In the Dark of the Valley

The 2021 documentary "In the Dark of the Valley" shines a haunting light on one of America's darkest secrets: the devastating nuclear meltdown at the Santa Susana Field Lab in 1959. This catastrophic event, which released a toxic radiation cloud over Los Angeles, was concealed from the public for two decades and has left an enduring legacy of contamination that still lingers today. The film exposes years of reckless disregard for safety protocols, including open-air burn pits that spread radioactive waste across the valley, cementing Santa Susana Field Lab as one of the most contaminated sites in the world.