100 Survival Movies Preppers Should Watch
This post has been updated from our original Survival Movie List that was first published in 2021. We keep our content updated as the world around us changes, as we learn new skills and techniques, and (of course) when we find more survival and prepping movies. This list is now a little more than 75 movies.
Survival movies are a great way to relax, kick back, and be entertained. They also give us an easy way to learn about prepping and survival, just by watching characters map out their decisions when confronted with different survival situations. Typically, the more prepared and experienced they are the better off they are- but movies are made in Hollywood and anything can happen!
In our curated list below, we break out our favorite survival movies and list the rest broken up by the type of threats our protagonists face. they are surviving an emergency on their own or fending off hordes of zombies with their friends, there are examples of prepping and survival tactics in each of our picks.
Contents (Jump to a Section)
Top 10 Prepper Movies
These movies with survival themes and prepper characters hold a special place in our hearts. If you’re going to check out any of the movies on this list, pick one from our top picks below that you haven’t seen yet. These are our subjective picks, but most of them are well-received by a wide range of audiences.
We picked them based on their cultural impact and representation of prepping and survival for a wide range of scenarios. We also tried to get a good variety of genres, budgets, and eras to make a solid mix of horizon-expanding flicks.
After narrowing down the entire list to just 10 movies, we ranked them based on their aggregate Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB scores (using a simple average). We hope you enjoy our curated top 10 list and the rest of the movies that round out our 100 to watch.
10. The Book of Eli
2010 – Directed by the Hughes brothers – Starring Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman – 47% Rotten Tomatoes, 6.8 IMDB
Denzel is a force in this post-apocalyptic movie that focuses on his travels to restore hope for mankind. Plenty of tense action for our lone wanderer, as the other humans are predictably terrible in most post-apocalypse scenarios.
A couple of twists and the ‘controversial’ biblical undertones made this movie a mixed bag for critics, but who relies on them for a good movie list anyway?
9. Red Dawn
1984 – Directed by John Milius – Starring Patrick Swayze and Charlie Sheen – 50% Rotten Tomatoes, 6.3 IMDB
Red Dawn is a quintessential 80s movie where a group of teenagers bring guerrilla combat to the invading Russian forces. The ragtag militia includes Patrick Swayze and Charlie Sheen forming the group known as the Wolverines to retake their home, Colorado.
8. Blast from the Past
1999 – Directed by Hugh Wilson – Starring Brendan Fraser, Alicia Silverstone, and Christopher Walken – 58% Rotten Tomatoes, 6.7 IMDB
If you are in the mood for something a little more quirky, this Rom-Com is right up your alley. It’s a time capsule of 90s nostalgia, but the plot revolves around an eccentric family that has been holed up in a bunker for decades. Brendan Fraser is as goofy as ever and sets his eyes on Alicia Silverstone when he’s sent out to gather supplies.
It pokes fun at preppers and highlights the importance of being informed. Christopher Walken is great as the stubborn prepper dad and shows why you should never let preparedness get in the way of living your life to the fullest.
7. The Rover
2014 – Directed by David Michôd – Starring Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson – 67% Rotten Tomatoes, 6.4 IMDB
The Rover feels like a blend of The Road and Taken- our hero loses his car and will stop at nothing to get it back (and punish those who took it). The apocalyptic setting is grim, and gritty, and plays out like a true Western movie.
Guy Pearce is awesome to watch in this and Robert Pattinson is great as the left-behind baddie as well. They form an unlikely alliance to exact some gratifying revenge.
It’s also the start of a pattern for studio A24, which released the Aussie movie in the US. A24, of course, has brought a ton of interesting takes on survival since its start in 2012 and this movie in 2014.
6. Panic in Year Zero!
1962 – Directed by Ray Milland – Starring Ray Milland, Jean Hagen, and Frankie Avalon – 67% Rotten Tomatoes, 6.6 IMDB
The Baldwins, a nuclear family, escape a nuclear attack in LA to endure frenzied survivors acting irrationally at every corner. This 60’s film was way ahead of its time in how it examined not just the attack itself- but the harm the remaining humans are capable of. Zombie shows and movies continue to borrow heavily from this survivalist trope.
It’s a fast movie at barely over 90 minutes, and still has some nuggets of relevancy despite being over 60 years old.
5. The Road
2009 – Directed by John Hillcoat – Starring Viggo Mortensen, Charlize Theron, Robert Duvall, and Guy Pearce – 74% Rotten Tomatoes, 7.2 IMDB
A man and his son have to cross an apocalypse-scorched America to reach the ocean. This movie is a gritty look at the post-apocalypse world, as he avoids remaining humans while searching for food and shelter.
Viggo Mortensen is excellent in this role of a rugged father doing best by his son. It has you asking yourself questions about how you would handle situations, and whether you could hack it in such a cold and uncompromising world. The movie is based on the novel by the same name, which serves as great source material.
The movie is bleak and tough to watch at times, but it certainly picks apart survival instinct and makes us feel lucky to live in the world we have now.
4. Contagion
2011 – Directed by Steven Soderbergh – Starring Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Marion Cotillard, Laurence Fishburne, and Gwyneth Paltrow – 85% Rotten Tomatoes, 6.8 IMDB
This movie with a blockbuster cast flew under the radar until COVID-19 showed plenty of similarities, and it became the ‘movie to watch’ at the beginning of the pandemic. Even prior to the pandemic, many people in epidemiology and preparedness praised it for its accurate portrayal of a novel virus’ effect on society and how we would be unprepared to quickly deal with it.
The cast is great in this movie; Matt Damon is a great sympathetic father trying to navigate the pandemic. Jude Law really stands out as the prepared guy who earns the public’s trust by questioning authorities’ response, with a great twist at the end. If you still haven’t seen this movie, you should check it out for its chilling model of a governmental pandemic response that never stood a chance against the virus (or the public panic).
3. 28 Days Later
2003 – Directed by Danny Boyle – Starring Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, and Christopher Eccleston – 87% Rotten Tomatoes, 7.5 IMDB
One of the first ‘zombie runners’ movies, this well-paced horror has some amazingly tense scenes that keep you on the edge of your seat. Cillian Murphy is great as the guy waking up in a hospital at the tail-end of a zombie apocalypse, as London is eerily empty when he stumbles out.
Food, shelter, and avoiding other humans are all front-and-center in this story as the handful of survivors have just as many issues with these as they do with the hyper-aggressive zombies. 28 Weeks Later, the sequel was also well-received but didn’t quite edge out the original story. In 2025 we’ll also see 28 Years Later (although it’s only been 21 years since the original).
2. 10 Cloverfield Lane
2016 – Directed by Dan Trachtenberg – Starring John Goodman and Mary Elizabeth Winstead – 91% Rotten Tomatoes, 7.2 IMDB
This is a tense movie that is a far departure from the sci-fi prequel, Cloverfield. It illustrates the dangers of surviving with strangers, no matter how well-prepared they are. John Goodman is superb as the controlling prepper with all of the resources.
1. The Martian
2015 – Directed by Ridley Scott – Starring Matt Damon – 91% Rotten Tomatoes, 8.0 IMDB
![The Martian | Official Trailer [HD] | 20th Century FOX](https://trueprepper.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-youtube-lyte/lyteCache.php?origThumbUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2Fej3ioOneTy8%2F0.jpg)
A sci-fi prepper masterpiece, The Martian is a masterclass on surviving with limited resources – on remote planets with nobody else around. With most of the science used in the movie surprisingly sound, the story becomes much more believable and you can’t help but root for Damon’s character. His mistakes are teachable moments about how assumptions can be life and death when you are in a survival situation.
The movie is based on a book and it earned several awards. The attention to detail will have you geeking out about the survival science: from horticulture on Mars to creating water from hydrazine. It’s definitely worth watching if you haven’t seen it yet.
It covers survival from a few different angles: human survival by becoming an interplanetary species and individual survival by addressing direct survival needs (water, food, and companionship to name a few). The hopeful tone and problem-solving method of survival help this movie rank highly on our list, and it doesn’t hurt that most people who watched it really like it as well.
Solo Survival Movies
Sometimes bad stuff happens to just you, and you have to figure it out and survive. These movies focus on self-sufficiency and the ability to be resourceful enough to survive on your own.
The Revenant – Leo won his Oscar for this epic survival tale set in early American uncharted wilderness. Probably for the bear scene.
The Grey – Liam Neeson is badass once again in this survival story of plane crash victims in the Alaskan wilderness.
127 Hours – The true story of a climber stuck for five days in a canyon and having to make a difficult choice to survive.
Buried – If you wake up six feet under with a lighter, and cell phone- how do you prioritize light, your phone battery, and oxygen?
Arctic – Mads Mikkelsen is stranded in the Arctic by a plane crash and has to make the tough decision of whether to stay put or go mobile.
Jeremiah Johnson – Robert Redford in an epic about learning the code of survival in the mountain wilderness.
Man in the Wilderness – A trapper is left for dead after being attacked by a Grizzly. Sound familiar to The Revenant? Well, this one did it first.
All is Lost – Robert Redford is older, wiser, and at it again trying to survive solo on the open sea.
Castaway – Surviving four years on your own is tough, but Tom Hanks makes it easy to come along for the ride.
Group Survival Movies
These picks cover those movies where groups find themselves in some tough situations and need to rely on a little survival know-how to pull through.
The Edge – A plane crash forces Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin to square off to survive.
Jungle – Based on a true story, some people have a tough time in the jungle. Never underestimate Mother Nature.
The 33 – The real-life story of 33 miners trapped in a gold and silver mine for 69 days.
Captain Fantastic – A man and his wife live deep in the Washington wilderness with their kids, and their crisis is a different type of SHTF.
Hunt for the Wilderpeople – A boy and his foster uncle are on the run and forced to join forces to survive the New Zealand bush in this heartwarming tale.
Tremors – In this entertaining monster movie, one highlight is Reba McEntire and Michael Gross as a pair of badass preppers.
Disaster Survival Movies
With 100-year events becoming more common, these disaster movies are becoming more relevant every day. Contagion had parts that were eerily similar to COVID-19… which of these will be the next ‘eerily similar’ movie?
The Day After Tomorrow – A climatologist and his son try to reunite as a series of disasters chain together to begin a new Ice Age.
San Andreas – The San Andreas Fault line rips a magnitude 9 earthquake, so the Rock has to save his daughter.
No Escape – An American family struggles to survive and lay low when a violent coup overtakes a Southeast Asia country.
Bushwick – A civil war erupts as Texas attempts to secede. The premise is a little iffy, but there are still a few survival takeaways.
2012 – Similar to the Day After Tomorrow (and by the same director), this movie shows compounding disasters, including a Yellowstone caldera eruption.
Dirty War – Required watching for Emergency Preparedness, this movie shows the planning, execution, and aftermath of a dirty bomb release in London.
Outbreak – Army medical researchers (led by Dustin Hoffman) try to stem the spread of a deadly novel virus outbreak.
Right at Your Door – Some sort of dirty bomb is released in LA, and a couple navigates the aftermath by sheltering in place with plastic and duct tape and quarantining. The plot is questionable, but it does show some interesting perspectives.
The Trigger Effect – A power outage affects a major city and lawlessness descends quickly as a family learns the importance of preparedness.
The Impossible – A true story of one family’s survival when they were vacationing in Southeast Asia when the 2004 Tsunami hit. A gripping and intense look at the tsunami and its aftermath.
Doomsday Survival Movies
These movies cover the areas where characters are really stretching the odds of survival. Aliens and other cataclysmic events really should just wipe us out. Nevertheless, the resourceful bunch in these movies persists. There are plenty more movies that fit in this category, but this list really highlights preparedness extending your survivability.
A Quiet Place – Noise abatement is always useful in survival situations, but this movie takes it to the next step. Hyperaggressive aliens with really good hearing take anyone out they hear, so survivors must find clever ways to keep quiet.
War of the Worlds – Tom Cruise runs a lot, but the aliens always catch up.
Post-Apocalyptic Survival Movies
What’s bigger than a disaster but not as big as a cataclysmic event? An apocalypse! And boy does Hollywood love movies with an apocalypse going on or set in the post-apocalyptic future.
Blackout – A global blackout causes society to crumble as a small group attempts to survive.
Children of Men – Mass infertility drastically changes society, and one man (Clive Owen) must protect humanity’s last chance.
Defiance – A Jewish resistance camp in the Belarussian forest provides the backdrop for this historical tale of perseverance and grit.
Goodbye World – With the cities under terrorist attack, a group of friends retreats to their countryside cabin.
The Survivalist – A guy and two gals team up to survive a post-apocalyptic kill-or-be-killed world.
How I Live Now – The UK and the rest of Europe collapse into violence, ruining a girl’s idyllic romance.
Flu – A deadly flu variant ravages Korea in this foreign film. It feels like Contagion if the virus had a higher R0 transmission rate, mortality rate, and gruesome face-melting symptoms.
Carriers – In this global pandemic movie, four teens turn on each other as they try to outrun the deadly virus.
Threads – A couple’s nuptials are interrupted by nuclear war.
Z for Zachariah – The last three people alive have a tough time grappling with suspicion, secrets, and jealousy.
A Boy and His Dog – After World War 4 food, shelter, and companionship are hard to come by.
Mad Max: Fury Road – A more recent remake of the original Mad Max trilogy, this one has awesome special effects and cinematography as Max battles roving marauders in the endless quest for bullets, gasoline, and especially: water. A very entertaining Oscar Winner.
Light of My Life – A father and daughter fight to survive when a virus wipes out almost all of the female population.
Zombie Survival Movies
You can find some survival and preparedness nuggets in almost any zombie movie. It’s often said, “If you’re prepared for zombies, you’re prepared for anything”. That may not be exactly true, but zombies make for great movies and entertainment.
I’ve always been partial to zombie movies, and here are a few of the more relevant ones:
Zombieland – The nerdy protagonist shouldn’t survive- but does due to his strict set of survival rules. This comedy/horror with Woody Harrelson is good fun and has some solid cameos. There is a sequel, but the first movie is better.
Train to Busan – Korean subtitles in this one, but the story is fantastic. I can’t vouch for the sequels and spinoffs, but the original is worth a watch.
World War Z – A fast-paced global zombie thriller focusing on the chase to find patient zero. It stars Brad Pitt and highlights Israel’s robust emergency response. It is based on a book by the same name (though it’s a very different read), by the author that brought us The Zombie Survival Guide.
I am Legend – Will Smith is a scientist and the last man alive. He fills his days with scavenging and golf but is sure to be inside by night when the freakishly fast zombies come out. It is based on the book of the same name.
The Omega Man – Another movie based on the “I am Legend” book, this one features Charlton Heston squaring off against mutant people (close enough to zombies).
Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End – A zombie movie with classic tropes, Spanish flair, and a constantly complaining cat.
Dawn of the Dead – The 2004 version by 300 director Zack Snyder is one of the most solid remakes there is. It does an excellent job of taking the first movie premise and exploring the human element when confronted with the zombie threat. It’s 100 minutes of fun from the action-packed start to finish.
Survival Movies on Netflix
Netflix has over 280 million subscribers, so it would only make sense that they started adding some survival movies to their catalog.
Ranging from horror, doomsday, post-apocalyptic, sci-fi, and mish-mashes of everything in between- there are tons of movies on Netflix now with survival themes.
Give these movies a search wherever you stream Netflix:
- 2012
- 47 Meters Down
- #Alive
- A Quiet Place Part II
- Adrift
- Against the Ice
- Alone
- Arctic
- Army of the Dead
- Awake
- Backcountry
- Bird Box
- Bird Box Barcelona
- Cadaver
- Cargo
- Don’t Look Up
- Extinction
- First They Killed My Father
- How it Ends
- Into the Wild
- IO
- It Comes at Night
- Leave the World Behind
- No Escape
- Nowhere
- Oxygen
- Prey
- Red Dot
- Rust Creek
- Society of the Snow
- Solo
- This is the End
- The Decline
- The Impossible (listed above in disaster movies)
- The Platform
- The Ritual
- The Silence
- True Spirit
- Unbroken
- Zombieland
Kids Survival Movies
Survival movies can be intense or scary, but a few films navigate the subject well for kids. All of these have PG or lower ratings, and would work well for family movie nights or when you want to start discussions about being prepared and self-reliant with your kids.
The Mitchells vs the Machines [2021, Rated PG] – When the robot apocalypse comes, the Mitchells swing into action to save the world.
Trolls [2016, Rated PG] – Yes, the 2016 kids’ movie full of songs has a main character ‘Branch’ who is prepared- and rightfully so- since his kind is sought out and eaten by the antagonists. The scary moments are few and far between and broken up by humor, making it tolerable for smaller kids.
Life of Pi [2012, Rated PG] – Lifeboat survival with a tiger? This is another Oscar winner with beautiful cinematography and a memorable message about life.
Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey [1993, Rated G] – Appropriate for young kids, this movie chronicles the journey of three beloved pets’ journey across America to get back to their young owners.
Never Cry Wolf [1984, Rated PG] – Based on a true story, this Disney movie based on a book is a great family movie. A biologist studying wolves isn’t the only one to teach lessons- the wolves themselves have plenty to share.
The Adventures of the Wilderness Family [1975, Rated G] – A family building a homestead with the companionship (and comedy) of real bears.
The Adventures of the Wilderness Family 2 [1978, Rated PG] – Their log-cabin life has challenges, including winter storms, avalanches, and wolves in this beloved sequel.
The Adventures of the Wilderness Family 3 [1979, Rated G] – Their peaceful homesteading life is now interrupted with bureaucracy in the form of mining claims on their land.
Across the Great Divide [1976, Rated G] – In order to claim their 400-acre Oregon ranch inheritance, two orphans are tested by crossing the Rocky Mountains.
My Side of the Mountain [1969, Rated G] – A smart kid named Sam survives on the side of a mountain, learning independence as he does.
Swiss Family Robinson [1960, Rated G] – The original shipwrecked family uses teamwork and ingenuity to survive in this fun family movie.
A Cry in the Wild [1990, Rated PG] – Most people don’t know that a movie was made of Gary Paulson’s beloved survival novel Hatchet in 1990.
More Prepping & Survival Movies
Ya’ll have done an excellent job of chiming in the comments on movies to check out. I update this list annually, so feel free to contribute if we missed one of your favorites. Here are some reader suggestions that are worth the time to watch (in my opinion).
- A Quiet Place 2 (2020)
- Five (1951)
- In the Year 2889 (1969)
- Radioflash (2019)
- Take Shelter (2011)
- The Last Man On Earth (1964)
- The Snow Walker (2003)
- The World, The Flesh, and The Devil (1959)
The Final Word
Movies are a great way to kick back and relax, and movies with prepping and survival elements can be both entertaining and enlightening. Our favorites include movies that show possible disasters events and survival situations, and how the protagonists choose to navigate them.
Here are a few other ways you can up your prepping and survival game from your couch:
- 21 Prepper TV Shows Worth Watching
- 9 Survival Skills You Can Learn from Your Couch
- Home Survival Kit List | 53 Essentials
Keep exploring, stay prepared, and be safe.
See more of our expert-written guides, resources, and reviews in your search results – add TruePrepper as a preferred source.
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No mention of Alive?????????????
Based on a true story and not some fictional zombie nonsense?
Yeah, I saw a reference to #Alive on the list of Netflix shows. I’m not sure what the pound sign is for, but you’re right. Alive with Ethan Hawke is one of the best real-life survival stories EVER. And totally true! They just celebrated the 50th anniversary of the crash in the Andes and I think only one of the survivors has passed after all these years.
I highly recommend the book written by Nando, who was depicted by Ethan Hawke in the movie. An excellent read.
just watched The Impossible >> excellent true life family survival story – plenty of good tips if you look for them …
the sequel to Quiet Place is actually better than the first >>>>
not well known – but – there was a British version of the National Geographic “American Blackout” at the same time – good prepper tips included ….
left off the list is one of the better prepper “movies” ever done – actually another National Geographic “documentary” >>> After Armegeddon from 2010 – one of the best for a prepper group to breakdown and analyze for the negatives & positives ….
“The Snow Walker” should be on this list for sure.
It seems pretty common for movie list-makers (nowadays) to look no further back than the 1970s. I know my own kids consider any film made before they were born to be automatically not worth watching.
That said, the early Cold War Era spawned a great many survival, post-apocalyptic films. Granted, none of them were Spielberg quality or stunning cinematography. But, they’re stories nonetheless.
Consider “Panic in the year zero” (1961), in which a family out for a camping trip witness their home city destroyed by atomic bombs. It’s a ‘bug out’ story if ever there was one.
Consider the first movie adapatation to “I am Legend,” the 1963 version, “The Last Man On Earth” in which Vincent Price play’s Will Smith’s role.
There are many more from the 50s. An obscure film, but perfectly relevant to your list, is “Five.” This 1951 film is about five people who survive the end of the world (nuclear war), come together but don’t get along too well.
These are just a few of them. There’s whole world out there (Barnaby) if you’d let your cast farther back.
Thanks for the list, though!
— Mic
Thanks for the recommendation on “Five”. It is one of VERY few older ones we hadn’t seen. We agree that too many of the older good ones don’t get mentioned enough. You have probably seen “In the Year 2889”. If not you might want to check it out.
Pretty good list! There are few that I haven’t seen. NetFlix has a few pretty good movies from other countries as well if you don’t mind reading subtitles.
There was a movie, early 80’s or late 70’s about a group of peppers that went to their compound anthe teenage son was to collect the adolescent children and meet them there. He ends up with car trouble gets it fixed and then is held hostage by someone that help them store fuel on the property. Does anyone recognize this movie and what the name was?
The name of the movie was “Massive Retaliation” starring Tom Bower.
There’s on thing I noticed In WORLD WAR Z. Why didn’t the Israeli wall have any gun emplacements on top of it? Or a anti personnel barriers at it’s base.
was thinking the same
Radioflash. Well acted. Made me think about all the things I’m not prepped for: Comms, bug out vehicle, self defense, routes, fuel, meds, and a plan B and plan C for everything. $4 or $5 to stream on Prime right now.
“The World, the Flesh, and the Devil” (1959). Excellent.
Take Shelter (2011)
A brilliant Michael Shannon as a prepper who goes crazy and builds a bunker. Great film!
I watched “Leave the World Behind” on Netflix a week or so ago and it was the push I needed to start prepping. Very “now”, with our current technologies and threats.
The Stand, Deliverence, To the White Sea, A Town Like Alice
Alas Babylon
It was made April 1960 for Playhouse 90. I read the book in high school. (50 yrs ago) and it really stuck with me. I haven’t seem the Playhouse 90 version yet. Having trouble being able to stream. I don’t know why this was never made into a movie! Guess I was a “to be” prepper then!
Just released: true story “Lost on a Mountain in Maine”. The mountain is Katahdin, a wilderness preserve, and the boy is Donn Fendler, lost for almost 2 weeks in the 1930s. Great story, great movie. Fictionalized movie but filled with interviews of the people involved in the rescue.