The Post-Apocalypse Films subgenre resides within the Sci-Fi, Action, Horror, Drama and War subgenres. This subgenre often features other films subgenres such as Disaster Films, Survival Dramas, Survival Horror Films, Alternate History Films, Dystopian Future Films, Films About Robots and War Dramas. Post-Apocalypse films deal with a world ending or changing event and survivors dealing with this new reality whereas Apocalypse Films tends to be related to Disaster Films and show the onset of the world apocalyptic event. Due to the popularity and number of films within this subgenre, we will have two lists of Top Post-Apocalypse Films You Haven’t Seen. This Part 1 list will focus on Post-Apocalypse films from the 1960’s, 1970’s, 1980’s and 1990’s.
The Post-Apocalypse Film subgenre became popular in the 1960’s with various films based on novels. The Time Machine (1960) was the first filmed version of the H.G. Wells classic novel, The Time Machine. The Last Man on Earth (1964) was also the first of 3 film adaptations of the Richard Matheson novel, I Am Legend. And Planet of the Apes (1968), based on French novelist Pierre Boulle’s La Planète des singes, would become a classic film of the subgenre and launch a franchise with sequels and reboots. Other films of the decade would focus on the aftermath of World War III with Panic in Year Zero! (1962) and The Bed Sitting Room (1969).
The 1970’s would start the first Golden Age of Post-Apocalypse Films as this subgenre became one of the most popular subgenres of the decade. Many films from this subgenre featured 1970’s themes of climate change, dystopian futures and nuclear war-ravaged society. Climate change would be a popular theme in Silent Running (1972), Z.P.G. (1972) and Soylent Green (1973). A dystopian future society would be featured in Logan’s Run (1976), Wizards (1977) and Mad Max (1979). And survival after a nuclear holocaust would be the main themes of The People Who Own the Dark (1976), Damnation Alley (1977) and Ravagers (1979). Other classic films of the subgenre included Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), The Omega Man (1971), Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973), Dawn of the Dead (1978) and Stalker (1979).
The 1980’s would continue the first Golden Age of Post-Apocalypse films with popular subgenre films focused on Nuclear War, Time Travel and The Zombie Apocalypse. As the Cold War intensified in the early 1980’s, the threat of Nuclear War also became a reality. Three films showed the realistic impact of a Nuclear War on society in Testament (1983), The Day After (1983) and Threads (1984). Time Travel would also be a theme found in popular subgenre films including The Terminator (1984), Trancers (1984) and Millennium (1989). And the aftereffects of a Zombie Apocalypse were found in films such as Night of the Comet (1984) and Day of the Dead (1985). Other classic and notable subgenre films of the decade included Virus (1980), The Road Warrior (1981), Turkey Shoot (1982), Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone (1983), Sexmission (1984), Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985), The Quiet Earth (1985), Dead Man’s Letters (1986), World Gone Wild (1987), Akira (1988), Cyborg (1989) and The Blood of Heroes (1989).
In the 1990’s, while the Post-Apocalypse film subgenre continued to be popular, the quality of subgenre films suffered. However, the decade would be defined by a few classic films of the subgenre. Hardware (1990) would combine a dystopian future with a killer robot. 12 Monkeys (1995) would feature a time traveler searching for a cure in the past for a pandemic-ruined future. And The Matrix (1999) would go on to become one of the most popular films of all-time and become a classic in multiple subgenres such as Cyberpunk Films, Martial Arts Films, AR & VR Films, Hard Sci-Fi Films and Thriller Action Films. Other classic and notable films of the subgenre this decade included The Last Island (1990), Delicatessen (1991), No Escape (1994), Judge Dredd (1995), Screamers (1995), Escape from L.A. (1996), The Postman (1997) and Soldier (1998).
Our list of Post-Apocalypse Films features over 231+ films from the years 1960 – 2022. This Part 1 list features Post-Apocalypse Films from 1960 – 2000 while our Part 2 list features films from 2000 – 2022. For our list of the Top Post-Apocalypse Films You Haven’t Seen (Part 1) we had to exclude the following honorable mentions from our list: The Last Man on Earth (1964), Soylent Green (1973), Stalker (1979), Trancers (1984), O-Bi, O-Ba: The End of Civilization (1985), Dead Man’s Letters (1986), Akira (1988), Spirits of the Air, Gremlins of the Clouds (1988), Delicatessen (1991) and No Escape (1994).
We have embedded a compilation video of our Top Post-Apocalypse Films You Haven’t Seen (Part 1) and more details on these films can be found in the list below. Note: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Plot: In a futuristic wasteland, survivors play a brutal game known as Jugging.
Apocalyptic Event: Nuclear War
KBZ’s Take: This is one of those forgotten films of the 1980’s that has to be seen to be believed. Starring the great Rutger Hauer, Joan Chen, Delroy Lindo and Vincent D’Onofrio, The Blood of Heroes (aka The Salute of the Jugger) is a film that is hard to describe to people who haven’t seen it. It’s a very grim film where the game features gladiator-types playing a form of medieval football. It’s one of the more realistic views of what a post-apocalyptic society might look like and is well worth seeking out if you still haven’t seen this lost gem.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3WPEher
#9
Turkey Shoot
Plot: In a dystopian future, survivors are herded into prison camps and hunted by society’s elite.
Apocalyptic Event: Undisclosed
KBZ’s Take: Before The Hunt (2020), there was this Ozploitation flick from 1982. Sharing themes with The Most Dangerous Game, political prisoners and social deviants are hunted for sport. While the post-apocalyptic event or how the totalitarian state came to be aren’t disclosed in the film, it’s still an interesting view of a dystopian society. The film has a much inferior remake, Turkey Shoot (2014), so your best bet is to watch this original classic film of the subgenre.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3JoJwyR
Plot: Five men and two women are marooned on an island and soon find themselves as the last people on earth.
Apocalyptic Event: Nuclear War
KBZ’s Take: Unlike films such as The Lord of the Flies (1990) which was released the same year as The Last Island, this film takes a different approach to what survivors on a tropical island would do after a worldwide apocalypse. Realizing they are the last people on earth, they soon have to decide how to re-populate the earth – and that’s where the film forms an interesting perspective. While there are 5 men, there’s only 1 woman who can bear children. It’s a very difficult film to find, but well worth seeking out to see what transpires between the survivors.
Where to Stream / Buy: N/A
Plot: After World War III, a small group of survivors from a military station set out across the wasteland in armored personnel carriers.
Apocalyptic Event: Nuclear War
KBZ’s Take: An oddity from the late 1970’s that bombed at the box office but found success a few years later on network TV as nuclear war-inspired films became popular. Though it’s not a realistic view of a nuclear holocaust (or the aftermath), it’s still a fun movie with giant scorpions, mutant cockroaches and all other forms of post-apocalyptic fantasy. It’s an adventure film at heart and worth watching by fans of the subgenre.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3JBAZse
#6
Sexmission
Plot: Two scientist undergoing a hibernation experiment, wake up 50 years later to find they are the only males left in a society composed exclusively of women.
Apocalyptic Event: World War III
KBZ’s Take: This Polish film is a rare treat that mixes political satire of Communism set against a futuristic Dystopian state. While the sets are dated, the film’s themes are not – and are quite funny. Jerzy Stuhr and Olgierd Lukaszewicz are absolutely brilliant in this film as the men who initially enjoy being the last males alive but soon figure out the danger they are in. World Cinema Comedy Films often have a hard time translating their cultural comedy to other audiences, but this is one film where the comedy is universal. Definitely worth seeking out by fans of the subgenre.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3jh0wwb
Plot: Two valley girls wake up to find that a passing comet has either turned everyone to dust or zombies.
Apocalyptic Event: Comet extinction event turns most people into red dust; survivors turn into Zombies
KBZ’s Take: If you grew up in the 80’s, chances are you’ve seen this film – and it’s one of your favorites of the decade. While billed as a Horror Comedy, it’s much more Horror than Comedy and has some genuinely scary scenes. It’s one of the forgotten films of the 1980’s that younger generations should seek out. Yes, it’s a bit dated but still a fun and scary ride.
Additional Lists: Top Films About Zombies You Haven’t Seen #6
Where to Stream / Buy: https://tubitv.com/movies/432267/night-of-the-comet
Plot: Adventurer Wolff and earthling left from a medical expedition try to save three women captured by an evil dictator.
Apocalyptic Event: Deadly plague; civil warfare
KBZ’s Take: This is a guilty pleasure film from the 1980’s and one of the only films on this list not to have a post-apocalyptic event on Earth. The event takes place on another planet and features some of the same tropes of other Post-Apocalyptic films. Where this film succeeds over other B-movie failures of the era, such as 2019: After the Fall of New York (1983) and Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared Syn (1983), is with its action-based set pieces and villain. There are some great futuristic set pieces in this film and who can pass up Michael Ironside as the evil OverDog? Recommended for fans of the subgenre.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3jj6NHL
#3
Virus
Plot: Scientists in Antarctica desperately try to find a cure to a military virus that was released in a plane crash and has wiped out the rest of the world.
Apocalyptic Event: Global pandemic
KBZ’s Take: An epic Japanese film featuring multiple languages, cast members and events throughout the world as the pandemic unfolds across various countries. This is a film that features both the Apocalyptic event while also showing the Post-Apocalyptic aftereffects. The international cast of the film features Sonny Chiba, Masao Kusakari, George Kennedy, Olivia Hussey and others. Highly recommended film of the subgenre and be sure to seek out the 155-minute version of the film. The shorter 108-minute version cuts out most of the Japanese story lines that make the film confusing to watch.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3DqRraU
#2
Hardware
Plot: Woman artist receives head of a war machine robot as a gift, and it starts to rebuild itself in her apartment.
Apocalyptic Event: Nuclear War
KBZ’s Take: This is one of the most popular films on our list, a cult classic, and a film that we’re listing so those under the age of 30 don’t miss out on it. Hardware was a popular film in 1990 and one of the best films ever about killer robots. It features a Terminator-like robot that will stop at nothing to kill, the Richard Stanley directed film has equal amounts of dystopian future and creepiness throughout and it has an amazing soundtrack. Highly recommended film and one of the best of the subgenre.
Additional Lists: Top Films About Robots You Haven’t Seen #2
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3wIfoGY
#1
Threads
Plot: Account of a nuclear holocaust and its effects on the populace of Sheffield, England.
Apocalyptic Event: Nuclear War
KBZ’s Take: In the early 1980’s, three films showed realistic portrayals of Nuclear War. Testament (1983) was a smaller scale film focused on a family during and after the nuclear apocalypse. The Day After (1983) was the most popular film of the three, had amazing special effects and scarred most children of the 80’s (yes, most children at the time had parental warnings from school before watching the film on TV). But Threads (1984) is the most disturbing and heart-wrenching film of them all. Shot in a documentary style, it doesn’t have lavish special effects like The Day After but rather focuses on the collapse of society after the nuclear holocaust. It’s a hard film to watch but the most effective at showing a realistic portrayal of trying to survive after the unthinkable (especially as it shows fact-based title cards of what happens on earth after a nuclear event in the following months and years). Highly recommended film to watch of the subgenre and we also recommend watching Testament and The Day After given current global events.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3jja0al
Cool article…Threads gave me nightmares for weeks…