The 2022 filmFall, directed by Scott Mann, was one of last year’s noteworthy cases of a basic premise that gets executed on a micro-budget without huge pretenses and ends up being a great, fun time at the movies. Mann doesn’t push for more than sheer, immediate terror and that’s what he accomplished with good performers and a technical crew that makesFallbelievable.
While we’re at that, we have to say the film doesn’t step out of the boundaries of its initial outline. It’s not ridiculous at all, and it doesn’t become a stunt show. It’s realistic within its limits.Fallis not based on a true story, but if two women actually decided to climb to the top of a 2000-foot antenna tower, and they got stuck, we can’t imagine this couldn’t happen. We don’t know why someone would decide to climb that, but people pay insane amounts of money to go on the most dangerous treks in the world. So, anything’s possible.
We’re counting the day until we see moreof the film’s sequel, but in the meanwhile, let’s take a look at ten similar films that will get your nerves pumping in a few minutes.
10Crawl (2019)
Crawlby Alexandre Aja, is also based on a very simple that the good horror director is able to fully use. Starring Kaya Scodelario and Barry Pepper,Crawltells the story of a father and daughter (and dog) trying to escape the dangers of the aftermath of a hurricane in Florida. The natural disaster is a huge player, but so are the American alligators that invade the crawl space of the Keller’s home during the flood.
Related:Exclusive: Director Scott Mann Discusses the Challenges of Making Fall
9127 Hours (2010)
Aron Ralston was trapped by a boulder in a desolate canyon in Utah. He’s not able to escape. As days go by, and he realizes there’s a chance no one’s coming, he decides to act: he takes a small knife and begins cutting his arm while he torques his upper body to break every bone in the limb that he’s forced to abandon. This is the basis of Danny Boyle’s gruesome but uplifting film127 Hours, starring James Franco as Ralston.
8Frozen (2010)
You will find lots of human negligence on the list.Frozenis no exception. It tells the story of three friends who head out to a ski resort for a couple of days. On the very last day of the center’s operations before taking a week off, the trio gets stranded on a chairlift. A couple of hours pass until they realize they must act. Theextreme cold weather isn’t the only threat they will have to face.
7Alive (1993)
Another film based on true events. Frank Marshall’sAliveis called the most faithful adaptation of the Miracle of the Andes, the event in which a plane transporting a rugby team crashed in the middle of the Andes, and somehow there were survivors. We won’t give you many details, but there are two reasons why it was called a miracle: the survival of the plane crash itself and surviving extreme temperatures. Oh yeah, and the food, but that’s a whole other subject we’d rather not dig into.
6The Shallows (2016)
Starring Blake Lively,The Shallowsis an impressive survival thriller that’s so simple, you will laugh at yourself a few days after you watch it. Yes, before that you will still feel tense as the film is a great execution of the genre that’s brilliantly led by Lively. It tells the story of a surfer that gets stranded 200 yards from shore, and she can’t swim back because of a very hungry great white shark.
5Cast Away (2000)
For this one, we decided to swim back to shore. InCast Awayby Robert Zemeckis, Tom Hanks does the important work of his career as he plays Chuck Noland, a very unlucky man who decides to live after being stranded on a remote island after surviving a plane crash. Thephysical transformation by Hanksis all people talk about, and they should be.
4A Lonely Place to Die (2011)
The British survival horror thrillerA Lonely Place to Dieis the story of a group of friends who decide to go on a hiking trip. On a trail, they come upon a young girl who seems to be trapped in a very small box. They decide to act and take her because she doesn’t speak English. She’s a victim of kidnapping, and her captors will not be happy when they realize people have decided to rescue her. Seriously, is taking a vacation close to the city that bad?
Related:25 Best Thrillers of All Time, Ranked
3Open Water (2003)
The one thing that’s more terrifying than the survival horror thrillerOpen Water, is finding out it actually happened. After you watch this one, you may feel compelled to cancel beach vacations and dive tours. It tells the story of a young couple who join a scuba diving tour and, somehow, they get left behind by the crew, and ultimately are never found again. Yeah, we got goosebumps just thinking about it as well.
2All Is Lost (2013)
Let’s stay in open water.All Is Lostis a brilliant film by J.C. Chandor that tells the story of a sailor who decides to fight death against all odds. After his boat gets gravely hit, the unlucky man stares at death in the face as he gets pulled in deeper into the ocean by a tropical storm. The performance by Robert Redford as the only character in the film (there’s almost no dialogue in the film) is staggering.
1High Lane (2009)
High Lane, also known asVertige, is the most thrilling film you have never seen. And yes, you should attempt to find it right away. Think ofCliffhangerbut without the excessive snow or professional climbers. It tells the story of a group of friends that have the great idea to go on an expedition through a mountainous area that’s been closed for repairs. The thingis a deranged assassinlives in the area and will stop at nothing before taking them all out. Trust us when we say you want to see this one.
You can streamFallon various VOD services.
