Australian Apocalypse
Movie/Year: Mad Max, 1981
We're not sure what went down exactly, but something was suppose to have turned Australia into a dusty wasteland in 1981—well, more of a dusty wasteland—which would in turn make certain men named Max very irritable. Gasoline and other resources would also become really scarce, too, forcing many a barbie to go sadly shrimpless.




Big Brother
Movie/Year: 1984, 1984
Silly George Orwell. To his 1948 brain, by 1984 we'd all be under the rule of a totalitarian government that watches our every move, listens to our every conversation, and manipulates the media and history, twisting facts to suit its own narrow-minded ends. Ha! Everyone knows that didn't happen until 2000.




Invasion: USA
Movie/Year: Red Dawn, 1984
OK, so the whole Big Brother thing didn't pan out, but '84 was also suppose to be the year our shores were invaded by a combined force of Soviet and Latin American troops, according to Red Dawn. It was to be Patrick Swayze's finest hour, but alas, that honor would have to wait until 1989, the year he starred in both Roadhouse and Next of Kin. Dude was on fire!



The Big Lockup
Movie/Year: Escape From New York, 1988
Escape From New York warned that, right at the tail end of the 1980s, the crime rate in America would rise so high that Manhattan island would have to be turned into a giant maximum security penitentiary. Then, nine years later, the president of the United States would get his ass dumped in there by political activists, only to emerge victoriously 24 hours later to the strains of American Bandstand.



Alien Neighbors
Movie/Year: Alien Nation, 1991
According to Alien Nation, Los Angeles was suppose to have become Ellis Island 2.0 for homeless aliens right around the time grunge started becoming popular. Since the "Newcomers" were able to adapt to our society so easily, they became a godsend to Middle American's looking for yet another minority group to hate and fear. You know, just to break up the monotony.