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Thoughtfully considered, well-acted made-for-TV drama stars Peter Graves as a family man on an excavation excursion with his kids in the California mountains who survives a radioactive blast followed by an earthquake; slowly, the family comes to realize the astronomical proportions of the accident when they get back to town and find desolate streets. Writers Lewis John Carlino and Sandor Stern do not trivialize the situation with soap opera; the budget may be slim, but the emotional experiences on hand for Graves and his children (and two others they pick up along the way) are harrowing. Cinematographer Michael D. Margulies does terrific work behind the camera, and the direction is solid except for some stiffness at the beginning and a voice-over narration that was unnecessary. Television movies really came into their own in the 1970s, providing capable TV actors with meatier roles than what was otherwise available to them in the form of popular weekly shows. This is certainly the case with Peter Graves, who retains his laconic, low-key persona but who also excels with some hard-hitting scenes (such as a moment of private grief up in his bedroom); Verna Bloom is also terrific as a mother who has seen her entire family decimated, and young Kathleen Quinlan is outstanding as Graves' warm, maternal daughter (this is a very underrated actress giving an early performance worthy of high praise). Worthwhile, unpretentious fare, a precursor to "Damnation Alley", "The Day After", and many others.

Four people have gone camping and while three members of a family are inside a cave looking around, a bright light appears outside followed by an earthquake. The other person, "Jim Clancy" (Noble Willingham) just happened to be outside when it happened and not long afterward he gets sick and dies. Totally on their own, the father, "Steven Anders" (Peter Graves) decides to take his teenage son, "David" (George O'Hanlan Jr.) and his daughter, "Deborah" (Kathleen Quinlan) back to Malibu in search of their mother who left the campsite earlier in the day headed for home. On the way back they find that what happened to them wasn't an isolated incident as entire towns are totally deserted and empty. Everybody is gone. Anyway, rather than answer the question of "what happened to everybody" I will leave it to the viewer to see for themselves. I will say however, that even after watching the film in its entirety I still thought there were one or two unanswered questions. Additionally, one particular drawback was the fact that it was narrated in the past tense by one of the family members, which took some of the mystery out of it in my opinion. But even so the film managed to maintain suspense for the most part. I especially liked Peter Graves' calm and collected demeanor throughout the movie as it added a solid character to the film. In short, for a low-budget made-for-television movie this one wasn't too bad and I give it an average rating.

I remember seeing this movie on TV when I was about 7 or 8 years old. This is a movie that will stick with you for life! I wish that I could find it on VHS somewhere. TV movies were something special back then. Maybe it was just my age but movies like Where Have All the People Gone, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, Omega Man, Crowhaven Farm, Gargoyles, Bad Ronald and Trilogy of Terror stick out in my mind as the coolest movies ever made!

Judging by the other user comments I'm not the only one who saw this movie only once and still can't forget it. I was probably about five when I saw this and I can still vividly recall scenes from the movie. (It seems like a lot of us who have commented on this movie saw it at an impressionable age; I wonder if that's why it has stayed with us all for so long?)

I would love to find this thing on tape or catch it on television some night. Bring back some of those wonderful willies that so easily came in the 70's thanks to movies like Chill Factor, Trilogy of Terror, Gargoyles and countless others.

I will never forget this movie. I was home by myself and decided to watch this movie on TV. When Peter Graves was siphoning (sp?) gas from a car and there in the car window was a woman who actually had still had a face. It then went to commercial. I was so TERRIFIED I turned off the TV and I think I hid under the covers till my parents came home! The next day I was dying to know what happened, but none of my classmates had seen the movie! For years I always wondered about the end of the movie, and could never leave in the middle of any other movies (even awful ones) without seeing the ending. About 15 years ago I was telling my Aunt the story as a way of explaining why I always stay till the end of movies, and low and behold that night I was reading the TV Guide and the movie was playing on some offbeat channel at 2AM! I taped it and watched it during the daylight, I was in my 20's by then and still was scared, but at least I saw it! I think now that I am in my 40's and married, I am going to track down a copy and see what my husband (who likes scary movies) thinks! However our 10 year old son will NOT watch it!!!!

I remember seeing this made for TV movie back in the seventies. It stayed with me very intensely although I couldn't recall its name. I had asked a lot of people about it and everyone said "Prophecy" Not even close by the years separating them. Peter Graves was great as the father of the family. He had earned a solid place in my psyche for it. I remember the the kids as being very independent going into the woods, but after the tragedy, they came to rely more on Graves' decisions and intuition in a situation gone awry. The 70's were great for films like this, heavily pessimistic. Even though the film ends on a good note, there still is the fact that they are pretty much the only ones alive.

A father, son & daughter (Peter Graves, George O'Hanlon Jr. And Kathleen Quinlan) are camping out in the high country of SoCal when something strange happens in the sky and they are forced to walk down to the nearest town to find out what happened. Yet the village is eerily silent and all the people are... gone. Verna Bloom plays a traumatized woman they find alive.

While debuting on television, "Where Have All the People Gone?" (1974) succeeds in making the viewer feel as if it's an end of the world scenario. It's thoroughly mundane, but dramatic and realistic. Don't expect aliens or zombies to appear (rolling my eyes).

Future movies that cover similar terrain with a bigger budget include "Carriers" (2009), "The Road" (2009), "Vanishing on 7th Street" (2010) and "Monsters" (2010). It's not as thrilling as "Carriers" or as good as "Monsters," but I prefer it to the listless and overrated "The Road." (I've never seen "Vanishing on 7th Street," so I can't compare it). "Monsters," as the title suggests, throws in post-apocalyptic monsters, but not until the last act.

Naturally these kinds of downbeat flicks address grim questions like: Do you forsake all sense of morality in an attempt to survive - lie, steal, forsake and murder - or do you hold on to your moral compass, come what may? Is life worth living if you must become an immoral, wicked savage to survive? Isn't it better to live with dignity at all costs - fight with nobility and die with dignity when and if you must?

Human carcasses reduced to white elements was done previously in the original Star Trek episode "The Omega Glory" while the desolate post-apocalyptic scenario recalls "Miri."

The movie runs 1 hour, 14 minutes, and was shot in the greater Los Angeles area as follows: Lake of the Woods (town of Rainbow), which is about an hour's drive northwest of Hollywood; Agoura (grocery store), which is ten miles north of Malibu in the high country; Malibu Canyon Road in the Santa Monica Mountains; and Malibu (the house by the shore and beach scene).

GRADE: B-

If you decide to watch this movie you need to keep all of that in mind. This is not going to rock your socks off with special effects, big budget sets, fast action or even good resolution. It's most certainly NOT my favorite apocalyptic movie.

However, the story is good, as is the acting. So if you can overlook the age of this movie, it's low budget and production value, and the era in which it was made, you might enjoy this one. It can be watched for free on YouTube,

I think the emotional reaction of the actors to their situation seemed authentic, which is why I gave it a 5. This is really what this movie is about. How people would react to finding themselves in the movies extraordinary situation.

I think the movie On the Beach (1959) did a better job, but this movie has a similar theme. Hard science fiction fans won't enjoy it, nor will people who need a lot of intense action.

If however, you like apocalyptic movies this is one you probably haven't seen. The runtime is around 1 hour and 14 minutes, so the ride isn't that long.

Yes, I'm referencing a Star Trek episode where the entire crew of the Enterprise's sister ship gets turned into crystals! (A similar even, from a comet happens in Night of the Comet). The science is sketchy (a dominant gene would save the survivors, not a recessive), there are no mutants, but there is trouble - other survivors, feral dogs and a moronic daughter who simply won't listen. Well done, I remember watching this first run on NBC. A decent little SF thriller.

And it was an effective TV movie, because I remember it 36 years later. I wonder if it's available on DVD somewhere. I wonder if it would stand up. What worked was the creepiness of a killer sun, especially to a small child. Also what worked was the idea of finding bodies lying around, though I won't spoil what the condition of the bodies were. Also, while I can't remember the acting, exactly, I see the quality of the lead female and the solidness on TV of Peter Graves. I don't know why this movie stuck with me, but I think 80% of it is the fact that I was 5 years old and the title sounds like a line from the child rhyme, "Here's the church and here's the steeple...."

I have been looking for the title of this movie for nearly 30 years! I saw it as a nine year old back when it first aired. I remember being creeped out to no end. In my teen years I got into scifi and somewhere in my head I always remembered watching this movie - perhaps one of the best apocalyptic films ever made, even if it was for TV. I couldn't remember the name, and no one I asked seemed to recall it - so went high school, college, even grad school... no one could help me find the title. Then, the Internet, a late night search on Google, and thanks to TV Tome and IMDb, I have the title. Now to get a copy! People have commented that it reminds them of the Trek episode... nah, this film is far more effective. It reminds me of The Quiet Earth, but the scenes where the clothes are found is eerie and outstretches TQE, imho.

Thank you all! My 30 year quest is over! Yippee!!!!!

Made-for-TV apocalyptic film following a family that while vacationing in the California mountains their friend that is with them suddenly gets ill, dies, and turns to powder. The remainder of the film follows their struggle to get back home to Malibu where Jay W. MacIntosh, in the role of the mother/wife, has returned. Along the way father Peter Graves queries son Michael James-Wixted, a physics student, to try to determine what has exterminated most of the population and why they haven't been affected. Nothing too out-of the-ordinary happens in this. Kathleen Quinlan in the role of the daughter does some occasional narration which doesn't add much. One interesting aspect is that dogs have become particularly menacing. There is an obvious Biblical theme to this movie that never gets explored and might have made this a bit more interesting. Despite being cliché it's pretty well done for a made-for-TV.

Fondly remembered by all who saw it back in the 70's, this end-of-the-world flick packs a punch. I caught the last forty minutes about a year ago on an independent channel--which temporarily replaced another station that was being primed for a Spanish-language channel takeover. Could this made-for-tv movie have been inspired by the Star Trek episode titled "The Omega Glory"? There are striking similarities: most notably the state of the doomed crews' bodies. In the movie, however, the disease is caused by solar flares. You don't need elaborate and costly effects to convey the desperation and fear in the survivors' milieu. The situation itself is enough. Peter Graves sheds his B-movie threads and delivers a heroic performance as the father who leads by example and care, never loosing sight of their goal to hook up with their loved ones. The director, John Llewellyn Moxey, has deservedly earned his cult status. His television resume is impressive: The Night Stalker, The Last Child, Genesis II, Home for the Holidays, as well as the pilots for Kung Fu and Charlie's Angels.

Palentologist Steve Anders is with his son and daughter in a cave in California when they feel earth tremors . Fearing an earthquake they run to the surface find their guide ill and the radios unable to work . Their worries escalate as they speculate a catastrophe may have hit planet Earth

I saw this many years ago and despite being an American TVM made on a very limited budget it did stick in my mind and judging from the comments on this page it did make a big impression on everyone who saw it . Okay granted it doesn't push back the boundaries of the post apocalyptic genre but does what it does very well and it's nice for a change tro watch this type of story in 2013 without zombies making an appearance along the line somewhere

Veteran TVM director John Llewellen Moxey manages to build up an air of suspense and mystery and it's a TVM that has ambitions to be cinematic and the scene where the Anders wander through a deserted town does have an eerie atmosphere little seen in American post apocalyptic fiction of this type . Moxey also makes impressive use of ironic sound effects as the Anders travel through a deserted city and past an empty school

If there's a major problem to WHERE HAVE ALL THE PEOPLE GONE ? it's the unsatisfying ending . You can the TV network having one eye on a continuing series and worried that if this TVM is self contained then that won't happen therefore we get an ending that doesn't work as being either open ended or conclusive which is a bit of a shame and ends on an unsatisfactorily flat note

This is also one of the first movies I can recall seeing (with the exception of The Wizard of Oz and What's Up Doc). I'm not sure why, and I don't completely recall the movie, but it had quite an impression on me.

This is one of those movies I'd like to see again, just for nostalgia's sake. Although I might find I'm disappointed in the quality of the actual film and story. Maybe I should let sleeping memories lie, but I would watch this again if it were available.

Low budget TV movie that manages to engage because of good writing and solid acting. A solar flare knocks out all electric power, an earthquake releases something that kills at least 99% of humankind. The movie follows a few survivors who travel back to their home. It takes them a while to realise what's happened. The ending is very Hollywood, as is the psychology, with far too easy healing from the grief and shock, and implausibly minor physical effects on infrastructure. Still, worth watching as an early attempt to imagine a world-transforming catastrophe. **

I was 11 years old when I saw "Where Have All The People Gone?" and it really left an impression on me. Other reviewers of this film here on IMDb seem to be sharing the same feeling; we were young and were privileged to see films like this one on TV at a time when they were just a bit more edgy. It's comforting to know there are others out there my age who seemed to appreciate these more cerebral films at such a young age! Other examples that have stayed with me were 1974's "Dying Room Only" with Cloris Leachman, and 1970's "The Neon Ceiling." These were very serious and even frightening scenarios, and even schlock films like 1973's "Horror At 37,000 Feet" and 1974's "Killdozer" were edgy, truly unique, and highly entertaining.

The idea of everyone in the world turning into dust from a bizarre solar flare type incident except a handful of survivors here and there really scared me. Like "Last Man On Earth," and "The Omega Man" before it and even "Night Of The Comet" and "The Quiet Earth" much later, it's a theme that will intrigue and never let go.

Peter Graves was a great choice for this film, and it was nice seeing Kathleen Quinlan too. You could just feel their dread as they went through a city and saw nothing but clothes on the ground where people used to be (particularly seeing a playground with children's clothes scattered about), and having to deal with dogs that seemed to be unaffected by the phenomenon, all running wild in the streets and quite vicious.

They just don't make 'em like this anymore. They can try, and with state of the art digital effects to boot, but it just seems you can't beat these early 1970's TV films that relied more on dramatic content, creativity, and substance rather than flashy effects. It seems many of us are all hoping to find "Where Have All The People Gone?" on home video and it would be a smart idea for whoever controls the rights for it to consider releasing it! It's a piece of nostalgia that still holds up today and just takes me back to a time when I really looked forward to something on TV.

Aside "Where Have All the People Gone?" has a cult status for some, the producers and writers Lewis John Carlino and Sandor Stern allowed a weak explanation over a sudden solar flare that reach the earth atmosphere decimating a large amount of living people in small white powder in a matter of hours only, some survivors aftermaths discover that have something at DNA that somehow become impervious of this decay, well it's really is science fiction, therefore everything can be accept without any source database? Surely not whatsoever, all must pass the scrutiny of reasonableness above all.

Starting this premise the offer already falls apart, also the tight budge strengthen this odd concept, so remains to the audience swallow the phony mindset or going ahead anyhow, for less demanding it may works out, for me is far away to be regarded at least acceptable, the casting has the veteran actor Peter Graves, a fine Kathleen Quinlan, also Verna Bloom and Noble Willingham in a small role, the screenplay deserves respect, indeed, the final outcome is predicable, quite sure this small sci-fi notably seems be a strong nostalgic feeling for those like myself that watched it at release time on TV, won't be missed, maybe not came out officially on physical media.

Thanks for reading

Resume:

First watch: 1986 / How many: 3 / Source: TV-Youtube / Rating: 6.25.

The population in this movie is not decimated; more than 10% of the population is annihilated. This is an incorrect use of the word decimate (deci as in 10), which leads to confusion when reading about the movie. Whoever wrote this, hopefully not a writer because they should know the definition of words, did not know what they were doing. If you want to describe things properly, use the correct words that suit the job. Otherwise, you are trying to ruin a word with your ignorance because it is the only word that exists to describe a 10% reduction. Education is important and so many people ignorant lack it.