List of eco-horror films

This is a list of eco-horror films.

Criteria

These are some natural horror films and other films in the horror genre whose plots include mention of ecological issues. Also included are documentaries dealing with the possible disastrous ecological consequences of human activity. It is also known as "eco-terror".

Documentaries

The Hellstrom Chronicle (1971)
An Inconvenient Truth (2006; global warming)
The 11th Hour (2007; the state of the natural environment)
Gasland (2010)

Fictional

King Kong (1933)
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953)
Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)
Godzilla (1954)
Them! (1954; about atomically mutated ants)
It Came from Beneath the Sea (1955)
Tarantula (1955)
Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957)
Beginning of the End (1957)
Amanita Pestilens (1963)
The Birds (1963)
Planet of the Apes (1968)
Willard (1971)
Deliverance (1972)
Frogs (1972)
Night of the Lepus (1972; about giant killer rabbits)
Silent Running (1972)
Godmonster of Indian Flats (1973; about mutated sheep in Virginia City)
The Wicker Man (1973)
Phase IV (1974)
Jaws (1975)
Grizzly (1976)
Squirm (1976)
Day of the Animals (1977)
Kingdom of the Spiders (1977)
Jennifer (1978)
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (1978)
Long Weekend (1978; animals turn hostile towards a young couple who disrespect nature)
Piranha (1978)
The Swarm (1978; about killer bees)
The China Syndrome (1979)
Prophecy (1979)
Alligator (1980)
C.H.U.D. (1984)
Razorback (1984)
The Toxic Avenger (1984)
The Quiet Earth (1985)
The Stuff (1985)
Troll 2 (1990)
Arachnophobia (1990)
Cronos (1993)
Jurassic Park (1993; about cloning dinosaurs)
Safe (1995; about suburban pollution)
Waterworld (1995)
Mimic (1997)
The Day After Tomorrow (2004)
The Last Winter (2006; oil drilling in Alaska awakes slumbering forces)
The Happening (2008; plants release a toxin as a defense mechanism)
Take Shelter (2011)
The Bay (2012; about the Chesapeake Bay water quality problems)
Snowpiercer (2013)
Harbinger (2016; about the poisonous effects of fracking)
Sleep Has Her House (2017)
Unearth (2020; about the consequences of fracking)
In the Earth (2021)
Humane (2024; about the consequences of ecological collapse)
The Caretakers (2025)
The Last House (2026)

References

↑ Simpson 2010. "... this article examines how a number of exploitation horror films have dealt with environmental topics and issues of trespass. In particular ... animals ... in some key Australian eco-horror films from the last 30 years..."
↑ Screen Daily 2011. "...Drought, [an] eco-horror tale about survivors of an apocalypse whose precious water source is threatened by a legion of bloodthirsty youths."
↑ Ford 2008. "Unlike most horror films these movies aren't fiction, they are serious documentaries tackling the big issues of our time. But the message is still: Be afraid."
↑ Ulaby 2008.
↑ Nature Strikes Back! 10 Eco-Terror Classics - The Grindhouse Cinema Database
1 2 Murray, Robin L.; Heumann, Joseph K. (2016). Monstrous Nature. University of Nebraska Press. doi:10.2307/j.ctt1dxg7cb. ISBN 978-0-8032-8569-9. JSTOR j.ctt1dxg7cb.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Notebook Primer: Eco-Horror on Notebook|MUBI
1 2 Ford 2008.
↑ Taubin, Amy (September 2006). "An Inconvenient Truth". BFI. Archived from the original on 12 November 2007.
1 2 3 4 5 6 10 Scary Eco-Horror Films - The Green Life
1 2 Animal Horror Movies: The Best Creature Feature Films Ever Made - Creepy Catalog
1 2 3 4 5 6 The Evolution of Eco-Horror, from Godzilla to Global Warming - VICE
1 2 3 4 5 9 Eco-Horror Movies to Watch on Earth Day - Vulture
1 2 10 Environmentally Eerie Eco-Horrors : Film School Rejects
↑ AMANITA PESTILENS|The Bedlam Files
↑ Are You In The House Alone?: A TV Movie Compendium 1964-1999 - Google Books
↑ The Evolution of Planet of the Apes: Science, Religion, and 1960s Cinema
↑ Rotten Tomatoes
↑ Speculative Imperialisms: Monstrosity and Masquerade in Postracial Times - Google Books (pg.109)
1 2 3 4 Gambin, Lee (15 February 2018). Massacred By Mother Nature: Exploring the Natural Horror Film. 305: Midnight Marquee & BearManor Media.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
↑ Scovell, Adam (28 July 2022). "How masterly horror Deliverance set a controversial trend". BBC. Archived from the original on 2 August 2022. ... an ecological message that still resonates; that the destruction of the natural world has consequences for everyone.
↑ Lynn Borden Dead: 'Hazel' Actress Was 77 – The Hollywood Reporter
↑ 'Night of the Lepus'|Top 10 Killer-Animal Movies|TIME.com
↑ In Praise of Night of the Lepus - ComingSoon.net
1 2 3 10 Environmentally Eerie Eco-Horrors : Film School Rejects
↑ How Pollution Created the Creepiest Monster Movie Mutants|Gizmodo
1 2 3 4 Nature's Revenge: 10 Eco Horror Movies to Watch for Earth Day|Bloody Disgusting
↑ Rust, Stephen A.; Soles, Carter (2014). "Ecohorror Special Cluster: "Living in Fear, Living in Dread, Pretty Soon We'll All Be Dead"". Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment. 21 (3): 509–512. doi:10.1093/isle/isu085. JSTOR 26430358.
↑ Rediscover these 20 obscure horror films from the 1970s - Blastr
↑ Simpson 2010.
↑ Jordan, Bruce (20 June 2010). "Long Weekend (1978)". Classic-Horror.com. Archived from the original on 8 December 2010.
1 2 3 Classified: Eco-Horror - Film Comment Magazine
↑ 10 Cult Sci-Fi Movies About Environmental Revenge - Gizmodo
↑ 10 Terrifying Eco-Horror Movies|ScreenRant
↑ A Companion to American Gothic - Google Books (pgs.323-325)
1 2 3 Green Monsters: The Rise of Eco-Horror Movies Due to Climate Change Concerns — The Science Survey
↑ Whitty, Stephen (18 September 2007). "Eco-horror tale short on horror but effectively unsettling". NJ.com. Archived from the original on 14 August 2019.
↑ Nayman, Adam (24 November 2008). "The Big Chill: Larry Fessenden's The Last Winter". Cinema Scope: Issue 29. Archived from the original on 10 February 2007.
↑ Foy 2010, p. 168. "The Happening is a naturalist parable of what might occur if the earth began rejecting humanity as a virus."
↑ Murphy, Bernice M. (2013). "'Why Wouldn't the Wilderness Fight Us?' American Eco-Horror and the Apocalypse" (PDF). The Rural Gothic in American Popular Culture. pp. 178–213. doi:10.1057/9781137353726_6. ISBN 978-1-349-46972-7.
↑ Piepenburg, Erik (24 October 2012). "With 'The Bay,' Barry Levinson Makes Eco-Horror". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 1 November 2012.
↑ Ramos, Steve (14 September 2012). "TIFF12 Review: THE BAY. Veteran filmmaker Barry Levinson tries his hand at found footage horror and comes up short". upcoming-movies.com. Retrieved 7 November 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
↑ McGinniss, Paul E. (1 November 2012). "Levinson's Eco-Horror Film 'The Bay' Highlights Need to Protect Our Water". EcoWatch. Archived from the original on 26 August 2019.
↑ "Harbinger Brings Evil to Cannes with TomCat!". Golden State Haunts. 9 May 2016. Archived from the original on 9 May 2016.
↑ Grater, Tom (August 26, 2020). "Reel Suspects Boards Fantasia Eco-Horror 'Unearth'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
↑ Tinnin, Drew (August 27, 2020). "Fantasia Fest 2020: Unearth Review – You Can Work The Ground But Beware What It Can Yield". Dread Central. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
↑ Grater, Tom (April 13, 2021). "Cinedigm Buys North America On Eco-Horror 'Unearth'; Watch Official Trailer". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
↑ Millican, Josh (April 13, 2021). "Gruesome Eco-Horror Unearth Now Arriving in Theaters April 22nd [Trailer]". Dread Central. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
↑ IN THE EARTH: Pandemic Fear Rolled Into Trippy Eco-Horror - Film Inquiry
↑ "'Humane' Review: Caitlin Cronenberg's First Feature Is a Searing Domestic Thriller About Crimes of the Not-So-Distant Future". variety.com. Retrieved 2025-09-19.
↑ "The Caretakers is a eco-horror film centers on a fierce battle between two mother over the ownership of a piece of land". fisherboxoffice.fishermall.com.ph. Retrieved 2025-02-27.
↑ Affatigato, Carlo (2026-08-10). "The Last House: the Monster, the Rain & the Ending Explained". Auralcrave. Retrieved 2026-10-13.

Sources

Ford, Matt (22 October 2008). "Eco-horror films shocking us into action". CNN. Archived from the original on April 4, 2012. Retrieved 28 August 2011.
Foy, Joseph J. (2010). "It Came From Planet Earth: Eco-Horror and the Politics of Postenvironmentalism in M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening". In Dale, Timothy M.; Foy, Joseph J. (eds.). Homer Simpson Marches on Washington: Dissent through American Popular Culture. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0-8131-2580-0.
"Lawrence Gough unveils Extraction, talks up Drought". Screen Daily. 30 August 2011. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
Simpson, Catherine (2010). "Australian eco-horror and Gaia's revenge: animals, eco-nationalism and the new nature". Studies in Australasian Cinema. 4 (1): 43–54. doi:10.1386/sac.4.1.43_1. ISSN 1750-3175. S2CID 161169469. Archived from the original on 11 December 2011.
Ulaby, Neda (14 June 2008). "'Eco-Horror': Green Panic on the Silver Screen?". NPR. Archived from the original on 20 January 2010.

[Simpson-2010-1] Simpson 2010. "... this article examines how a number of exploitation horror films have dealt with environmental topics and issues of trespass. In particular ... animals ... in some key Australian eco-horror films from the last 30 years..."

[Screen-Daily-2011-2] Screen Daily 2011. "...Drought, [an] eco-horror tale about survivors of an apocalypse whose precious water source is threatened by a legion of bloodthirsty youths."

[Ford-2008-3] Ford 2008. "Unlike most horror films these movies aren't fiction, they are serious documentaries tackling the big issues of our time. But the message is still: Be afraid."

[FOOTNOTEUlaby2008-4] Ulaby 2008.

[5] Nature Strikes Back! 10 Eco-Terror Classics - The Grindhouse Cinema Database

[:0-6] 1 2 Murray, Robin L.; Heumann, Joseph K. (2016). Monstrous Nature. University of Nebraska Press. doi:10.2307/j.ctt1dxg7cb. ISBN 978-0-8032-8569-9. JSTOR j.ctt1dxg7cb.

[notebookprimer-7] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Notebook Primer: Eco-Horror on Notebook|MUBI

[FOOTNOTEFord2008-8] 1 2 Ford 2008.

[9] Taubin, Amy (September 2006). "An Inconvenient Truth". BFI. Archived from the original on 12 November 2007.

[sierraclub.typepad.com-10] 1 2 3 4 5 6 10 Scary Eco-Horror Films - The Green Life

[creepycatalog-11] 1 2 Animal Horror Movies: The Best Creature Feature Films Ever Made - Creepy Catalog

[evolutionofecohorror-12] 1 2 3 4 5 6 The Evolution of Eco-Horror, from Godzilla to Global Warming - VICE

[nineonearthday-13] 1 2 3 4 5 9 Eco-Horror Movies to Watch on Earth Day - Vulture

[filmschoolrejects.com-14] 1 2 10 Environmentally Eerie Eco-Horrors : Film School Rejects

[15] AMANITA PESTILENS|The Bedlam Files

[16] Are You In The House Alone?: A TV Movie Compendium 1964-1999 - Google Books

[17] The Evolution of Planet of the Apes: Science, Religion, and 1960s Cinema

[18] Rotten Tomatoes

[19] Speculative Imperialisms: Monstrosity and Masquerade in Postracial Times - Google Books (pg.109)

[Gambin-20] 1 2 3 4 Gambin, Lee (15 February 2018). Massacred By Mother Nature: Exploring the Natural Horror Film. 305: Midnight Marquee & BearManor Media.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)

[21] Scovell, Adam (28 July 2022). "How masterly horror Deliverance set a controversial trend". BBC. Archived from the original on 2 August 2022. ... an ecological message that still resonates; that the destruction of the natural world has consequences for everyone.

[22] Lynn Borden Dead: 'Hazel' Actress Was 77 – The Hollywood Reporter

[23] 'Night of the Lepus'|Top 10 Killer-Animal Movies|TIME.com

[24] In Praise of Night of the Lepus - ComingSoon.net

[ReferenceA-25] 1 2 3 10 Environmentally Eerie Eco-Horrors : Film School Rejects

[26] How Pollution Created the Creepiest Monster Movie Mutants|Gizmodo

[naturesrevenge-27] 1 2 3 4 Nature's Revenge: 10 Eco Horror Movies to Watch for Earth Day|Bloody Disgusting

[28] Rust, Stephen A.; Soles, Carter (2014). "Ecohorror Special Cluster: "Living in Fear, Living in Dread, Pretty Soon We'll All Be Dead"". Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment. 21 (3): 509–512. doi:10.1093/isle/isu085. JSTOR 26430358.

[29] Rediscover these 20 obscure horror films from the 1970s - Blastr

[FOOTNOTESimpson2010-30] Simpson 2010.

[31] Jordan, Bruce (20 June 2010). "Long Weekend (1978)". Classic-Horror.com. Archived from the original on 8 December 2010.

[classifiedecohorror-32] 1 2 3 Classified: Eco-Horror - Film Comment Magazine

[33] 10 Cult Sci-Fi Movies About Environmental Revenge - Gizmodo

[34] 10 Terrifying Eco-Horror Movies|ScreenRant

[35] A Companion to American Gothic - Google Books (pgs.323-325)

[thesciencesurvey.com-36] 1 2 3 Green Monsters: The Rise of Eco-Horror Movies Due to Climate Change Concerns — The Science Survey

[37] Whitty, Stephen (18 September 2007). "Eco-horror tale short on horror but effectively unsettling". NJ.com. Archived from the original on 14 August 2019.

[38] Nayman, Adam (24 November 2008). "The Big Chill: Larry Fessenden's The Last Winter". Cinema Scope: Issue 29. Archived from the original on 10 February 2007.

[39] Foy 2010, p. 168. "The Happening is a naturalist parable of what might occur if the earth began rejecting humanity as a virus."

[40] Murphy, Bernice M. (2013). "'Why Wouldn't the Wilderness Fight Us?' American Eco-Horror and the Apocalypse" (PDF). The Rural Gothic in American Popular Culture. pp. 178–213. doi:10.1057/9781137353726_6. ISBN 978-1-349-46972-7.

[41] Piepenburg, Erik (24 October 2012). "With 'The Bay,' Barry Levinson Makes Eco-Horror". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 1 November 2012.

[42] Ramos, Steve (14 September 2012). "TIFF12 Review: THE BAY. Veteran filmmaker Barry Levinson tries his hand at found footage horror and comes up short". upcoming-movies.com. Retrieved 7 November 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)

[43] McGinniss, Paul E. (1 November 2012). "Levinson's Eco-Horror Film 'The Bay' Highlights Need to Protect Our Water". EcoWatch. Archived from the original on 26 August 2019.

[44] "Harbinger Brings Evil to Cannes with TomCat!". Golden State Haunts. 9 May 2016. Archived from the original on 9 May 2016.

[45] Grater, Tom (August 26, 2020). "Reel Suspects Boards Fantasia Eco-Horror 'Unearth'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 4, 2021.

[46] Tinnin, Drew (August 27, 2020). "Fantasia Fest 2020: Unearth Review – You Can Work The Ground But Beware What It Can Yield". Dread Central. Retrieved May 4, 2021.

[47] Grater, Tom (April 13, 2021). "Cinedigm Buys North America On Eco-Horror 'Unearth'; Watch Official Trailer". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 4, 2021.

[48] Millican, Josh (April 13, 2021). "Gruesome Eco-Horror Unearth Now Arriving in Theaters April 22nd [Trailer]". Dread Central. Retrieved May 4, 2021.

[49] IN THE EARTH: Pandemic Fear Rolled Into Trippy Eco-Horror - Film Inquiry

[50] "'Humane' Review: Caitlin Cronenberg's First Feature Is a Searing Domestic Thriller About Crimes of the Not-So-Distant Future". variety.com. Retrieved 2025-09-19.

[51] "The Caretakers is a eco-horror film centers on a fierce battle between two mother over the ownership of a piece of land". fisherboxoffice.fishermall.com.ph. Retrieved 2025-02-27.

[52] Affatigato, Carlo (2026-08-10). "The Last House: the Monster, the Rain & the Ending Explained". Auralcrave. Retrieved 2026-10-13.

List of eco-horror films

Criteria

Documentaries

Fictional

See also

References