This list of disaster films represents over half a century of films within the genre. Disaster films are motion pictures which depict an impending or ongoing disaster as a central plot feature. The films typically feature large casts and multiple storylines and focus on the protagonists' attempts to avert, escape, or cope with the disaster presented.
Man-made disasters
- Backdraft (1991) [1]
- City on Fire (1979) [2]
- Crack in the World (1965)[3]
- Daylight (1996) [4]
- Deepwater Horizon (2016) [5]
- Fire! (1977) [6]
- Firestorm (1998) [7]
- In Old Chicago (1937) [8]
- The Towering Inferno (1974)[9]
Natural disasters
- 10.0 Earthquake (2014) [10]
- 10.5 (2004) [11]
- 13 Minutes (2021) [12]
- 2012 (film) (2009) [13]
- After the Shock (1990)[14]
- Aftershock: Earthquake in New York (1999)[15]
- Armageddon (1998) [16]
- Asteroid (1997)[17]
- Avalanche (1978) [18]
- Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979)[19]
- California Firestorm (2002) [20]
- Christmas Twister (2012) [21]
- The Core (2003) [22]
- Cyclone (1978) [23]
- Dante's Peak (1997) [24]
- The Day After Tomorrow (2004)[25]
- Deep Impact (1998)[26]
- Deluge (1933) "the first studio produced narrative disaster picture."[14]
- Devil Winds (2003) [27]
- Disaster Zone: Volcano in New York (2006) [28]
- Earthquake (1974) [29]
- Earthquake in New York (1998) [30]
- Fire Twister (2015) [31]
- Flood (2007) [32]
- Flood: A River's Rampage (1997) [33]
- Flood! (1976) [34]
- Geostorm (2017) [35]
- The Great Los Angeles Earthquake (1990) [30]
- Greenland (2020) [36]
- Hard Rain (1998) [37]
- Heatwave! (1974) [38]
- The Hurricane (1937) [39]
- Hurricane (1979) [40]
- The Impossible (2012) [41]
- Into the Storm (2014) [42]
- Killer Flood: The Day the Dam Broke (2003) [43]
- Krakatoa, East of Java (1969) [44]
- Magma: Volcanic Disaster (2006) [45]
- Meteor (1979) [46]
- Nature Unleashed: Avalanche (2004) [47]
- Nature Unleashed: Earthquake (2005) [48]
- Nature Unleashed: Fire (2004) [49]
- Nature Unleashed: Tornado (2005) [50]
- Night of the Twisters (1996) [51]
- NYC: Tornado Terror (2008) [52]
- The Night the World Exploded (1957)[53]
- On Hostile Ground (2000) [54]
- The Perfect Storm (2000)[55]
- Pompeii (2014)[56]
- Poseidon (2006)[57]
- The Poseidon Adventure (1972)[58]
- The Rains Came (1939) [59]
- Raise the Titanic (1980) [60]
- San Andreas (2015)[61]
- San Francisco (1936)[62]
- Seattle Superstorm (2012) [63]
- S.O.S. Titanic (1979) [64]
- St. Helens (1981) [65]
- Super Cyclone (2012) [66]
- Storm (1999) [67]
- Tidal Wave (1973) [68]
- Tidal Wave (2009)[69]
- Tidal Wave: No Escape (1997) [70]
- Titanic (1953) [71]
- Titanic (1996) [72]
- Titanic (1997) [73]
- Titanic: The Legend Goes On (2001) [74]
- Tornado! (1996) [75]
- Tornado Warning (2002) [76]
- Twister (1996) [77]
- Tycus (1998) [78]
- Volcano: Fire on the Mountain (1997) [79]
- Volcano (1997) [80]
- The Volcano Disaster (also known as Nature Unleashed: Volcano, 2005) [81]
- The Wave (2015)[82][83]
- When Time Ran Out (1980) [84]
End of days
- The Day After (1983)[85]
- When Worlds Collide (1951) [86]
Airplanes
- Airport (film series), 1970s series of four airplane-themed disaster films[87]
- Airport (1970 film), a film based on Arthur Hailey's book
- Airport 1975, sequel to the 1970 film
- Airport '77, sequel to Airport 1975
- The Concorde ... Airport '79, 1979 sequel to Airport '77
- Airspeed (1998) [88]
- Alive (1993)[89]
- The Doomsday Flight (1966) [90]
- Fire and Rain (1989) [90]
- The Flight of the Phoenix (1965) [91]
- Flight of the Phoenix (2004) [92]
- The High and the Mighty (1954)[90]
- The Hindenburg (1975)[93]
- Snakes on a Plane (2006)
- Survive! (1976)[94]
- Turbulence (1997) [95]
- Zero Hour! (1957) [96]
The atomic age
- Atomic Train (1999) [97]
- Atomic Twister (2002) [98]
- Control (1987) [99]
- Miracle Mile (1988) [100]
- Friend of the World (2020) [101]
- On the Beach (1959) [102]
- Panic in Year Zero! (1962)[98]
Epidemics and pandemics
- The Andromeda Strain (1971) [103]
- The Cassandra Crossing (1976) [104]
- Contagion (2011) [105]
- Outbreak (1995) [106]
- Perfect Sense (2011) [107]
- Plague (1979) [98]
- The Stand (1994) [108]
- Virus (1980) [109]
- Virus (1995) [110]
- Warning Sign (1985) [111]
Shipwrecks
- Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979) [112]
- Britannic (2000) [74]
- Gray Lady Down (1978) [113]
- K-19: The Widowmaker (2002) [114]
- The Last Voyage (1960) [112]
- The Poseidon Adventure (1972) [112]
- The Poseidon Adventure (2005) [112]
- Poseidon (2006) [112]
- Raise the Titanic (1980) [60]
- S.O.S. Titanic (1979) [64]
- Titanic (1953) [71]
- Titanic (1996) [72]
- Titanic (1997) [73]
- Titanic: The Legend Goes On (2001) [74]
- Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961) [115]
- A Night to Remember (1958) [116]
See also
- Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction
- Cultural significance of tornadoes § Motion pictures with a tornado theme
- List of apocalyptic films
- List of firefighting films
- List of monster movies
- List of natural horror films
- Survival film
- List of zombie films
References
- ^ "Backdraft (1991)". AllMovie. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 195.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 56.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 59.
- ^ Worland, Justin. "The True Story Behind the 'Deepwater Horizon' Movie". Time.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 201.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 204.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 207-210.
- ^ Halliwell 1979, p. 901.
- ^ "Disaster Films". Filmsite. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 52.
- ^ Brandy McDonnell (October 29, 2021). "Twister's path: Oklahoma-made tornado movie '13 Minutes' stars Anne Heche, Amy Smart and more". Oklahoman.
- ^ "2012". Allmovie. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
- ^ a b Kay 2006, p. 76.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 54.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 173.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 178.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 91.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 129-131.
- ^ "California Firestorm (2001)". AllMovie. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ "Christmas Twister (2012)". AllMovie. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 106.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 229-231.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 108-110.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 96.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 180.
- ^ "Devil Winds (2003)". AllMovie. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ "Disaster Zone: Volcano in New York". AllMovie. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ Valero, Gerardo (April 10, 2018). "An Event...: On 1974's Earthquake". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- ^ a b Kay 2006, p. 78.
- ^ "Fire Twister". AllMovie. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ "Disaster Films". Filmsite. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
- ^ "Flood: A River's Rampage (1997)". AllMovie. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 232.
- ^ "Best Disaster Movies to Stream Right Now". Thrillist. May 19, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- ^ "Greenland (2020)". AllMovie. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 235-237.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 225.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 238.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 243.
- ^ "The Impossible (2012)". AllMovie. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- ^ "Into the Storm (2014)". AllMovie. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- ^ "Killer Flood: The Day the Dam Broke (2003)". AllMovie. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 122.
- ^ "Magma: Volcanic Disaster". AllMovie. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 184.
- ^ "Avalanche: Nature Unleashed (2004)". AllMovie. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ "Earthquake: Nature Unleashed (2004)". AllMovie. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ "Fire: Nature Unleashed (2004)". AllMovie. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ "Tornado: Nature Unleashed". AllMovie. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 245-246.
- ^ "NYC: Tornado Terror (2008)". AllMovie. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 67.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 228.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 247.
- ^ "Pompeii (2014)". AllMovie. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- ^ "Poseidon (2006)". AllMovie. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
- ^ Halliwell 1979, p. 695.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 70.
- ^ a b Kay 2006, p. 152.
- ^ "San Andreas (2015)". AllMovie. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 73.
- ^ "Seattle Superstorm". AllMovie. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ a b Kay 2006, p. 154.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 123.
- ^ "Super Cyclone (2012)". AllMovie. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 229.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 257.
- ^ "Tidal Wave". AllMovie. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- ^ "Tidal Wave: No Escape (1997)". AllMovie. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ a b Kay 2006, p. 159.
- ^ a b Kay 2006, p. 162.
- ^ a b Kay 2006, p. 165.
- ^ a b c Kay 2006, p. 169.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 250-252.
- ^ "Tornado Warning (2002)". AllMovie. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 253.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 192.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 117-118.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 113-116.
- ^ "The Volcano Disaster (2004)". AllMovie. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ The Wave, Magnolia Home Entertainment, DVD, 2016, film released 2015
- ^ "The Wave (2015)". AllMovie. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 119-121.
- ^ "The Day After (1983)". AllMovie. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 189.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 9-17.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 18.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 20.
- ^ a b c Kay 2006, p. 49.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 28-30.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 31-34.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 35.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 40.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 44.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 48.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 261.
- ^ a b c Kay 2006, p. 305.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 267.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 272.
- ^ Halen, Adrian (November 17, 2021). "'Friend of the World' streaming and on demand Nov 22nd". Horror News Net. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 303.
- ^ "The Andromeda Strain (1971)". AllMovie. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 264-266.
- ^ "The 15 Best Disaster Movies Of All Time". CinemaBlend. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 276-279.
- ^ Perfect Sense (2011) - David Mackenzie | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related | AllMovie, retrieved 2021-05-20
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 304.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 295.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 289.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 298.
- ^ a b c d e Kay 2006, p. 141.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 132.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 139.
- ^ Kay 2006, p. 168.
- ^ "DISASTER FILMS - Night to Remember". userhome.brooklyn.cuny.edu. Retrieved 2022-05-17.
Further reading
- Halliwell, Leslie (1979). Halliwell's Film Guide. New York: Granada Publishing.
- Kay, Glenn; Rose, Michael (2006). Disaster Movies. Chicago: A Capella/Chicago Review Press. Retrieved November 11, 2020 – via Internet Archive.