Ultimate Survival Movie List
by Cine-Maniacal | created - 19 Feb 2018 | updated - 20 Aug 2018 | PublicAn aggregate, unranked list of the best Survival movies. Ever. Period.
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1. The Martian (2015)
PG-13 | 144 min | Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
An astronaut becomes stranded on Mars after his team assume him dead, and must rely on his ingenuity to find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive and can survive until a potential rescue.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Kate Mara
Votes: 924,665 | Gross: $228.43M
2. The Revenant (I) (2015)
R | 156 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A frontiersman on a fur trading expedition in the 1820s fights for survival after being mauled by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team.
Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Will Poulter, Domhnall Gleeson
Votes: 873,916 | Gross: $183.64M
3. Gravity (2013)
PG-13 | 91 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Dr Ryan Stone, an engineer on her first time on a space mission, and Matt Kowalski, an astronaut on his final expedition, have to survive in space after they are hit by debris while spacewalking.
Director: Alfonso Cuarón | Stars: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, Ed Harris, Orto Ignatiussen
Votes: 863,006 | Gross: $274.09M
4. Life of Pi (2012)
PG | 127 min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
A young man who survives a disaster at sea is hurtled into an epic journey of adventure and discovery. While cast away, he forms an unexpected connection with another survivor: a fearsome Bengal tiger.
Director: Ang Lee | Stars: Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Adil Hussain, Tabu
Votes: 666,653 | Gross: $124.99M
5. I Am Legend (2007)
PG-13 | 101 min | Action, Drama, Horror
Years after a plague kills most of humanity and transforms the rest into monsters, the sole survivor in New York City struggles valiantly to find a cure.
Director: Francis Lawrence | Stars: Will Smith, Alice Braga, Charlie Tahan, Salli Richardson-Whitfield
Votes: 813,784 | Gross: $256.39M
6. Oblivion (I) (2013)
PG-13 | 124 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A veteran assigned to extract Earth's remaining resources begins to question what he knows about his mission and himself.
Director: Joseph Kosinski | Stars: Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, Andrea Riseborough, Olga Kurylenko
Votes: 552,956 | Gross: $89.02M
7. The Food of the Gods (1976)
PG | 88 min | Adventure, Horror, Sci-Fi
A group of friends travel to a remote Canadian island to hunt, only to be attacked by giant killer animals which have populated the place.
Director: Bert I. Gordon | Stars: Marjoe Gortner, Pamela Franklin, Ralph Meeker, Jon Cypher
Votes: 4,595
8. Day of the Animals (1977)
PG | 97 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A battle for survival ensues after a group of hikers encounters a chemically imbalanced forest.
Director: William Girdler | Stars: Christopher George, Leslie Nielsen, Lynda Day George, Richard Jaeckel
Votes: 3,179
9. The Naked Prey (1965)
Approved | 96 min | Adventure, Drama, Thriller
During the 1800s, a safari guide, two elephant hunters and their crew run into trouble with the natives in the South African veld when they refuse to offer gifts to the tribesmen.
Director: Cornel Wilde | Stars: Cornel Wilde, Gert van den Bergh, Ken Gampu, Patrick Mynhardt
Votes: 5,876
10. Sands of the Kalahari (1965)
Approved | 119 min | Adventure, Crime, Drama
After a small aircraft crashes in the Kalahari Desert, one of the seven passengers decides that his survival chances would increase if he eliminates the other men in the group.
Director: Cy Endfield | Stars: Stanley Baker, Stuart Whitman, Susannah York, Harry Andrews
Votes: 1,494
11. Anaconda (1997)
PG-13 | 89 min | Action, Adventure, Horror
A "National Geographic" film crew is taken hostage by an insane hunter, who forces them along on his quest to capture the world's largest - and deadliest - snake.
Director: Luis Llosa | Stars: Jon Voight, Jennifer Lopez, Eric Stoltz, Ice Cube
Votes: 111,977 | Gross: $65.89M
12. Deep Blue Sea (1999)
R | 105 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Searching for a cure to Alzheimer's disease, a group of scientists on an isolated research facility become the prey, as a trio of intelligent sharks fight back.
Director: Renny Harlin | Stars: Thomas Jane, Saffron Burrows, Samuel L. Jackson, Jacqueline McKenzie
Votes: 142,525 | Gross: $73.65M
13. Eight Legged Freaks (2002)
PG-13 | 99 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Venomous spiders get exposed to a noxious chemical that causes them to grow to monumental proportions.
Director: Ellory Elkayem | Stars: David Arquette, Kari Wuhrer, Scott Terra, Scarlett Johansson
Votes: 60,207 | Gross: $17.32M
14. Tremors (1990)
PG-13 | 96 min | Comedy, Horror
Natives of a small isolated town defend themselves against strange underground creatures which are killing them one by one.
Director: Ron Underwood | Stars: Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, Finn Carter, Michael Gross
Votes: 150,439 | Gross: $16.67M
15. Splinter (I) (2008)
R | 82 min | Crime, Horror, Sci-Fi
Trapped in an isolated gas station by a voracious Splinter parasite that transforms its still-living victims into deadly hosts, a young couple and an escaped convict must find a way to work together to survive this primal terror.
Director: Toby Wilkins | Stars: Shea Whigham, Jill Wagner, Paulo Costanzo, Charles Baker
Votes: 40,889
16. The Ruins (2008)
R | 90 min | Adventure, Horror, Thriller
A leisurely Mexican holiday takes a turn for the worse when a group of friends and a fellow tourist embark on a remote archaeological dig in the jungle, where something evil lives among the ruins.
Director: Carter Smith | Stars: Shawn Ashmore, Jena Malone, Jonathan Tucker, Laura Ramsey
Votes: 84,233 | Gross: $17.43M
17. Frozen (I) (2010)
R | 93 min | Adventure, Thriller
Three skiers stranded on a chairlift are forced to make life-or-death choices, which prove more perilous than staying put and freezing to death.
Director: Adam Green | Stars: Shawn Ashmore, Emma Bell, Kevin Zegers, Ed Ackerman
Votes: 80,705 | Gross: $0.24M
18. Buried (2010)
R | 95 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Paul is a U.S. truck driver working in Iraq. After an attack by a group of Iraqis he wakes to find he is buried alive inside a coffin. With only a lighter and a cell phone it's a race against time to escape this claustrophobic death trap.
Director: Rodrigo Cortés | Stars: Ryan Reynolds, José Luis García-Pérez, Robert Paterson, Stephen Tobolowsky
Votes: 168,483 | Gross: $1.03M
19. 127 Hours (2010)
R | 94 min | Biography, Drama
A mountain climber becomes trapped under a boulder while canyoneering alone near Moab, Utah and resorts to desperate measures in order to survive.
Director: Danny Boyle | Stars: James Franco, Amber Tamblyn, Kate Mara, Sean Bott
Votes: 401,236 | Gross: $18.34M
20. Phone Booth (2002)
R | 81 min | Crime, Thriller
Publicist Stuart Shepard finds himself trapped in a phone booth, pinned down by an extortionist's sniper rifle. Unable to leave or receive outside help, Stuart's negotiation with the caller leads to a jaw-dropping climax.
Director: Joel Schumacher | Stars: Colin Farrell, Kiefer Sutherland, Forest Whitaker, Radha Mitchell
Votes: 285,693 | Gross: $46.57M
21. The Grey (2011)
R | 117 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
After their plane crashes in Alaska, six oil workers are led by a skilled huntsman to survival, but a pack of merciless wolves haunts their every step.
Director: Joe Carnahan | Stars: Liam Neeson, Dermot Mulroney, Frank Grillo, Dallas Roberts
Votes: 263,275 | Gross: $51.58M
22. Jungle (I) (2017)
R | 115 min | Action, Adventure, Biography
A group of friends join a guide for a trek into the Bolivian jungle, searching for an Indian village. The men soon realize that the jungle is a difficult place to be.
Director: Greg McLean | Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Thomas Kretschmann, Alex Russell, Joel Jackson
Votes: 63,598
23. The Mountain Between Us (2017)
PG-13 | 112 min | Drama, Thriller
Stranded after a tragic plane crash, two strangers must forge a connection to survive the extreme elements of a remote snow-covered mountain. When they realize help is not coming, they embark on a perilous journey across the wilderness.
Director: Hany Abu-Assad | Stars: Kate Winslet, Idris Elba, Beau Bridges, Dermot Mulroney
Votes: 80,846 | Gross: $30.35M
24. Lone Survivor (2013)
R | 121 min | Action, Biography, Drama
Marcus Luttrell and his team set out on a mission to capture or kill notorious Taliban leader Ahmad Shah, in late June 2005. Marcus and his team are left to fight for their lives in one of the most valiant efforts of modern warfare.
Director: Peter Berg | Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch, Ben Foster
Votes: 306,601 | Gross: $125.10M
25. Long Weekend (1978)
Not Rated | 97 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
When a suburban couple go camping for the weekend at a remote beach, they discover that nature isn't in an accommodating mood.
Director: Colin Eggleston | Stars: John Hargreaves, Briony Behets, Mike McEwen, Roy Day
Votes: 6,118
26. Dark Age (1987)
R | 91 min | Adventure, Horror
A park ranger is tasked with dealing with a killer crocodile that appears to have a spiritual connection with the local Aboriginals.
Director: Arch Nicholson | Stars: John Jarratt, Nikki Coghill, Max Phipps, Burnham Burnham
Votes: 1,535
27. Curve (2015)
R | 85 min | Horror, Thriller
A soon-to-be bride on her way to a wedding rehearsal is having second thoughts and decides to take a detour. Car breaks down and a hitchiker offers help. Could it be fate?
Director: Iain Softley | Stars: Julianne Hough, Teddy Sears, Penelope Mitchell, Madalyn Horcher
Votes: 11,992
28. Kristy (2014)
Not Rated | 86 min | Horror, Thriller
When a college girl who is alone on campus over the Thanksgiving break is targeted by a group of outcasts, she must conquer her deepest fears to outwit them and fight back.
Director: Olly Blackburn | Stars: Haley Bennett, Ashley Greene, Lucas Till, Chris Coy
Votes: 9,277
29. The Tunnel (I) (2011)
Not Rated | 94 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
An investigation into a government cover-up leads to a network of abandoned train tunnels deep beneath the heart of Sydney. As a journalist and her crew hunt for the story it quickly becomes clear the story is hunting them.
Director: Carlo Ledesma | Stars: Bel Deliá, Andy Rodoreda, Steve Davis, Luke Arnold
Votes: 22,706
30. The Hills Have Eyes (2006)
R | 107 min | Horror, Thriller
A traveling family falls victim to a group of mutated cannibals in a desert far away from civilization.
Director: Alexandre Aja | Stars: Ted Levine, Kathleen Quinlan, Dan Byrd, Emilie de Ravin
Votes: 183,202 | Gross: $41.78M
31. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
R | 98 min | Horror
After picking up a traumatized young hitchhiker, five friends find themselves stalked and hunted by a deformed chainsaw-wielding loon and his family of equally psychopathic killers.
Director: Marcus Nispel | Stars: Jessica Biel, Jonathan Tucker, Andrew Bryniarski, Erica Leerhsen
Votes: 152,346 | Gross: $80.57M
32. Hostel (2005)
R | 94 min | Horror
Three backpackers head to a Slovak city that promises to meet their hedonistic expectations, with no idea of the hell that awaits them.
Director: Eli Roth | Stars: Jay Hernandez, Derek Richardson, Eythor Gudjonsson, Barbara Nedeljakova
Votes: 190,911 | Gross: $47.33M
33. Deliverance (1972)
R | 109 min | Adventure, Drama, Thriller
Intent on seeing the Cahulawassee River before it's dammed and turned into a lake, outdoor fanatic Lewis Medlock takes his friends on a canoeing trip they'll never forget into the dangerous American back-country.
Director: John Boorman | Stars: Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, Ronny Cox
Votes: 119,209 | Gross: $7.06M
34. Hidden (I) (2015)
R | 84 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A family takes refuge in a bomb shelter to avoid a dangerous outbreak.
Directors: Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer | Stars: Alexander Skarsgård, Andrea Riseborough, Emily Alyn Lind, Steven Elliot
Votes: 25,566
35. Extinction (2015)
R | 112 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
And suddenly, overnight, the world came to a halt. Two men, two survivors, one kid, and hatred that separates them. A place forgotten by everyone, including the creatures that inhabit the Earth... until now.
Director: Miguel Ángel Vivas | Stars: Matthew Fox, Jeffrey Donovan, Quinn McColgan, Clara Lago
Votes: 17,889
36. Howl (I) (2015)
Not Rated | 92 min | Action, Fantasy, Horror
When passengers on a train are attacked by a creature, they must band together in order to survive until morning.
Director: Paul Hyett | Stars: Elliot Cowan, Rosie Day, Calvin Dean, Sam Gittins
Votes: 15,548
37. Dark Was the Night (2014)
Not Rated | 99 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
An evil is unleashed in a small town when a logging company sets up shop in the neighboring woods.
Director: Jack Heller | Stars: Kevin Durand, Lukas Haas, Bianca Kajlich, Nick Damici
Votes: 11,122
38. The Rezort (2015)
Not Rated | 91 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
The ReZort, a safari park, offers paying guests the opportunity to kill as many zombies as they please following an outbreak.
Director: Steve Barker | Stars: Dougray Scott, Jessica De Gouw, Martin McCann, Claire Goose
Votes: 9,812
39. Southern Comfort (1981)
R | 106 min | Action, Thriller
During a routine exercise, a team of National Guardsmen are threatened by angry and violent locals.
Director: Walter Hill | Stars: Keith Carradine, Powers Boothe, Fred Ward, Franklyn Seales
Votes: 21,892 | Gross: $5.00M
40. Mindhunters (2004)
R | 106 min | Crime, Horror, Thriller
A group of FBI trainees are taken to a remote island for simulation training. However, once there, they realize that they are being hunted by a serial killer, who might be someone amidst them.
Director: Renny Harlin | Stars: Val Kilmer, LL Cool J, Christian Slater, Eion Bailey
Votes: 64,185 | Gross: $4.48M
41. Cast Away (2000)
PG-13 | 143 min | Adventure, Drama, Romance
A FedEx executive undergoes a physical and emotional transformation after crash landing on a deserted island.
Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt, Paul Sanchez, Lari White
Votes: 638,350 | Gross: $233.63M
42. Apollo 13 (I) (1995)
PG | 140 min | Adventure, Drama, History
NASA must devise a strategy to return Apollo 13 to Earth safely after the spacecraft undergoes massive internal damage putting the lives of the three astronauts on board in jeopardy.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon, Gary Sinise
Votes: 315,427 | Gross: $173.84M
43. Annihilation (I) (2018)
R | 115 min | Adventure, Drama, Horror
A biologist signs up for a dangerous, secret expedition into a mysterious zone where the laws of nature don't apply.
Director: Alex Garland | Stars: Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tessa Thompson, Benedict Wong
Votes: 361,189 | Gross: $32.73M
44. Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Unrated | 127 min | Horror, Thriller
During an escalating zombie epidemic, two Philadelphia SWAT team members, a traffic reporter and his TV executive girlfriend seek refuge in a secluded shopping mall.
Director: George A. Romero | Stars: David Emge, Ken Foree, Scott H. Reiniger, Gaylen Ross
Votes: 128,532 | Gross: $5.10M
45. Swiss Family Robinson (1960)
G | 126 min | Adventure, Family
A Swiss family must survive being shipwrecked on a deserted island.
Director: Ken Annakin | Stars: John Mills, Dorothy McGuire, James MacArthur, Janet Munro
Votes: 18,160 | Gross: $40.36M
46. The Sea Gypsies (1978)
G | 102 min | Adventure, Family
A man and a woman and 3 children start to sail around the world. They are shipwrecked near an uninhabited isle. This island is full of wild animals and it is very dangerous for them in the ... See full summary »
Director: Stewart Raffill | Stars: Robert Logan, Mikki Jamison, Heather Rattray, Cjon Damitri Patterson
Votes: 384
47. The Adventures of the Wilderness Family (1975)
G | 100 min | Adventure, Drama, Family
A family flees the city for the wilderness. They learn to live with nature and more importantly, that when one has family, one has everything.
Director: Stewart Raffill | Stars: Robert Logan, Susan Damante, Hollye Holmes, Ham Larsen
Votes: 1,785 | Gross: $31.22M
48. The Hunted (2013)
PG-13 | 89 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Chasing their dream of landing their own hunting show, two hunters head into the dense, secluded mountains of West Virginia only to realize they are not alone.
Director: Josh Stewart | Stars: Josh Stewart, Skipp Sudduth, Katie Von Till, Ronnie Gene Blevins
Votes: 1,521
49. Ravenous (1999)
R | 101 min | Adventure, Drama, Horror
In a remote military outpost in the 19th century, Captain John Boyd and his regiment embark on a rescue mission which takes a dark turn when they are ambushed by a sadistic cannibal.
Director: Antonia Bird | Stars: Guy Pearce, Robert Carlyle, David Arquette, Jeremy Davies
Votes: 43,231 | Gross: $2.06M
50. Alpha (II) (2018)
PG-13 | 96 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
In the prehistoric past, a young man struggles to return home after being separated from his tribe during a buffalo hunt. He finds a similarly lost wolf companion and starts a friendship that would change humanity.
Director: Albert Hughes | Stars: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Marcin Kowalczyk, Jens Hultén
Votes: 66,525 | Gross: $35.85M
51. Mom and Dad (2017)
R | 86 min | Comedy, Horror, Thriller
A teenage girl and her younger brother must survive a wild 24 hours during which a mass hysteria of unknown origin causes parents to turn violently on their own kids.
Director: Brian Taylor | Stars: Nicolas Cage, Selma Blair, Anne Winters, Zackary Arthur
Votes: 27,366
52. Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse (2015)
R | 93 min | Action, Comedy, Horror
Three scouts, on the eve of their last camp-out, discover the true meaning of friendship when they attempt to save their town from a zombie outbreak.
Director: Christopher Landon | Stars: Tye Sheridan, Logan Miller, Joey Morgan, Sarah Dumont
Votes: 54,904 | Gross: $3.64M
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