There is something incredibly appealing to us regarding the apocalypse as we know it. If you were the sole surviving faith of mankind, what would you do? There are some films such as ‘Shaun of the Dead‘ and ‘Zombieland’ that present us with a quite humorous take on this not-so-humorous scenario that helps us understand that the world is not such a

terrible place even when there are half-rotten, flesh-eating humans everywhere. And then there are others that provide us with a glimpse of the gloomy reality of a post-apocalyptic world. Some of these include films such as ’10 Cloverfield Lane,’ ‘2012’ and ‘World War Z.’ Netflix has every type of movie in this genre, which you can enjoy during a night out with your friends or just to witness the thrills and the scares.

20. What Happened to Monday (2017)

In 2043, there is a one-child policy because there are too many people, and all but the first child are placed into a cryosleep. All citizens are monitored by an electronic wristband to enforce this. At such a time, a woman passed away while giving birth to seven identical septuplet sisters. In their grandfather’s custody, they were taught to the minutest detail to pretend to be one identity, and communication was the trick to that. The government would kill them if it discovered more than one of them. But all hell lets loose when one of the sisters is arrested and her communication severed. Is life given an opportunity under such a strict rule? You can see the movie here to discover.

19. Cadaver (2020)

The Norwegian ‘Cadaver’ is based in a city leveled to the ground following a nuclear tragedy, and in this city, wretchedness is the rule. With no food, people are starved, crimes are rampant, and seeing decaying dead bodies on the street is an everyday phenomenon. The only way to survive in that world is to stick together. Leonora (Gitte Witt) and Jacob (Thomas Gullestad) have an only daughter, Alice (Tuva Olivia Remman), and are very protective of her. Surprisingly, a renowned theater director, Mathias Vinterberg (Thorborm Harr), declares an intimate performance, ‘The Hotel,’ with the guarantee of a decent meal. They think this as a chance to escape the reality and so agree to attend the show. With fact blurring into fiction, there is trouble, and what comes out is the reality of living in a world where everyone follows “eat or be eaten.” You can view the movie here.

18. The Silence (2019)

Grim survival horror film based in a post-apocalyptic world, ‘The Silence’ is a narration of a world where the Earth is flooded with beast-like creatures that ambush even at the slightest of sounds. While human beings are compelled to learn how to live soundlessly in such a world, Ally Andrews, a young girl who lost her hearing after being hit by a car, relocates to the rural area with her family. Though Ally’s dad’s best friend, Glenn, and their family dog perish along the way, the family is eventually able to seek shelter in a tiny shelter. Yet with a local cult desperate to utilize Ally’s enhanced senses, the family comes to realize that the monsters are not the greatest danger to their existence. You can watch the movie here.

17. Bird Box: Barcelona (2023)

An independent sequel/spin-off to ‘Bird Box’ (2018), which itself is an adaptation of the same-named 2014 novel by Josh Malerman, ‘Bird Box Barcelona’ has been helmed by Álex Pastor and David Pastor. It depicts the world being invaded by invisible beings who feed on the fears of human beings and compel them to commit suicide. The twist is that any form of eye contact results in suicide. If you don’t see them, then you are safe, but they are coming for you, so it’s just a question of time when you will die as well. In this world, we are following a guy named Sebastián, who initially works for the beings who are making him kill other people by making him see an illusion of his dead daughter. This vision informs him that he is working for the angels and he must get more souls that will be freed in death. However, he later on begins to question this vision and eventually gives his life while attempting to rescue a woman and a young girl into a place of safety. A movie that wisely succeeds in handling the macrocosm of a post-apocalyptic globe and the microcosm that is humanity’s belief, ‘Bird Box Barcelona’ is also a watch worth your while, as its predecessor. You can watch it here.

16. Extinction (2018)

A guy is tormented by nightmares of a post-apocalyptic world. They become so vivid after some time that he begins to think that they are omens of something that is to come. All begin questioning his sanity, even his family, but he comes out as a hero later on when all the things that previously tormented him begin to manifest themselves, but he is fully prepared for them. ‘Extinction’ is about a guy who does not disregard his intuition and then employs it to safeguard his family against an army of extra-terrestrial beings who are attempting to invade the planet Earth. The movie is so well directed and so good that it becomes the standard for all the other alien invasion apocalypse films. Micheal Pena performs wonderfully as the main character, but the twist in the end of this movie might disappoint you or make you fall in love with it. You can watch it here.

15. IO (2019)

‘IO’ depicts a post-apocalyptic world in which the Earth has been totally devastated to the point that humans can no longer inhabit it. Nearly all of humanity has deserted the planet and relocated to Jupiter’s moon, IO. However, one adolescent girl named Sam is a scientist and feels that the planet can still be salvaged. She transmits a message on a shared frequency in order to attract the notice of the remaining human beings, and that’s when a guy named Micah, also heading for boarding the last spaceship to IO, arrives and meets her. While Micah will need to hurry towards the ship, Sam needs to choose if she prefers to remain or relocate to IO like other human beings. This movie is similar to ‘I Am Legend’ except that this one has no zombies. But unfortunately, it’s not as good as ‘I am Legend’ and, in a sense, ended up wasting a very good idea. Nevertheless, you can watch it once, for it does give you the post-apocalyptic vibe. It lacks only some major material to the story. You can see ‘IO’ here.

14. The Cloverfield Paradox (2018)

‘The Cloverfield Paradox’ is part of the three movies in the Cloverfield franchise that reveals the origin of the bizarre creatures in ‘Cloverfield’ and ’10 Cloverfield Lane’. It starts with a group of scientists who are working on a space station orbiting around the Earth’s orbit. Their ambition is to devise an energy source which can supply unlimited power to the planet. But the entire experiment goes horribly wrong and creates gateways for another universe that will take the world nearer to its Doomsday. You can watch the movie here to see what follows, and it could just do us good if we ever encounter a Doomsday. One never knows, right?

13. End of Evangelion (1997)

The Japanese anime sci-fi movie directed by Hideaki Anno and Kazuya Tsurumaki is a dramatic conclusion to the ‘Neon Genesis Evangelion’ television series. The story written by Hideaki Anno gets into the depths of apocalyptic situations with a blend of philosophical and psychological analysis. Adolescents Shinji, Rei, and Asuka operate mechs designated as Evangelions to protect human beings from entities known as Angels. Amidst this struggle, Shinji is involved in the Human Instrumentality Project, aiming to merge human beings into one. Regardless of the initial controversies over its conceptual method, the film became successful and received many awards, securing its role as a significant animation production. You can watch it here.

12. How it Ends (2018)

The film is about a guy who’s attempting to return home to his pregnant wife in a world that has ended. The world is no more the same, and it’s chaos everywhere. Will he make it home to his wife? This film starts on a really good note and looks quite engaging at the beginning. But it gradually begins to lose its grip on the plot from where it had begun initially and trailed off into blandness. There are many scenes and choices made during the movie that will leave you thinking where the movie is going and why it is even going there. But it remains a time-killer, and you can watch it once because it does contain a lot of very good action scenes. You are able to watch the film here.

11. Cargo (2017)

It is a highly emotive zombie apocalypse tale of a man who seeks a new home for his just-born daughter after learning that he might have only a few hours before he is infected by an outbreak pandemic. You won’t get much of a heart in many of the zombie movies, but this one accomplishes a whole lot of emotions as well as thrills to it. I wouldn’t call it an Oscar-worthy film, but it’s definitely a fresh breeze. You can watch the movie here.

10. Blame! (2017)

‘Blame! ‘ depicts a future world where humans live a life completely embedded with cyber-technology. But a lethal virus occurs gradually, causing all the technology to malfunction and gradually begins exterminating the whole population of the world. The anime is of quite a new and novel idea and also has been carried out really well. Certain far-out sci-fi ideas are left unexplained in the film, so if you are new to such movies, then ensure that you have Google at your disposal. But it is interesting, so feel free to check out the movie here.

9. Spectral (2016)

The world is threatened by supernatural beings that are invisible to the naked eye and destroy anyone who confronts them. The movie centers around a special-ops team that battles these unknown entities that could be spirits of the war or a government’s arms experiment that went wrong. Spectral has some terrific special effects, a good plot, and some acceptable acting. It is not an ideal film, but acceptable enough to be worth watching as a one-off. You can see the film here.

8. The Worthy (2016)

‘The Worthy’ is an okay movie, worthy given the context that it is from a region where cinema isn’t really very prominent. The film is about how the majority of the world’s population gets entirely eradicated after water sources are infected with fatal viruses. Few survivors live in proximity to a reliable clean water source that subsequently gets infiltrated by some individuals who lack good intentions. All of this becomes a bloody survival game when the last humans battle it out for the sole water body that will sustain them. You can watch ‘The Worthy’ here.

7. Night Raiders (2021)

A Canadian-New Zealand dystopian sci-fi film, ‘Night Raiders’ is wonderfully made by first-time director Danis Goulet. Drawing themes of motherhood and dictatorship, it tracks the life of a Cree mom-daughter who is struggling to survive amidst a society controlled by a repressive military regime. The mother is eventually confronted with the choice of saving her daughter’s life by sending her away or to keep her and allow her to die. This story is preceded by a prophecy that states that a stranger will lead the resistance Cree tribe to safety. Executive-produced by Taika Waititi, ‘Night Raiders’ combines gripping storytelling and effective visuals to craft a gem of a post-apocalyptic thriller. You can stream it here.

6. Peninsula (2020)

Directed by Yeon Sang-ho, ‘Peninsula’ is part of the ‘Train to Busan’ franchise. Set 4 years after the events of ‘Train to Busan,’ the story follows Marine Corps Captain Jung-seok (Gang Dong-won), who is hired by Chinese mobsters to recover $20 million from the zombie-ridden wasteland. Not only do he and his team have to survive hordes of zombies, but also unhinged rogue militant groups for whom watching prisoners killed by zombies is an entertainment. ‘Peninsula’ provides intense action charged by fear of the walking dead. You can view it here.

5. The Midnight Sky (2020)

A great movie in a post-apocalyptic world where a catastrophe has eliminated most of the human population, ‘The Midnight Sky’ traces scholar Augustine Lofthouse, the sole individual remaining within an Arctic base committed to searching for other earth-like planets. Though Lofthouse realizes that he has not many days left to live, he soon makes contact with the Aether’s crew, who are coming back from space and have no information regarding the state on Earth. The scholar immediately attempts to alert the crew of the impending threat but understands that the antenna is too frail. In the meantime, he also comes across a small girl who doesn’t seem to be able to speak. Even though Lofthouse can feel death closing in around him, he refuses to give up and takes the girl to a nearby station with a stronger antenna. But soon, boundaries between reality and fantasy become fuzzy, and the film tapers off into a chilling conclusion with the little girl’s true identity revealed. You can see it here.

4. 28 Years Later (2025)

Danny Boyle’s ’28 Years Later’ is the third film in the ’28 Days Later’ series and is set 28 years after the Rage Virus’s second wave. The film tracks Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and his son Spike (Alfie Williams) as they head to mainland Britain for Spike’s initiation ritual. The film continues the franchise’s gore reputation in a gripping way as we track the father-daughter team fight zombies as they navigate a society in pieces. A must-see for fans of the zombie genre and post-apocalyptic genre, ’28 Years Later’ is available to stream here.

3. Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

In an alternate post-apocalyptic world, ‘Edge of Tomorrow’ tracks Major William Cage (Tom Cruise) as he attempts to find Sergeant Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt), who is essential in winning the ongoing war between humans and the aliens, aka “Mimics.” The catch with Cage’s mission, however, is that he is trapped in a time loop, and whenever he gets killed, he needs to restart his mission at the same spot, repeating things and improvising on errors. This means convincing Vrataski that he is there to help needs to be repeated, too. Directed by Christopher McQuarrie, ‘Edge of Tomorrow’ is a must-watch post-apocalyptic flick with brilliant visuals and a gripping narrative. It can be streamed here.

2. Army of the Dead (2021)

Directed by Zack Snyder, ‘Army of the Dead‘ is a post-apocalyptic zombie heist film set in a quarantined Las Vegas after a zombie outbreak. When casino owner Bly Tanaka comes to Scott Ward (Dave Bautista) with a high-risk assignment to steal $200 million from a vault before the city will be nuked, he recruits a diverse crew consisting of his old comrades, a helicopter pilot, a safe-cracker, a sharpshooter, and a couple of other additions. As the team moves into the city swarming with zombies, they not only face the usual undead but a system of intelligent, organized zombies called Alphas. Betrayals, hidden agendas, and the threat of the nuclear attack turn the mission into a struggle to survive. The movie combines fast-paced action scenes, emotional scenes, and Snyder’s specific visuality. Watch this accomplishment here.

1. Bird Box (2018)

This film became viral and received near about 45 million hits after being launched on Netflix. Starring Oscar winner Sandra Bullock, ‘Bird Box’ illustrates the plight of a single mother in a post-apocalyptic world in which she must journey across a hostile river with her two children, and the most significant challenge that they face in doing all this is that they must do all of this blindfolded. You know why from the last movie in this list, i.e., ‘Bird Box Barcelona.’ You can stream ‘Bird Box’ here.Read More: Best Twist Ending Movies on Netflix