DEFCON-4

Where to watch DEFCON-4 (US)

Checked 19 Oct 2026 · Streaming availability information provided by Streaming Availability API by Movie of the Night

Three astronauts watch the world end

The best trick it ever pulled was its poster: a chrome-skulled warrior looming out of the dark, promising two hours of carnage. What you actually get is a bleak little Canadian film about three astronauts who watch nuclear war break out from orbit, then crash down into the ruins it leaves behind. The chrome warrior never turns up.

Pure bait and switch, pure 2 a.m. viewing

Instead it is teenage gang lords, cannibals on the beach and a real nasty streak, shot on the cold coast of Nova Scotia. If you grew up in the 80s, you either got fooled by that box art or stumbled onto it on late-night cable while your parents were asleep. At two in the morning, it felt exactly like the end of the world.

Cast and crew

Director: Digby Cook, Paul Donovan, Tony Randel

Cast: Lenore Zann, Maury Chaykin, Kate Lynch