15 disaster movies that will make you nervous

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

The heroes of these pictures will have to face an earthquake, a giant iceberg, killer waves and the threat of nuclear war.

1. Zero Hour

• USA, 1957.
• Aviation film disaster.
• Duration: 81 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 6.

The action takes place on board a passenger plane, the pilots of which were poisoned by stale fish. Former military pilot Ted Stryker must take control and land the liner. The problem is that the hero last sat at the helm about 10 years ago.

The script for the picture was created by Arthur Haley, who later became a famous writer. The plot of "Hour Zero!" taken from his early novel On the Brink of Disaster, also known as Runway 08.

A peculiar pathos of "Hour Zero!" caught the attention of budding filmmakers Jim Abrahams and the Zucker brothers. So the parody film "Airplane!" Was born, which is now considered one of the funniest and most successful comedies in the history of Hollywood.

To make a parody, the directors had to buy the rights to Zero Hour! Thanks to this, they were able to use verbatim lines and name the main character Ted Stryker.

2. Adventure of "Poseidon"

• USA, 1972.
• A disaster adventure film.
• Duration: 117 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 1.

The luxurious ocean liner Poseidon capsizes after being hit by a giant wave. Most of the passengers are killed, and a few miraculously survived are trapped. Led by the priest Frank Scott, they decide not to sit idly but to get out. But it won't be easy to do it.

The large-scale film adaptation of Paul Galliko's novel entered the history of cinema as a standard of disaster film. Now the visuals in the picture certainly look outdated. But in 1973 they seemed very advanced and deserved an Oscar.

3. Rising Hell

• USA, 1974.
• A dramatic disaster film.
• Duration: 165 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 9.

The film, directed by John Guillermin, tells the story of a terrible fire in San Francisco's tallest skyscraper. High society gathers for a lavish reception to mark the opening of the building. Everyone is confident in the reliability of the structure, but suddenly the chief architect Doug Roberts finds out that the greedy contractors handed over the project with gross violations.

Along with The Adventure of Poseidon, Rising Hell is considered the forerunner of all disaster films. The main roles are played by the brightest Hollywood stars of that time: Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, William Holden, Faye Dunaway.

At one time, "Rising Hell" competed with the second "The Godfather" for the title of the best picture of the year. True, the film did not receive the main award, but it won three Oscars for camera work, editing and best song.

4. Chinese syndrome

• USA, 1979.
• A dramatic disaster film.
• Duration: 123 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 4.

The energetic journalist Kimberly Wells and her partner Richard Adams witness a dangerous incident at a new nuclear power plant. They manage to secretly shoot what is happening on camera. But the plot is not broadcast, and unlucky reporters are urged to forget about what they saw.

Meanwhile, plant employee Jack Godell finds out that the operation of the nuclear power plant can lead to disaster, and the authorities carefully hide it.

Shown at the Cannes Film Festival, "Chinese Syndrome" nominated for several "Oscars" and caused a great public outcry. By a strange coincidence, just a few days after the premiere, the worst nuclear accident in US history occurred - a radiation leak at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania.

5. The magic mile

• USA, 1988.
• Disaster movie, dramatic thriller, comedy.
• Duration: 87 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 0.

Charming slacker Harry Washello meets a pretty waitress Julia Peters and realizes that she is his only love. But everything in the life of the heroes changes dramatically when Harry accidentally picks up the pay phone and hears that in 50 minutes the United States will start a nuclear war.

Director Steve De Jarnatt, known as the creator of the post-apocalyptic Western Cherry 2000, wrote The Magic Mile back in the early 1980s. But the project lay on the shelf for a long time due to the fact that De Jarnatt did not want to make concessions to the studios and was going to certainly make the film himself.

As a result, he succeeded, but the picture came out out of time. Relations between the United States and the USSR have improved, and the topic of nuclear war has ceased to be relevant. Perhaps that is why the film failed at the box office, despite good press reviews.

6. Epidemic

• USA, 1995.
• A disaster film, thriller.
• Duration: 128 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 6.

Epidemiologists are trying to stop a dangerous virus brought to the United States along with an African monkey. In the course of the action, it turns out that the deadly infection was developed by the military. Moreover, they know how to make a medicine. You just need to find the first carrier - a monkey that disappeared.

Infection with a deadly virus is a common scenario for disaster films. But in "Epidemic" the culprit of what is happening is not some crazy scientist, but a completely respectable state laboratory.

Directed by Wolfgang Petersen, the film is also worth watching because of the wonderful acting of Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo, Kevin Spacey, Morgan Freeman and Cuba Gooding Jr.

7. Tornado

• USA, 1996.
• The film is a disaster.
• Duration: 108 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 4.

In the center of the narrative is a married couple of meteorological scientists going through a crisis of relations. The researchers are kept from parting by a common cause: they are trying to understand what is happening inside the tornado. To do this, the heroes need to force an uncontrollable whirlwind to absorb the apparatus "Dorothy" invented by them.

The scriptwriters borrowed an experimental device for studying tornadoes from real meteorologists. In fact, it was called "Toto": that was the name of the doggie of the protagonist of "The Wizard of Oz".

The film was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Visual Effects category. Although the tornadoes here were created using computer graphics, there are also many real tricks in the picture. In some episodes, an engine was used from a Boeing 707 plane found at a junkyard. One of its propeller motors turned into a powerful wind machine.

8. Titanic

• USA, 1997.
• A melodramatic disaster film.
• Duration: 194 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 8.

The infamous liner Titanic makes its first and last voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. Against the backdrop of an impending catastrophe, the love story of a girl from high society and a poor artist unfolds.

The Oscar-winning film is quite authentic about the disaster. It can even be called cognitive. In some scenes, the creators copied historical photographs. And some minor characters, for example, the elderly spouses who died on the ship or Captain Edward John Smith, are completely written off from real people.

9. The perfect storm

• USA, 2000.
• Disaster adventure film, dramatic thriller.
• Duration: 130 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 4.

Fishing boat Andrea Gale returns home with a big catch. But the sailors' way is blocked by a storm of extraordinary strength.

The director of the film, Wolfgang Petersen, took as a basis real events that took place on the Atlantic coast of the United States. In 1991, a raging ocean cut off one of the fishing vessels from the coast.

The film was nominated for an Oscar for Outstanding Special Effects. But it is also worth watching because of the performance of brilliant actors: George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg and John C. Riley.

10. The day after tomorrow

• USA, 2004.
• Sci-fi thriller, disaster film.
• Duration: 124 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 4.

Climatologist Jack Hall is trying to warn the US government about the coming ice age, but no one is listening. Meanwhile, the planet finds itself on the brink of a terrible catastrophe. The hero goes to New York to save his only son, but time is running out.

Director Roland Emmerich was inspired by Whitley Strieber's The Coming World Superstorm. She tells what catastrophic consequences a consumer attitude to nature can lead to. In The Day After Tomorrow, this important message is complemented by grandiose special effects.

11. Infection

• USA, 2011.
• Sci-fi thriller, social drama, disaster film.
• Duration: 106 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 6.

A deadly virus of unknown origin is spreading across the planet at the speed of light. There is still a long way to go before a vaccine is developed. The general panic is fueled by rumors spread on the Internet by an unscrupulous journalist.

"Contagion" is remarkable not only for its socio-political overtones. Director Steven Soderbergh has amassed a truly stellar cast. Here you can see in small but striking roles Gwyneth Paltrow, Matt Damon, Kate Winslett, Marion Cotillard and Jude Law. The latter played a non-trivial character - a blogger who believes in conspiracy theories and homeopathy.

12. Impossible

• Spain, 2012.
• A dramatic disaster film.
• Duration: 113 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 6.

The Bennett family comes to Thailand to rest, but the idyll is destroyed by a powerful tsunami. Unwittingly, the heroes find themselves in the epicenter of a disaster.

The picture tells about real events that took place on December 26, 2004. Then the strongest tsunami destroyed a significant part of the coastal zone of Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Africa. More than 150 thousand people have died or gone missing. Among the victims was Maria Belen Alvarez, on whose story the plot is based.

The film received rave reviews from critics and won the Spanish National Goya Film Awards in five categories. The main characters were played by the talented Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts. The role of the eldest son was played by a very young Tom Holland.

13. Wave

• Norway, 2015.
• The film is a disaster.
• Duration: 105 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 7.

Seismological station worker Christian Aykord lives with his wife and two children in the small Norwegian village of Geiranger. The heroes are preparing to move to the city, but a giant tsunami blocks their way.

Lost in the mountains, the idyllic Geiranger is real. It is located near one of the most visited fjords in Norway. But the natural disaster that happened there, fortunately, is just an invention of filmmakers.

The film was successfully shown at the Norwegian box office and received a sequel called "The Rift". The sequel takes place three years after the events of the first part. This time the heroes will have to survive the devastating earthquake in Oslo.

14. And the storm burst

• USA, 2016.
• Historical drama, disaster film.
• Duration: 117 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 7.

Insecure Coast Guard Bernie Webber wants to get married. When he finally decides to ask the station commander for permission, a violent storm begins. Two oil tankers find themselves in a difficult situation off the coast of New England. At his own peril and risk, Bernie, along with a team of three volunteers, is sent to the rescue.

The film is based on a true story. In 1952, the Coast Guard managed to rescue many people from a ship that was torn in half by a storm.

15. The case of the brave

• USA, 2017.
• Biographical drama, disaster film.
• Duration: 133 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 7.

The laconic chief of the firefighters' special squad, Eric Marsh, unexpectedly for everyone, takes on the service of a drug addict and slobber Brendan. The latter is trying to improve his life and become a worthy father of his newborn daughter.

Director Joseph Kosinski's soul drama is based on true events. On July 30, 2013, a terrible wildfire broke out in Arizona, in which people died.