10 Most Claustrophobic Movies Of All Time

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%

This survival-drama from director Danny Boyle chronicles the harrowing true story of climber Aron Ralston, whose arm was trapped between a loose boulder and the wall of a Utah canyon for the titular timescale before he managed to escape. That escape involved Ralston (who was portrayed by James Franco in an increasingly rare excellent performance) breaking and dismembering his own arm with a blunt pocket knife.

Danny Boyle brings a good dose of his signature style to this grim story, capturing the wildness of Utah beautifully and letting us in on what kind of person Ralston is through the use of vivid flashbacks,. However, the most memorable parts of 127 Hours take place in the depths of the isolated canyon. As soon as Franco makes that one wrong move and is swallowed up by the rock, the crushing feeling of claustrophobia sets in.

Smart, tight camera work makes the walls seem as though they are inching ever close to one another, and as the water begins to run out, a sense of real panic sets in. Most people went into the film knowing exactly how Ralston escaped, but the scene in which Franco removes his own arm (cutting through the nerves, in particular) remains one of the most effective pieces of filmmaking in recent years, and the high point of an intense and inventive movie.