Let me just start by saying this—I am not a strong swimmer. At all. In fact, I swim like a rock. So when it comes to movies about being caught underwater, being stranded in the middle of the ocean, or dealing with whatever the hell is lurking below the surface, I get seriously freaked out.
There’s something inherently terrifying about being submerged, about the unknown lurking just beneath you, about the idea that no matter how much you fight, the water always wins.
That’s why, with the release of Last Breath, the new underwater adventure thriller based on a true story and starring Woody Harrelson, I thought it would be a perfect time to put together this list of the best underwater movies of all time. Because let’s face it—water is scary.
Now, before we dive in (pun intended), I made a few rules for myself while assembling this list.
First and foremost, I did not include animated movies. Yes, that means no The Little Mermaid or any other animated film that takes place underwater, because while those might be fun, they don’t carry the same sense of realism or the visceral thrills of live-action water-based horror and adventure.
Second, and this is an important one: No Avatar movies. Not only because Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water are, in my opinion, two of the worst movies ever made in the history of cinema, but also because they don’t count as "underwater movies" in any real sense.
They are CGI-infested, overlong, bloated epics filled with motion capture blue aliens in a fake water world that does absolutely nothing for me. The Avatar films are a cinematic nightmare that I refuse to acknowledge in any legitimate way, so let’s move on.
Third, I have excluded most submarine movies. Now, I love submarine films. In fact, I would argue that submarine movies are an entirely separate genre that deserves its own list, and I will absolutely be making that list sometime in the future.
So, while The Hunt for Red October, Das Boot, Crimson Tide, and Below are all fantastic films, they are not included here. That said, there are a couple of films on this list that feature submarines in some capacity, but they are primarily about surviving underwater, not just about being inside a steel tube under the ocean.
The films on this list are about the ocean itself being an enemy, about the horrors of being trapped below the surface, about the strange and often terrifying creatures that lurk beneath.
These are movies that make you question ever going in the water again, that tap into the very real fear of drowning, the unknown, and the isolation that comes with being surrounded by endless blue.
So, without further ado, I am going to confront my own deep-seated fears and count down my picks for The 15 Best Underwater Movies of All Time. Hold your breath, because we’re going deep.
THE 15 BEST UNDERWATER MOVIES OF ALL TIME
(in reverse chronological order):
A totally underrated gem. Underwater is Alien at the bottom of the ocean, a claustrophobic, intense, and well-crafted horror thriller starring the extraordinary Kristen Stewart in one of her best performances. A team of deep-sea researchers working on a drilling facility suffers a disaster after an earthquake, but what they don’t realize is that they’ve awakened something much worse. Inspired by the Cthulhu mythos of H.P. Lovecraft, the movie builds its tension beautifully and delivers some truly freaky underwater creature horror. Criminally overlooked and absolutely worth watching.
2. CRAWL (2019)
The best alligator movie ever made, period. Directed by the brilliant Alexandre Aja, Crawl is an intense survival thriller set during a hurricane in Florida, where a woman and her father (played by Barry Pepper) are trapped in their flooding home while being hunted by monstrous alligators. The water rises, the tension mounts, and the gators get meaner. A white-knuckle, edge-of-your-seat thrill ride that doesn’t let up.
Dumb? Yes. Entertaining? Hell yes. Jason Statham punches a prehistoric shark in this over-the-top, big-budget shark fest about a team of scientists who accidentally unleash a massive Megalodon. The CGI is ridiculous, the science is laughable, and Statham is at peak Statham—but it's a blast. If you're looking for a turn-your-brain-off underwater action flick, this is it.
One of the most terrifying shark movies ever. Two sisters, on vacation in Mexico, go cage-diving, only for their cage to break loose and plummet to the ocean floor. With limited oxygen and surrounded by sharks, they have to figure out how to escape. Tense, terrifying, and claustrophobic as hell, this movie is nightmare fuel for anyone with a fear of deep water.
Blake Lively vs. a shark. Simple, effective, and incredibly suspenseful. She plays a surfer stranded on a rock in the middle of the ocean, hunted by a relentless great white. The setup is lean, the execution is brilliant, and Lively gives a performance that carries the entire film. A high-stakes, stripped-down survival thriller that works.
Based on a horrifying true story, this is one of the most unsettling shark films ever made. A couple goes scuba diving, only to be accidentally left behind in the middle of the ocean, miles from shore. Real sharks, real tension, real nightmare fuel. A minimalist, gut-wrenching horror movie that sticks with you.
The best dumb shark movie. A team of scientists genetically alters sharks to make them smarter, and of course, things go horribly wrong. Features one of the greatest, most unexpected deaths in movie history (if you know, you know). Samuel L. Jackson. LL Cool J. Killer sharks. Renny Harlin directed it. What more do you need?
A gloriously ridiculous B-movie about a group of thieves trying to rob a luxury cruise ship, only to find it has already been taken over by a sea monster. Treat Williams is fantastic in the lead, Kevin J. O'Connor is hilarious as the sidekick, and the movie has just the right mix of action, horror, and humor. Pure fun.
A great The Thing-inspired underwater horror film. Peter Weller leads a deep-sea mining crew that stumbles upon a sunken Soviet ship and unleashes a monstrous, mutating creature. Suspenseful, well-acted, and filled with fantastic practical effects. Better than DeepStar Six, which came out the same year and tried to do the same thing.
10. THE ABYSS (1989)
This is James Cameron’s best movie about the ocean (not it's NOT the one about that famous boat that sunk). An ambitious, technically groundbreaking sci-fi thriller about deep-sea explorers encountering something not of this world. Stunning underwater photography, intense action, and a strong emotional core make this a must-watch.
A ridiculous disaster movie about a plane full of rich people crashing into the Bermuda Triangle and sinking to the bottom of the ocean. Pure ‘70s disaster-movie cheese, with an all-star cast that includes Jack Lemmon and James Stewart. And Christopher Lee as a scuba diver. It’s insane. I love it.
12. JAWS (1975)
Do I even need to explain this one? The greatest shark movie of all time. A masterpiece. Next.
One of the best disaster movies ever made. A cruise ship flips upside down, and a group of survivors must make their way through the wreckage. Claustrophobic, intense, and featuring some truly memorable performances. The late great Gene Hackman is incredible. A New Year's Eve classic.
A fantastic adaptation of Jules Verne’s classic novel. This big-budget adventure film features Kirk Douglas, James Mason, and some of the best underwater cinematography of its time. Plus, the giant squid attack remains legendary.
The original underwater monster movie. The Gill-man is an icon, the cinematography is gorgeous, Julie Adams is beyond babelicious, and the film’s influence is still felt today. You can’t make a list about underwater horror without this one.
There you have it —15 movies that prove water is, in fact, terrifying. Whether it’s sharks, sea monsters, Lovecraftian nightmares, or just the crushing weight of the deep, these films capture the fear, the danger, and the mystery of the ocean like no others.
If you need me, I’ll be safely on land, avoiding the deep at all costs. Enjoy the list, and let me know if there’s an underwater nightmare I missed!
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