Top 10 Scariest Disaster Movies
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#10: “Dante’s Peak” (1997)
Amid all the movies about volcanic eruptions, “Dante’s Peak” has a reputation for being relatively accurate. Emphasis on “relatively”. Experts praised the special effects and the portrayal of the geological survey team, but were less impressed with how different volcanic processes are all mixed in together. In striking this balance though, the movie manages to build tension in a convincing way, before delivering a horrifying eruption scene that puts other volcano movies to shame. Sure, a lake probably couldn’t transform into an acid bath quite so quickly. But if you want to see what the Apocalypse would look like, “Dante’s Peak” has it all.
#9: “San Andreas” (2015)
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Was it big, loud, and preposterous? Absolutely. But the visual effects were on point. And the premise of a devastating earthquake in California? All too real. Brad Peyton’s 2015 disaster film “San Andreas” pit mother nature against Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area, and although the Rock did his best to save the day, it’s pretty clear who won. While the science might have been fudged, the incredible CGI made the movie frightening nonetheless. The moment the earth ripples like a rug being shaken is chilling enough, and the subsequent scenes of chaos and destruction positively terrifying.
#8: “2012” (2008)
It’s the disaster movie with it all! Roland Emmerich’s epic disaster bonanza played on popular paranoia leading up to the year 2012 - when according to some, the world was supposed to end. After all, the year marked the end of a long cycle in the Mayan Calendar, and therefore . . . THE SKY IS FALLING! While that didn’t happen, the movie “2012” certainly did it’s damnedest to frighten the bejesus out of us. The eruption of Yellowstone in particular was terrifying, especially since it actually COULD blow sometime in the future . . . even if not for the mumbo jumbo reasons described.
#7: “Deep Impact” (1998)
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You’re either a “Deep Impact” or an “Armageddon” kinda person. For this list, we’re going with “Deep Impact”, as the scarier movie - even though “Armageddon” was a lot more fun. With a comet heading for Earth, Robert Duvall’s character Captain Spurgeon "Fish" Tanner leads a last-ditch mission to save the planet. Back on the ground, there’s an incredible sense of helplessness as people prepare for the worst. The lottery system to decide who survives is much too plausible. And that tsunami scene, with Téa Leoni and Maximilian Schell waiting on the beach, still haunts our nightmares.
#6: “The Core” (2003)
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Sure, it was silly. Alright, downright absurd. The premise, that the Earth’s core had suddenly stopped rotating, made no more sense than our heroes’ plan to nuke it back to life. But in a way, the improbability of their mission just made it all the more desperate. Most frightening however was the isolating and claustrophobic nature of their task, as they drilled down deep into the Earth, far from friends, family, and well, human beings in general. Thank goodness for “Unobtanium”, the material used to build their vessel! Despite the silliness, there are some knuckle-biting scenes when it all goes wrong that left audiences sweating as much as the crew.
#5: “The Poseidon Adventure” (1972)
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“The Poseidon Adventure” was one of the most ambitious movies of the 1970s, and along with “The Towering Inferno” and “Airport,” helped give rise to the disaster genre. It follows the sinking of a fictional luxury liner, and for a movie released in 1972, it still looks horrifyingly spectacular thanks to its Academy Award-winning visual effects. In fact, it wasn’t until “Titanic” 25 years later that a sinking ship was so viscerally captured on film. If you’ve only seen the 2006 remake, do yourself a favor and watch the original. And while you’re at it, purge the remake from your memory.
#4: “The Day After Tomorrow” (2004)
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“The Day After Tomorrow” is classic Roland Emmerich – loud and utterly baffling, yet absolutely thrilling thanks to its spectacular visual effects. Sometimes you just want to see the world get destroyed, and when it comes to that, “The Day After Tomorrow” has no rival. This movie has it all, from devastating tornadoes and hailstorms to a massive tsunami that sweeps its way through the streets of Manhattan. The image of the Statue of Liberty being swallowed by a storm surge is iconic stuff. The movie is basically a greatest hits collection of all the best disaster scenarios, and they’re all shown in breathtaking and terrifying fashion.
#3: “The Birds” (1963)
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Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds” is a horror-thriller with all the hallmarks of a great disaster movie too. You’ve got your ominous warning signs, in the form of the first attacks and birds flying into windows. And then come escalating scenes of ever greater chaos and destruction - including a corpse with its eyes gouged out, a hysterical prophet of doom, and an explosion at a gas station. Then of course, there’s that famous downer ending that signals the possible end of the world as we know it. It’s certainly a classic horror movie, but in some ways it’s also a precursor to the entire disaster genre.
#2: “The Wave” (2015)
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This small budget Norwegian movie blew away critics, with special effects to rival Hollywood blockbusters. Inspired by real natural disasters in Norway’s northwestern fjords, “The Wave” follows a geologist and his family as they try to escape a 260-foot-tall tsunami. It’s a simple story, and it borrows many disaster clichés, but its slow pace allows audiences to broil in the tension and grow attached to the characters . . . which makes the inevitable destruction all the more compelling. Every disaster buff needs to check out “The Wave.” Just don’t watch the horrible English dub..
#1: “Twister” (1996)
There might be bigger, louder, more apocalyptic disaster movies. But there is no disaster movie quite like “Twister.” “Twister” captured a nation in 1996 thanks to its relentless action and impressive set pieces, some of which have become iconic staples of the genre. One only needs to hear the word “twister” to conjure up images of a drive-in being destroyed, a cow being hurled through the air, or a farm being decimated by a massive cloud of swirling black dust. It was enough to give kids nightmares, and to make adults fear the wrath of tornadoes. Who knew scientific research was so action-packed?
