A father, a son, and a daughter—played by Peter Graves, George O’Hanlon Jr., and Kathleen Quinlan—are camping in the California mountains when something unusual occurs in the sky. They have to make their way down toward the closest town to figure out what's going on. But the village is unsettlingly quiet, and all of its residents are…gone. Verna Bloom portrays a woman who’s still alive but deeply traumatized. Though it initially aired on television, “Where Have All the People Gone?” (1974) manages to create a sense that you're witnessing an apocalyptic event. It's remarkably ordinary in its presentation, yet dramatic and believable. Don’t anticipate seeing aliens or zombies—it doesn’t go for that kind of thing (I really don't). Later films exploring similar themes but with larger budgets include “Carriers” (2009), “The Road” (2009), “Vanishing on 7th Street” (2010), and “Monsters” (2010). It isn’t quite as exciting as "Carriers" or as well-made as "Monsters," but I find it more appealing than the slow and overpraised “The Road.” I haven't had a chance to see “Vanishing on 7th Street,” so I can’t offer a comparison. "Monsters" introduces post-apocalyptic creatures, though not until near the end of the film. These kinds of somber movies naturally tackle difficult questions: Do you abandon your morals when trying to survive—lying, stealing, betraying and even killing—or do you stick to your principles no matter what? Is it worthwhile to live if survival means becoming an immoral, cruel person? Wouldn't it be better to maintain dignity at all costs – to fight honorably and die with grace when the time comes? The depiction of human remains reduced to white forms is reminiscent of the original Star Trek episode “The Omega Glory,” while the desolate setting calls to mind “Miri.” The film has a running time of 1 hour, 14 minutes, and was filmed in the Los Angeles area, including Lake of the Woods (the town of Rainbow), about an hour's drive northwest of Hollywood; Agoura (a grocery store), ten miles north of Malibu in the mountains; Malibu Canyon Road in the Santa Monica Mountains; and Malibu (the house by the shore and beach scene). GRADE: B-

Source on TMDB