8 Claustrophobic Thrillers to Watch if You Liked 'Billionaires' Bunker', Ranked by IMDb
If you are claustrophobic, it's best to avoid these projects.
Netflix's newest hit, Billionaires' Bunker, is a thriller from the creators of Money Heist. If you've already binge-watched the series about people trapped in a confined space and want more similar stories, you've come to the right place.
We've compiled a list of eight movies and TV series that masterfully use confined spaces as a major source of tension.
8. 'Escape Room', 2019
IMDb Score: 6.4/10
Six strangers agreed to participate in a game for a substantial sum of money, even though they didn't know the rules.
The participants are a student, a truck driver, a former soldier, a storekeeper, an escape room enthusiast, and a businessman. At first, their mission seems simple: follow a series of clues and escape a confined space.
However, not everyone will escape alive, and the game mechanics are closely tied to the participants' pasts.
7. 'Exam', 2009
IMDb Score: 6.7/10
Eight talented professionals of various ages and genders advance to the final round of interviews. They are given blank sheets of paper and a pencil.
They have 80 minutes to answer a question they don't know. Sometimes the participants work together or form groups, but this helps them little. The number of participants dwindles, and time is running out quickly.
6. 'Snowpiercer', 2020-2024
IMDb Score: 6.9/10
The series is set in a world where humanity's efforts to combat global warming have inadvertently triggered a new ice age, decimating nearly all life on Earth.
The survivors escaped on the gigantic Snowpiercer train, which continuously travels along a closed circuit around the planet.
The train has a strict class system: wealthy passengers live luxuriously in the front carriages, while the poor endure terrible conditions in the rear.
5. 'Buried', 2010
IMDb Score: 7.0/10
Throughout the entire film, Paul is buried in a coffin somewhere in the Iraqi desert. He works as a contract driver in the Middle East, but is taken hostage by terrorists who believe him to be a dangerous war criminal.
He has just a couple of hours to escape before the air in the coffin runs out. Using a lighter and a cell phone, he tries to find a way to freedom.
In this one-man thriller starring Ryan Reynolds, the actor masterfully conveys the horror and despair that can overwhelm a person in such a situation. Despite the fact that only one character is on screen, the tension is maintained from the first minute to the last.
4. 'Cube', 1997
IMDb Score: 7.1/10
It is one of the most famous examples of a claustrophobic thriller and a precursor to Saw and Exam. The movie's unpredictable plot, devised with mathematical precision, was so beloved by viewers that it spawned two sequels.
One day, five strangers wake up in a sealed cubicle. Dressed in prison uniforms, they had no idea how they ended up there or how to escape.
After some thought, they finally realize that the cube is just one of many rooms in a labyrinth that they must navigate to reach the exit.
3. 'The Hidden Face', 2011
IMDb Score: 7.3/10
Adrián is a famous and wealthy conductor who has everything he could want in life. He is preparing for his wedding to Belén when she suddenly disappears from his life. She simply sends him a video message saying that they need to break up and then disappears.
A few weeks pass. A chance encounter with Fabiana, a waitress, forces Adrián to accept the breakup and try a new relationship.
When Fabiana finds herself at Adrián's house, she feels uneasy – she thinks it is possessed by a ghost.
2. 'Misery', 1990
IMDb Score: 7.8/10
The movie tells the story of Paul Sheldon, a successful writer who is involved in a car accident in the Colorado mountains during a snowstorm. He awakens in the home of a nurse named Annie.
Coincidentally, Annie is a huge fan of Paul's and has read all of his books. She has now been given the honor of caring for and treating her idol.
In return, she asks for a small favor: write a book in which her beloved character, Misery, survives. If Paul doesn't comply, something very bad will happen.
1. 'Silo', 2023-...
IMDb Score: 8.1/10
Thousands of people live in a massive underground bunker. Who built it, when, and why remain mysteries. One thing is certain: going above ground is strictly forbidden because the air there is poisonous.
The local sheriff's wife investigates the history and workings of the bunker, but the secrets she uncovers drive her to commit suicide. Years later, her husband follows her.
Juliette, a member of the mechanical department and considered the lowest class in their society, takes the sheriff's position. She takes on the investigation and becomes ensnared in horrifying revelations about the bunker's structure.
