Bought this because I remember seeing it as a kid - it came out shortly after the British version "Threads" which obviously struck more of a chord than this one did, with its portrayal of more widespread destruction than the american audience found palatable I suspect.
"The Day after" however, started like a cheap TV movie the kind you might watch on a cable channel on a saturday afternoon. The soundtrack seemed off key and raucous to the point it didn't seem to matnch the subject material at all. Nonetheless, as it went on it began to inspire the sense of dread it was designed to until I found myself drawn in to the awful prospect these two dimensional characters were facing.
Maybe not scientifically accurate but to this day it still sends a shiver down my spine. A must for cold war enthusiasts!