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28 Days Later series
Released: 2002-present
Synopsis: 28 days after the outbreak of a virus, Jim (Cillian Murphy) wakes from a coma to discover that society in Britain has completely collapsed. The films follow different groups of survivors as they navigate this new world of infected, maniacal people.
Verdict: Hailed as a film that redefined the zombie genre, 28 Days Later was a huge succes, and its sequel, 28 Weeks Later was also dubbed a worthy successor, though the third film, 28 Years Later, a little less so. They introduce interesting characters and fearsome ‘zombie’-type antagonists, and the level of commitment to making it as realistic as possible makes the series most terrifying.
Read the full 28 Years Later review.

2012
Released: 2009
Director: Roland Emmerich
Synopsis: In the year 2009, scientists discover a solar flare is rapidly heating up the Earth and predict its end coming very soon. In 2012, Jackson (John Cusack) is told of the coming end of the world by a conspiracy theorist. As the world begins to experiences signs of the end, Jackson begins to take the warnings seriously and tries to get his family to safety.
Verdict: This film, based mainly on the Mayan calendar forewarning of cataclysmic events that will end the world in 2012, was neither original in its story nor its characters. It’s a disaster film for disaster’s sake, and although the scenes of destruction aren’t bad, it lacks in integrity overall. 2/5

A

Arcadian
Released: 2024
Director: Benjamin Brewer
Synopsis: Paul (Nicolas Cage) and his two teenage boys live in a fortified house that is built to withstand attack from creatures that only come out at night. When one of his boys goes missing one night, Paul sets out to find him, and their lives begin to unravel as a result.
Verdict: Arcadian relies a lot on well-used tropes to create a dystopian and frightful world, but the performances of Cage, Jaeden Martell and Maxwell Jenkins as a tight-knit, if fractious, family gives it some depth. The creature design is bizarre (apparently based on Goofy) but it is used to creepy effect in some scenes. 3/5
Read the Tiny Tapes Arcadian review.

Azrael
Released: 2024
Director: E.L. Katz
Synopsis: In a post-Rapture world, Azrael (Samara Weaving) is cast out from her muted community along with her boyfriend and they are constantly having to avoid the Burned Ones. When they are forced apart, Azrael finds herself in more danger, and frankly, she’s had just about enough.
Verdict: This film takes its own path of a dystopian future, whether through supernatural or less so reasons, where the human race has been set back a few millennia, and although it may not be the most original of concepts, it’s the mutism and Weaving’s performance that really give Azrael its legs, not to mention its intriguing ending. 3.5/5
Read the Tiny Tapes Azrael review.

B

Bird Box
Released: 2018
Director: Susanne Bier
Synopsis: When an unseen force starts causing people to commit suicide, heavily pregnant Malore (Sandra Bullock) finds her way to a house with other people seeking refuge. As the strange phenomenon grows, Malorie and the group set out to find other survivors.
Verdict: Though not the most original in story, Bird Box’s characters and commitment to keeping the antagonistic force as an unseen entity both work very much toward its favour. Add on top of that a creeping score by the one and only Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, and you have something that does breathe some fresh life into a story that contains themes that continue to be rehashed. 4/5
Read the full Bird Box review.

C

Cargo
Released: 2017
Directors: Ben Howling, Yolanda Ramke
Synopsis: Andy (Marting Freeman) is bitten by a ‘Viral’, a zombie-like creature, and has 48 hours to find a suitable home for his one-year-old daughter before becoming a Viral himself.  Along the way he meets many different people in different situations, trying to survive or succumbing to consequences.
Verdict: In the grand scheme of zombie movies, Cargo won’t be up there with the best of them, but it’s somewhere suitably in the middle, where it’ll entertain for the most part whilst hopefully giving audiences something to think about. It shows off some of the beautiful yet extremely harsh Australian outback and gives a small but important voice to Aborigine life and beliefs. 3/5
Read the full Cargo review.

D

The Day After Tomorrow
Released: 2004
Director: Roland Emmerich
Synopsis: When an on-coming ice age threatens the planet due to extreme climate change, paleoclimatologist Jack (Dennis Quaid) attempts to warn the government, but they react to late. When incredible and devestating storms hit, Jack resolves to get home to his son, Sam (Jake Gyllenhaal), who is in danger himself.
Verdict: Before 2012, Emmerich was already playing around with the future of the planet with The Day After Tomorrow, and it seems he utilised his better ideas in this one, focusing on one specific disaster, that being climate change bringing on a new ice age. The threats to the characters are attention-grabbing and the relationships are interesting, not to mention the shocking devestation that occurs. 3/5

Delicatessen (French)
Released: 1991
Director: Marc Caro, Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Synopsis: In a dystopian world, the tenents of an apartment building subsist on the rare offering of meat from the delicatessen below. When a young man rolls into town and falls for the deli butcher’s daughter, the status quo begins to unravel.
Verdict: A truly unique film, Delicatessen takes a more light-hearted stance on the dystopian cannibalistic trope. A mix of lighter and even rather touching scenes balance well with the bleak, dark humour. Wonderfully shot and edited with interesting angles and a yellowy hue to drive home its post-apocalyptic setting, and superbly performed. 4/5

I

I Am Legend
Released: 2007
Director: Francis Lawrence
Synopsis: After a virus that was meant to cure cancer hits the world in a devastating capacity, LTC Robert Neville (Will Smith) is alone in New York City, apparently the last human alive due to his immunity to the virus, and he is working on a cure. However, other than his loyal dog, Neville is not alone in the night time.
Verdict: What really gives this not-so-original story its legs and overall longevity is Will Smith’s performance. Essentially a one-man show for the majority, he proves his acting chops with a range of emotions, even when performing opposite mannequins (you read that right). It’s not a particularly terrifying watch, but you will want to watch it for Smith alone. 4/5

K

Knock at the Cabin
Released: 2023
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Synopsis: When a couple are on a retreat to a cabin with their daughter, they are visited by four strangers who hold them hostage, telling the couple that they need to do the unimaginable for reasons that are more important than any single life.
Verdict: It can’t be denied that the premise of this film is intriguing and quite original, as Shyamalan is capable of from time to time. The performances are good, and the themes of right and wrong are integral to the validity of the concept, however it seems to be missing that extra something that would push it into the four-star category. Perhaps its the frustration of waiting for the big reveal, but it falling a little flat, or how it takes itself too seriously at times. 3/5

L

Leave the World Behind
Released: 2023
Director: Sam Esmail
Synopsis: On their weekend getaway to an isolated house, a family’s relaxation is interrupted when there is a Wi-Fi and blackout and the family that own the house return due to the blackout. As more and more things begin to go wrong and strange things occur, the families come to realise the cause of the devestating events.
Verdict: This film builds well and keeps you on edge and wondering what is going on as each event happens, feeling exactly what the characters are. There are many themes played upon through the film, and it’s perhaps one of the most interesting, thought-provoking and frightening apocalyptic films out there, particularly for the western world. 4/5

M

Mad Max series
Released: 1979-2024
Synopsis: In a future Australia, Max (Mel Gibson/Tom Hardy) wanders the barren wasteland encountering all manner of people and mico-societies, all with differing means to their separate ends. Max prefers to keep to himself, but often ends up helping others. Later in the series, Max’s story crosses over to that of another character, Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron/Anya Taylor-Joy).
Verdict: A great franchise of films that have consistently proven to be entertaining, action-packed, thought-provoking and generally just fun in many ways. It’s likely the franchise will continue in some way (film or television), but its future is, as of 2024, uncertain.
Check out DOTT’s Film Club – Mad Max and the full Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga review.

P

The Platform duology (Spanish: El Hoyo)
Released: 2019, 2024
Director: Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia
Synopsis: In a vertical hole with hundreds of levels, inmates live two-per-floor. Through a hole in the middle, a platform carrying food steadily moves between floors, only stopping for a couple of minutes. However, the lower in the hole one is, the less likely it is one will get any food. Each month, the inmates change floors, not knowing if they will get lucky on a higher floor, or unlucky toward the bottom.
Verdict: The first film has great characters and characterisation, shocking and thought-provoking action and some gory outcomes. The second film doesn’t quite live up to the first, as it perhaps tries to delve too deep (pun not intended) into the themes of the premise, but provides more gore and shocks.
Read the Tiny Tapes The Platform 2 review

The Purge series
Released: 2013-present
Synopsis: In a dystopian future, the U.S is relatively crime-free, aside from the annual ‘Purge’, one night a year in which all anyone can partake in any crimes or violence and do so free of consequences. The franchise begins focused on one particular family, the patriarch of which is a designer of home security systems, and continues through the next few decades, seeing some people protesting the Purge, and eventually swings back to the inception of the controversial event.
Verdict: Apparently based on an old Star Trek episode, the premise is incredibly interesting, not least because the chances of it becoming reality are not all that slim. The ethics of the Purge are consistently challenged, yet the protests always seem to be overruled, which is terrifying in itself. Not all the films are equally strong, but worth watching to see what such a terrifying future could be like.

R

The Road
Released: 2009
Director: John Hillcoat
Synopsis: After an unknown catastrophe destroys all plant life and and just about all animal life, a Man (Viggo Mortensen) and his son live day to day surviving as best they can. They follow a road to the coast in the hope of finding somewhere safe, encountering all kinds of unsavoury people on their journey.
Verdict: Coming soon

S

Snowpiercer
Released: 2013
Director: Bong Joon-ho
Synopsis: After an attempt to halt global warming fails, the planet becomes engulfed in snow and ice. The last remnants of humanity survive on the Snowpiercer, a train that circles the globe. With the train split into the classes, the lower class grow tired of the upper class and their comfortable lifestyle while they suffer, and so they start an uprising, led by Curtis (Chris Evans).
Verdict: An excellent take on the potential future of humanity post-climate change, Snowpiercer presents a unique story with a setting that works well to play on the themes of classism and global warming. The casting is superb and lends for solid performances, and the set design is claustrophobic yet eye-opening when compared with the characters and their M.Os. 4/5

T

Threads
Released: 1984
Director: Mick Jackson
Synopsis: In this docudrama set amidst the Cold War, Britain is caught between the US and the Soviet Union and suffers the fallout of a nuclear holocaust, the focus being mainly on the devastating effects on the working class in and around Sheffield and then-Britain-at-large.
Verdict: A haunting film based on a ton of research that presents a chilling prediction of what Britain could become should nuclear weapons be unleashed, much like what happened to the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in WWII but on the scale of an entire country. There is nothing preachy or political about this film: it is pure terrifying consequence. 5/5

W

World War Z
Released: 2013
Director: Mark Forster, based on the book by Max Brooks
Synopsis: Former UN investigator Gerry (Brad Pitt) travels around the world in search of the origin of a mass outbreak of zombies that are destroying the world, as well as a way to put an end to the outbreak.
Verdict: World War Z takes the standard zombie trope and reframes it from the POV of the world rather than just America or another western country. The horror and fear lies mainly in the race against time to find a way to stop the outbreak rather than relying on the zombies alone to terrify, and it is further bolstered by a great leading performance from Pitt. 4/5