20 Post-Apocalyptic Movies You Must See Before You Die

13. On The Beach (1959)

Based on Nevil Shute's acclaimed novel of the same name, the 1959 adaptation of On the Beach takes place after a nuclear war has devastated life in most parts of the world, and hones in on a group of survivors living in Australia, which is one of the few places in which it is still possible to breathe clean air. The plot concerns Gregory Peck's Dwight Towers, who - along with a small group of survivors - awaits death from the inevitable, airborne radiation. On the Beach isn't a masterpiece, by any means, but it's an important post-apocalyptic movie milestone as it was one of the first pictures to probe the potential aftermath of a nuclear war. It also succeeds in creating the strange and otherworldly atmosphere that would go on to define the sub-genre. Directed by the great Stanley Kramer, On the Beach is also unique - and thus terrifying - because it's essentially about people just waiting to die.