural or human-caused catastrophes. When the end is nigh in apocalyptic, dystopian, disaster or horror films and television shows, there is often a distinct moment that offers audiences a glimpse of what was known in those last days before civilization was forever changed: the front pages of newspapers. Sometimes the camera lingers on the page, allowing us to read headlines that telegraph the scramble to make sense of unprecedented events. Other times, blink and you’ll miss it. In some instances, these front pages are the last ones printed in the before-times; in others, humanity endures in the end, though it is certainly transformed. The pivotal disaster might have been long past. Or perhaps it’s only the beginning of the end. ‘Men in Black’ (1997) Alien threats endanger Earth. ‘12 monkeys’ (1996) A deadly virus takes over the world. ‘Shaun of the Dead’ (2004) A zombie outbreak ravages a British town, and beyond. Early in “Shaun of the Dead,” Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg’s zombie horror-comedy, we see Shaun (Pegg) on autopilot during his morning routine. At his corner shop, he quickly does a double-take at the spread of newspapers on the counter. “Mutilated Remains,” one headline reads. Others announce, “Mystery Virus Claims More Lives,” “GM Crops Blamed” and simply “Havoc.” Outside, emergency vehicles whiz by. The next morning, Shaun, hung-over and oblivious, finds an empty counter in the same shop. “Nelson,” he calls to the owner, “have you got any papers?” Newspaper have long been used as a device across all genres to quickly communicate information to the viewer, but in the end times, the information has a special weight — not only signaling how the precipitating events were covered by the news media, but also offering a glimpse of a future without trusted information, or any information at all. Survivors are usually left to cobble together scattershot transmissions and rely on leaps of faith. In the opening sequence of “Day of the Dead” — the third installment in George A. Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead” series, which takes place years after a zombie apocalypse has ravaged society — we see a town in shambles and a couple of survivors calling for others through a megaphone. Amid blowing trash and cash is a newspaper that flips open to a dramatic headline: “The Dead Walk!” A deeper look at the page reveals more, including “Whereabouts of President Unknown” and “C.I.A. at a Loss for Explanations.” Romero has described the movie as a “tragedy about how a lack of human communication causes chaos and collapse.” ‘Children of Men’ (2006) Global infertility threatens survival. ‘WALL-E’ (2008) The planet becomes a wasteland of garbage. ‘The Mummy’s Ghost’ (1944) An ancient curse puts lives at risk. ‘28 days later’ (2002) A “rage virus” devastates the population. Danny Boyle’s zombie horror film “28 Days Later” begins with Jim (Cillian Murphy) waking from a coma in a hospital bed. Alone, he realizes something terrible has happened while he was unconscious. Shuffling through a vacant London in hospital scrubs, he sifts through garbage and debris, collecting now-meaningless cash. Amid the detritus, a final issue of The London Evening Standard flutters. “EVACUATION!” the front-page headline reads. Below, a bulleted list gives him an idea of what transpired: “Mass exodus of British people causes global chaos”; “Military ordered ‘shoot to kill’”; “Chaos at all London airports,” “Food supplies run out as shops close.” In John Krasinski’s alien horror film “A Quiet Place,” which begins a few months after extraterrestrial creatures that hunt by sound have killed most people on Earth, a family is silently scavenging for medication in what once was a pharmacy. As they tiptoe out, a broken newspaper rack reveals the last New York Post headline: “It’s Sound!” Later, in the basement of the family’s home, where a makeshift communications hub has been set up, we see more news clippings about the invasion: “They Can Hear You: What You Need to Know to Survive” and “GET UNDERGROUND.” ‘A Quiet Place’ (2018) Sound-hunting space monsters decimate humankind. ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ (1986) A carnivorous plant puts humanity at risk. ‘Don’t Look Up’ (2021) A comet annihilates Earth. Newspapers survive in a tangible way, unlike the final broadcasts on television and radio, which are also frequent tropes in the genre. And in post-apocalyptic worlds where power grids are largely nonexistent, digital trails also vaporize. There will probably be no screenshots to communicate society’s unraveling. One film that does primarily rely on social media and online news for its headlines is “Don’t Look Up,” Adam McKay’s political satire about our era of digital distraction and misinformation as a planet-killing meteor hurtles toward Earth. Revelations of Earth’s demise get chewed up and spit out alongside everything else in the 24/7 news cycle. Among the few printed pages we see is a cover of Pro Sports World magazine with the headline: “The End Is Near: Will There Be a Super Bowl?” Not that long ago, most American households picked up a newspaper daily or had one delivered. In 1990, the average combined weekday circulation of newspapers in the United States was more than 63 million; by 2021, that number had dwindled to about 24 million. In 2005 there were roughly 9,000 newspapers, about 3,000 of which have since folded. So as fewer newspapers land on our neighbors’ doorsteps and as newsstands become obsolete, seeing front pages onscreen is almost as anachronistic as it is nostalgic — even if the news is that the undead are walking among us. Photos via United Film Distribution Company (“Day of the Dead”); Columbia Pictures (“Men in Black”); Universal Pictures (“12 Monkeys”); Rogue Pictures (“Shaun of the Dead”); Universal Pictures (“Children of Men”); Pixar/Disney (“WALL-E”); Universal Pictures (“The Mummy’s Ghost”); Fox Searchlight Pictures (“28 Days Later”); Paramount Pictures (“A Quiet Place”); Warner Bros. (“Little Shop of Horrors”); Netflix (“Don’t Look Up”); Paramount+ (“The Stand”) Maya Salam is an editor and reporter, focusing primarily on pop culture across genres. More about Maya Salam Explore More in TV and Movies Not sure what to watch next? 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