15 Best survival movies to get your heart beat faster

Survival movies make up for one of the most interesting genres.

It is always interesting to watch how will the man survive on that secluded island or how that lady will save herself from deadly sharks. A lot of risks, tragedies and sometimes twists are involved which makes our experience even better.

So, this weekend which survival movie are you going to watch?

Let me recommend you with a list of 16 movies which you can watch. This list not only includes movies taking place in wilderness, but also includes movies occurring in empty buildings and secluded houses.

Also, I have tried to include different stories and different contexts (sci-fi, horror, drama, vampires, monsters etc)

Enjoy 🙂

1. Oxygen (2021)

Runtime: 1h 41m

The air we breathe makes up for an important element for us to live. What if there isn’t enough?

Oxygen focuses on this insecurity. It is about a lady who wakes up in a cryogenic chamber having no memory. A virtual assistant (in the chamber) is able to answer some of her questions, but those answers are not enough. She needs to find about herself, this cryogenic chamber and needs to get out of it, before oxygen runs out.

The movie mainly takes place inside the chamber and we only get to see the protagonist and the virtual assistant. As we proceed into the movie, there are subtle revelations which makes us shocked. This makes up for a good survival sci-fi mystery.

2. Trapped (2016)

Runtime: 1h 45m

Trapped is a bleak reminder about the consequences of losing your house keys.

Shaurya and his girlfriend plan to elope a day before her girlfriend’s arranged marriage. In a rush, Shaurya searches for an apartment for them and finds a new high raise building which is currently in some legal battles. While browsing the apartment, he accidently locks himself inside.

Not only the movie keeps you thrilled at all times, but it brings in comparisons between Shaurya’s past and present. It tells us maybe he was trapped for this entire life.

3. Everest (2015)

Runtime: 2h 1m

This highest peak in the world makes up for a lot of accidents. In a year, the Everest attracts hundreds of climbers and the fatality rate of climbing this mountain is 14.1%.

The movie is a biographical portrayal of the 1996 disaster that occurred in Mount Everest. And this disaster is said to be the third deadliest disaster after the 2014 avalanche and 2015 Nepal earth quake.

The movie is about how two different expedition groups face this disaster on the mountain.

4. What Keeps You Alive (2018)

Runtime: 1h 39m

In mystery thrillers there is a trope where a close relative turns out to be of a completely different personality of what they actually portray.

What Keeps you Alive is no different. It is about a couple Jackie and Jule’s who visit Jackie’s family-owned cabin. This cabin is on the shore of a gigantic lake covered all over by dense forest. While spending time, Jules starts to question Jackie, and starts observing some changes in her behaviour. Eventually, Jules needs to survive her girlfriend as well as the dense forest.

If you like survivals taking place in wilderness and secluded place along with some blood, do watch it.

5. 30 Days of Night (2007)

Runtime: 1h 53m

Survival and Vampires? Bring it on.

The movie takes place in a town in Alaska. As you might be aware in polar regions for months sun doesn’t rise. Thus, Vampires in this town take advantage and start targeting people. Soon, the protagonists must find a way to stay alive for the next 30 days.

30 days is a very long time period for survival, because usually survival movies are made for max 7-8 days. This movie gives a different light on how survival would happen for an extended period of time.

6. Stowaway (2020)

Runtime: 1h 56m

Finally, here’s a space movie.

Space is still a very foreign place to be in. A lot of technicalities are involved related to survival. Also, the food, water and oxygen are in a limited supply.

Stowaway is a story about how a group of researchers on their way to Mars find out that there is another person on board. An extra person means lesser food and lesser oxygen and lesser chances of survival.

Everyone has to make sacrifices in this movie which ends with a heavy and sad ending. Anna Kendrick was amazing in this!

7. Escape Room (2019)

Runtime: 1h 40m

By this point you might have heard, seen or even played Escape Room games in real life.

Escape Room is about a group of people who are locked in a room and asked to play the game. As it is a movie, the games turn deadly and a lot of characters die trying to find the key for the room.

8. The Maze Runner (2014)

Runtime: 1h 53m

Maze Runner is a wildly popular dystopian book series which has also been adapted into blockbuster movies.

Like Escape room, here also a group of teenagers are trapped in a maze. The overarching mystery is that these teens don’t know how they came here and why are they here.

Also, as you know, wherever there is a group of teenagers, there are fights and clashes are ought to happen. Thus, with everything going on, they need to pass this maze.

Maze runner is a trilogy, which means three movies with lots of mystery, action, romance, friendships and a lot of uninvited creatures.

9. Hotel Mumbai (2018)

Runtime: 2h 3m

Talking about this movie gives me goosebumps. Mainly because this incident happened in the real life and I witnessed it as a child on News channels.

Hotel Mumbai is a about a series of terrorist attacks that happened in Mumbai in 2008. The terrorist bombed major public places in Mumbai including Railway station, cafes and roads. In the end they took shelter in India’s top luxurious Hotel, Taj, and made all the staff and guests hostages.

10. 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)

Runtime: 1h 45m

Most of the Cloverfield movie series are about surviving the monsters.

This sequel is more of a slow burn and shows the human horrors. It also ventures into the psychological aspects, as the protagonists navigates between what is real and what is not.

A little premise: it is about a woman who gets into an accident at a highway. The next thing she realises is that she is locked up in an improperly lit room with no windows. The man who saved her, keeps her hostage and tells her that the outer world is not safe anymore. Should this woman trust him or not?

Check out the movie to find out.

11. The Wave (2015)

Runtime: 1h 44m

Isn’t Norway a beautiful place?

Well, that’s where The Wave takes place in. In this movie, a landslide creates a 85 meter tsunami wave destroying the whole town in Norway. We see how the group of protagonists survive.

12. The Decline (2020)

Runtime: 1h 23m

What if there is no food left in future? What should you do if someone threatens you in an upcoming apocalypse?

Take a survival training and you’ll learn all these skills.

Well, that’s what happens in this movie. A group of people (more like a cult) attend a training session in the middle of nowhere. Here they learn a lot of survival skills. Everything is hunky dory until an accident occurs. This accident, divides the cult into two and what starts is a cat and mouse game between the two.

13. San Andreas (2015)

Runtime: 1h 54m

In a mood to watch Dwayne Johnson movie?

Okay, in a mood to watch a blockbuster disaster movie having a lot of action, VFX and a family separated during the earthquake wanting to reunite? Then this is for you.

14. Crawl (2019)

Runtime: 1h 27m

Crocodiles are the baddies in this film.

And it is one of the best crocodile Survival thrillers out there. So much better that I can’t even compare it to the Meg.

Crawl has two protagonists. One, a swimmer and another being her dad. Due to a hurricane, the houses near the lakes and swamp are ordered to be vacated. The protagonist doesn’t hear anything back from her dad living in a house near a swamp. Thus, she decides check on her dad at the house which soon starts to flood, bringing with it loads of crocodiles.

15. NH10 (2015)

Runtime: 1h 55m

An Indian thriller which is highly underrated.

Meera recently was a victim of an assault. She can’t get over it, so her partner takes her on a road trip. They travel through a highway named NH10. And as they pause for a pee break at a small street-side restaurant, they encounter a woman who asks them for help. Reluctantly Meera shoos her away. But eventually, the couple get involved with this woman and find themselves getting targeted for helping her.

Here the list comes to an end, and I really recommend you to watch these movies.

Now, you tell me survival movie recommendations in the comments below. Which is the best survival movie according to you?

As always, if you need more recommendations regarding mystery, thriller, horror movies don’t forget to check out my social pages.

Also, here’s some more movie suggestions for you:

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