Ask anyone horror what is their favorite movie and it will most likely be something like A Nightmare on Elm Street, spellor maybe Shine. Not that there’s anything wrong with this choice, but a sub-category in the horror genre that is often overlooked is wilderness survival horror. It may not be easy to be intimidated by the concept of starvation and exposure to the elements from the comfort of your couch, but for those who love to explore the wilderness, these films may make you rethink your next camping trip.
The fact that a horror film is set outdoors does not necessarily mean that it falls into this subcategory. For example, wrong turn about a group of people who are stuck in the wilderness of West Virginia. Yes, they are trying to survive and get out of these forests, but mainly because of the innate cannibal mountain dwellers that inhabit these forests. Here are a few basic ingredients for making a great survival horror movie. First of all, the main antagonist must always be obtained mainly from the environment. Extreme heat or cold, wild animals, infections, starvation and dehydration can and will kill a person if they are not properly prepared. The main character(s) will have to use their brains and available resources to survive.
edgestarring Anthony Hopkinsas well as Alec Baldwin, is a perfect example of survival horror in the wild. Yes, Baldwin’s character does try to kill Anthony Hopkins’ character in the film, but he’s not the main antagonist. The bear chasing them, as well as the Alaskan wilderness, pose the greatest threat to the characters. The fact that a flock of geese caused their plane to crash is another example of nature’s dangerous unpredictability. With winter approaching, many people want to go on one last hike before the cold sets in. But before you plan your next vacation, you might want to watch some of these movies first.
Backcountry (2014)
Screenwriter and director Adam McDonald (Slasher), this movie really changes your idea of who is at the top of the food chain. Alex (Jeff Roop) takes his girlfriend Jen (Missy Peregrym) on a hike in the national park. He refuses to take a map from the park ranger, stating that he knows the park very well. He injured his leg early and when they camped at the end of the first night they met Brad (Eric Balfour) who tells them that he is a park guide. Insulted by the way Brad flirts with Jen and hints that they’d be better off with him as a guide, Alex takes Jen off the marked trail the next morning.
They stumble upon the mauled remains of a deer shortly before realizing they are lost. And just as they set up camp, the grizzly bear is attracted to the smell of Alex’s leg injury, raising the stakes even higher. Traumatized, injured, and lost, Jen must return to civilization before the bear catches up with her.
backcountry available for streaming on Kanopy and Shudder.
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Jungle (2017)
This Australian film is actually based on the true story of an Israeli explorer. Yossi Ginsberg and his harrowing experience in the Amazon rainforest. The film was written Justin Monjo (farscape) and under the guidance Greg McLean (Wolf Creek). Daniel Radcliffe starring Yossi, who plans to go to the jungles of Bolivia with his two friends Marcus (Joel Jackson) and Kevin (Alex Russell). They meet an Austrian named Karl (Thomas Kretschmann), who claims to know an undiscovered local tribe that he can show them. After some trepidation, the trio decide to head into the rainforest with an Austrian as their guide.
Without revealing too much of the story, this movie will make you think about going into the jungle of any kind, especially with a stranger. Jungle available for streaming on Roku and Prime Video.
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Long Weekend (2008)
Another Australian film (to be honest, nature in australia especially scary), producer Jamie Blanks (urban legend), it’s actually a remake of the 1978 movie, long weekend. Also called nature graveit’s movie stars Jim Caviezel (Frequency) like Peter planning a camping trip with his wife Carla (Claudia Karvan) on a remote beach on the north coast of Australia in New South Wales. There is a palpable tension between the couple that only intensifies as the film progresses. Peter runs over a kangaroo carcass, throws a lit cigarette out the window, and overall the couple show blatant disrespect for nature.
Soon after they set up their camp, nature begins to resist their intrusion. It starts off slow, like you’re being chased by a possible shark and then infested by a biting ant at their camp, but nature’s retribution quickly escalates in this movie. It’s a solid reminder to “leave no trace” when you’re a guest in Mother Nature’s home. long weekend available for streaming on Roku.
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Canyon (2009)
The newlyweds decide to ride a mule into the Grand Canyon with a guide named Henry (Will Patton). Nick (Eion Bailey) and his wife Lori (Yvonne Strahovski) want to see the petroglyphs, but they are told that they are still half a day away. Along the way, Henry is bitten by rattlesnakes and the mules run away.
Forced to continue on foot, Henry soon dies from a rattlesnake bite, leaving the newlyweds to make their own way out of the Canyon. They face the elements, climbing injuries and a pack of ravenous wolves. So much for a relaxing honeymoon adventure. Canyon available for streaming on Roku.
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Frozen (2010)
No, this is not a movie with a singing and talking snowman. Screenwriter and director Adam Green (Axe), frozen follows Parker (Emma Bell), her boyfriend Dan (Kevin Zegers) and Dan’s best friend Joe (Sean Ashmore) hang out at the ski resort. Shortly before the resort closes for the long weekend, the three of them convince the lift attendant to let them go for their last night’s run. When the other escort sees the three skiers coming down the slope shortly after, he assumes they are the same trio and turns off the lift, trapping Parker, Dan, and Joe high off the ground.
After Dan tries to jump down, breaking both of his legs in the process, he is attacked by a pack of wolves, leaving Parker and Joe to watch helplessly from above. No one will come to save them, they will freeze if they stay where they are, and they will be attacked by wolves if they go down. Singing “Let It Go” won’t get them out of it. frozen nightmare.
frozen available for streaming on Amazon Freevee and Roku.
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Open Water (2003)
open water is the perfect survival movie for shark lovers. Based on a true story from 1998, this movie follows a couple who go scuba diving to the Great Barrier Reef and end up behind their boat. It was written and directed Chris Kentis (quiet house).
Blanchard Ryan (beer festival) as well as Daniel Travis (Thanks for smoking) decide that scuba diving will be the perfect opportunity for them to spend some quality time together as a couple. They board a scuba charter with 18 other divers and head out to sea. The two become separated from the group during the dive, and before they can reunite, the boat leaves the dive site due to a miscount of returned divers. After they realize that they are left behind, the realization comes that the boat will not return for them and that they have also sailed away from the dive site. It doesn’t take long for local sharks to start considering them as their next meal. Will anyone notice they are missing and send rescue boats before it’s too late?
open water available for streaming on Prime Video.
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Rogue (2007)
For now another Australian survival horror film also written and directed by Greg McLean (Jungle). American travel journalist Pete McKellMichael Vartan) joins a group of tourists on a crocodile-watching river cruise in Australia’s Northern Territory. Radha Mitchell (silent Hill) leads an expedition as Kate Ryan, a wildlife explorer. The group spots a distress signal upriver and investigates, only to find a semi-submerged wreck. As they approach, something large below the surface crashes into their boat, permanently damaging it.
They manage to direct it to a small island in the middle of the river, but Kate realizes that they are in the middle of the crocodile’s territory and that the river rises at night, completely covering the island. They will have to find a way to cross the river to the mainland before they fall prey to the giant man-eating crocodile. The crocodile in question is inspired by a 17-foot saltwater crocodile named “Honey” that was responsible for several boat attacks in the 1970s.
Scoundrel available for streaming on Plex, Tubi and Vudu.
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Gray (2011)
Screenwriter, director and producer Joe Carnahan (death wish), this survival horror film takes us back almost entirely to edge. You have a plane crash in the brutal desert of Alaska, wild animal attacks, and tension between survivors putting each other in danger. Liam Neeson (Taken) plays John Ottoway, a sniper working for an oil company in Alaska. His job is to keep packs of wolves away from the oil workers. After his last day at work, he boards a plane that is supposed to take him and several other men to Anchorage for their two-week vacation.
The plane hits severe turbulence, causing it to break apart and crash deep into the Alaskan wilderness. He and the other crash survivors find themselves deep in wolf territory and must find a way to escape as the wolves kill them one by one. Grey does not stream with any of the subscription or ad-supported free services, but can be rented or bought on Amazon, Google Play, and Apple TV.
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Source: Collider
