The fear of heights, or acrophobia can be a source of fear for many people. For those in this category, even watching movies that will make you afraid of heights can be enough to trigger mild discomfort, a panic attack, or debilitating anxiety.
TRENDING NOW: Moon Knight Season 2 Release Date, Plot, Cast, News, and Everything Else You Need To Know
10 Movies That’ll Make You Afraid Of Heights
Here are 10 movies that will make you afraid of heights
1. Vertigo (1958)
Vertigo is a classic American mystery thriller by Alfred Hitchcock, about a man who is afraid of heights but is hired to follow a woman who suffers from acrophobia. The film is a suspenseful thriller and one of the movies that will make you afraid of heights.
Scottie Ferguson, a former police detective who suffers from acrophobia is hired by Gavin Elster, a wealthy businessman, to follow his wife Madeleine, who he believes is possessed by the spirit of her grandmother.
Scottie’s acrophobia is caused by a fall from a rooftop when he was a police officer. He soon falls in love with Madeleine and begins to see Madeleine’s doppelgänger, Judy Barton, who is hired by Elster to impersonate Madeleine.
He then begins to suspect that she is not who she seems.
2. The Descent (2005)
This survival horror film, The Descent was directed by Neil Marshall and stars Shauna Macdonald, Natalie Dormer, Alex Reid, Saskia Reeves, and MyAnna Buring.
A group of six women go on a spelunking expedition in the Appalachian Mountains. The women are all friends who are trying to bond after the death of one of their members.
They soon become trapped in an underground cave system. The cave system is a labyrinthine network of tunnels and chambers, and the women become increasingly lost as they explore.
They have to fight for their lives against a group of cave-dwelling creatures. The film contains many scenes of women climbing and descending through narrow caves and will be one of the movies that will make you afraid of heights.
3. The Bridge (2006)
The Bridge is a 2006 Danish psychological thriller film directed by Niels Arden Oplev. A group of people meet on the Øresund Bridge, which connects Denmark and Sweden. The group is made up of people from all walks of life, and they are all considering suicide.
The film is set on a cold and rainy night, which creates a sense of isolation and despair. As the group interacts, they begin to share their stories and their reasons for wanting to end their lives.
They also begin to form bonds with each other, and they find comfort in each other’s company. However, as the night progresses, the group’s resolve begins to weaken, and they begin to question their decision to commit suicide.
4. 127 Hours (2010)
127 Hours is a biographical survival drama film based on the 2003 memoir of Aron Ralston, Between a Rock and a Hard Place. The film narrates Ralston’s story of being trapped under a boulder while canyoneering alone in Blue John Canyon, Utah, for six days in April 2003.
Ralston is a rock climber who is used to being alone in the wilderness. He was hiking in Blue John Canyon when he got trapped by a boulder falling on his arm.
For six days, Ralston had to use his ingenuity and determination to survive until he was able to free himself. It’s one of the movies that will make you afraid of heights.
The film stars James Franco as Ralston and also features Kate Mara, Amber Tamblyn, and Clémence Poésy. It was directed by Danny Boyle and written by Simon Beaufoy.
5. Thelma and Louise (1991)
In Thelma and Louise, you get to watch a road movie about two women, Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon who go on a road trip and end up killing a man.
Thelma is a housewife who is tired of her life in a small town while Louise is a waitress who is looking for a change in her life. They are pursued by the police and eventually drive off a cliff, rather than be captured.
In this film, the scene where the women drive off a cliff will surely make viewers feel queasy. Hence, it makes our list of movies that will make you afraid of heights.
CLICK HERE: 10 Top Scariest Movies Streaming on Netflix in 2023
6. Cliffhanger (1993)
This American action thriller film was directed by Renny Harlin and stars Sylvester Stallone, John Lithgow, Michael Rooker, and Paul Winfield.
Gabe Walker, a mountain climber, is framed for a robbery and must race against time to clear his name and stop the criminals from stealing a cache of money.
The criminals are led by Eric Qualen, a former CIA agent who is now a ruthless terrorist. Gave himself is a former U.S. Army Special Forces officer who is now a mountain climber.
Set in the Rocky Mountains, you’ll see some of the most impressive climbing sequences ever filmed. It is a fast-paced and exciting film that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
7. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)
The popular Mission Impossible Franchise film, Ghost Protocol is one of the best movies that will make you afraid of heights.
The American action spy film was directed by Brad Bird and stars Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt. The film begins with a mission in Mumbai, India, where Hunt and his team are tasked with retrieving a list of undercover CIA agents. The mission goes wrong, and the team is forced to evacuate. However, they are framed for the bombing of the Kremlin, and the IMF is disavowed.
So Hunt and his team must clear their names and stop a nuclear attack from happening. Ghost Protocol has some very intense scenes of the agents climbing and descending the outside of the Kremlin, and it can make you feel anxious.
8. The Night Climbers (2015)
The Night Climbers is a 2015 British psychological thriller film about people who climb abandoned buildings full of danger at night. It was directed by Ben Wheatley and written by Wheatley and Amy Jump. The film stars Milo Gibson, Kelly Reilly, and Shazad Latif.
The group of climbers are all troubled young people who are looking for a sense of belonging. Robin, a charismatic young man, is drawn to the danger and excitement of climbing. He is also the leader of the climbing group.
However, the group soon realizes that they are not alone in the buildings and that they are being hunted by something or someone.
9. Free Solo (2018)
In Free Solo, Alex Honnold, a rock climber who free solos (climbs without ropes or safety gear) El Capitan, a 3,000-foot-tall rock face in Yosemite National Park. Honnold trains for the climb and then executes it without ropes or safety gear.
El Capitan is a 3,000-foot-tall granite wall in Yosemite National Park. Free solo climbing is a type of climbing in which the climber does not use ropes or safety gear.
Honnold is a world-renowned free solo climber who has climbed some of the most difficult routes in the world. The film is both exhilarating and terrifying and is one of the best movies that will make you afraid of heights.
10. The Wall (2017)
A war film about two American soldiers who are trapped on a cliff face in Afghanistan. You’ll get to see some very realistic scenes of the soldiers climbing and descending the cliff face.
The film stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson and John Cena. Two American soldiers, Shane and Owen, are trapped in a desert after their convoy is ambushed by Iraqi insurgents. They must find a way to survive in the harsh desert environment, while also being hunted by the insurgents.
