20 Post-Apocalyptic Movies You Must See Before You Die

5. The Road (2009)

Just like the Cormac McCarthy book on which it was based, The Road is undoubtably one of the most depressing and bleakly-rendered post-apocalyptic films of all-time. Set in the not-too-distant future after an unspecified global disaster wipes out modern society and much of the population, the movie chronicles the journey of a father and son as they attempt to make their way across a decrepit United States filled with murderers, cannibals and marauders in order to reach the coast. The Road sets out to render the fallout of an apocalypse as a true ordeal, and director John Hillcoat stays true to the visions of the source material, refusing to compromise with any Hollywood touches or embellishments. The film never even bothers to give its main characters names, as if to suggest that such things are pointless under the circumstances of this particular apocalyptic aftermath. The Road will leave you drained, exhausted and sad.