Between the results of Groundhog’s Day 2025 and the incoming winter storms across the Northern Hemisphere, it’s safe to say that movie lovers have a few more weeks to find the perfect film to enjoy in such cold weather. A time defined by the celebration of close connections, a yearning for warmth, and looking forward to new beginnings, winter carries many connotations.
Perhaps the film’s setting mirrors the brittle, cold reality many viewers find themselves in. The movies in question can also accomplish something as simple as complementing the viewer’s mood during the snowy season. Almost always, the film engages with questions about climate change, pandemics, and the various challenges that await the human race. Ranging from desolate, darksci-fithrillers to post-apocalyptic nightmares come to life, these films will surely keep audiences entertained for the remainder of the winter season, and winters to come.
10‘Decoys’ (2004)
A far more unserious example of a sci-fi thriller,Decoysis a 2004 film that follows a group of college students who quickly learn about a lethal, extraterrestrial presence looming over campus. As Luke (Corey Sevier) and Roger (Elias Toufexis) hope to find potential lovers, they attend a party where they meet two women named Lily (Stefanie von Pfetten) and Constance (Kim Poirier). Initially excited at the prospect of spending the night with them, Luke and Roger are excited. However, when Luke inadvertently finds himself in Lily’s room, he learns that the two are anything but normal, but in fact aliens who may be behind a slew of murders occurring nearby.
A Raunchy College Catastrophe
Unfavorably compared toAmerican PieandSpecies,Decoyscombines raunchy humor with science fiction and thrillers. While the execution might leave a lot to be desired, the concept interrogates various issues such as consent, survival, and betrayal. As the film progresses, Luke and his friends realize that the aliens have an affinity for the cold, which explains the ice found on the murdered bodies discovered by the police. Despite the dated and derivative storyline,Decoysbrings a promising concept to the surface.
9‘Dreamcatcher’ (2003)
Dreamcatcher
By now, most film fans understand that a cabin trip is anything but innocuous. Being removed from the familiarity of home and planted in the wilderness, a long-held symbol of the unknown, spells dooms.Dreamcatcherbegins with the same premise. Starring Thomas Jane, Damian Lewis, Timothy Olyphant, and Morgan Freeman, the film follows four friends embarking on a hunting trip when they encounter an unusual foe. Frequent flashbacks meld well with the present predicaments, offering audiences a deeper look at the heroes of the story beyond their projection of normalcy.
An Early, Wonky Adaptation with Edge
An adaptation of Stephen King’s 2001 novel of the same name,Dreamcatcher,earned poor reviews at the time of its release, with many looking at the film’s over-emphasis on gore over story to be a glaring fault. In spite of the legitimate critiques,Dreamcatchercontains interesting concepts that loosely tie themes of friendship, psionic abilities, and fate as the four face off against an extraterrestrial force hoping to trigger a cataclysmic event throughout the cosmos, attributes that King himself seemed to appreciate, despite the middling reviews. Despite what some reviewers believe is illogical storytelling,Dreamcatcheris convincingly frightening, even in a seemingly serene, snow-decorated cabin and forest.
8‘The Colony’ (2021)
The Colony
Not to be confused with the Laurence Fishburne-led film of the same name,The Colony(also known asTides) sees humanity’s most privileged flee Earth after a global calamity. With many years removed from said event, a team of astronauts leave the comfort of their Kepler 209 colony in hopes of discovering whether Earth is stable enough to repopulate. Once they arrive, they soon find out that the abandoned planet carries secrets of their own, one that places their mission, their lives, and their understanding of the world around them in je.
A Frosty Calamity Explored
First off, the wide shots of the planet shrouded in snow, combined with the color scheme, create a melancholic beauty that addresses the tragedy of humanity’s failure to preserve a contemporary or familiar Earth. Nevertheless, the beauty that shines through the continued existence of the planet suggests a strength beyond human understanding, leaving a lingering hope that the humans of the Kepler 209 colony may learn from their ancestors' mistakes and chart a new path for human survival on the planet. Despite discrepancies littered throughout the plot,The Colonycarries a compelling concept that inspires introspection about how class conflict may evolve in the future.
7‘Sunshine’ (2007)
If a film coming out in 2025 had contributions from Cillian Murphy, Michelle Yeoh, and Chris Evans, it seems unfathomable for it to gounder the radar, especially considering that the four aforementioned artists are only a quarter of the recognizable talent the film has to boast. The same can not be said for 2007’s sci-fi thrillerSunshine. Despite being a box office bomb at the time of its release,Sunshinewould earn generally positive reviews for its enthralling cinematography and equally captivating plot. Set in 2057, the film sees a team of astronauts travel into space, hoping to detonate a nuclear bomb within a dying sun and save the Earth from completely freezing.
An Ambitious Space-Thriller
Scenes of the freezing Earth not only give audiences a glimpse into a speculated future but also suck any warmth out of the room. As the characters inch closer to the sun, the coldness of the Earth morphs into a silent, dreadful shiver evoked by the gory and grotesque confrontation between the astronauts aboard Icarus I and II, respectively. Alongside the chilling atmosphere, the film is a poignant piece that engages in themes such as fatalism as well as the all-too-familiar clash between science and religion.
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6‘Horror Express’ (1972)
Horror Express
Horror Expressmay be one of the oldest examples of a sci-fi thriller. Taking place on a European-bound Trans-Siberian railway train, the film chronicles a group of passengers and their experience with an alien entity that inhabits the body of a primitive humanoid. Set in 1906, audiences are introduced to Professor Sir Alexander Saxton (Christopher Lee), a British anthropologist venturing back home after a successful discovery. Hoping to experiment on frozen remains extracted from a cave in Manchuria, all seems well for the professor and his colleagues. However, controversy arises after several passengers voice their concerns about the remains, with some deeming them demonic. As the train ride persists, the passengers find themselves up against an extraterrestial evil they were not capable of conceiving in their minds.
A Chilling Ride with Death
Given that most of the film takes place on a train barreling through Eurasia, the cold exterior is anything but unexpected. However, the frozen terrain immensely contributes to the isolation and fear the characters feel after learning of the grave threat trapped with them. Pulling from various movie tropes and subgenres, one might thinkHorror Expresssounds convoluted. Nevertheless, the combination of murder-mystery, science fiction, and thriller, coupled with a fascinating backstory and interesting twists makes the film one of the more enjoyable sci-fi thrillers set in winter.
5‘Europa Report’ (2013)
Europa Report
Hoping to feed their curiosity about life beyond Earth,Europa Reportfollows a group of astronauts traveling to the titular moon and investigating the terrain for signs of life, despite the worrying setbacks that threaten to jeopardize the mission. Narrated by Dr. Samantha Unger (Embeth Davidtz), the mission begins with a solar storm that shatters the ship’s connection with mission control. While the issue seems like it does not require a lot to rectify, another startling development sends the crew into a tense, frightening series of situations that slowly chip away at the crew’s confidence in the mission.
A Slow Paced Haunting Space Exploration
Icy Europa serves as the setting of the majority of the film, and between the desolate space and the frozen moon, the lack of heat captures the isolation that the astronauts feel siloed off from the rest of the planet. Unlike most thrillers, the film takes its time to walk audiences through the mission and the planet itself. As many shades of blue cascade around the crew, in the midst of their potentially lethal predicament, the film is nothing short of enthralling. Drawing audiences in with a strong plot, charismatic characters, and a masterful use of time and place,Europa Reportis one of the more fascinating looks at life outside the water planet.
4‘Snowpiercer’ (2013)
Snowpiercer
Director Bong Joon Ho currently enjoys a great reputation for his contemplative, classism-critiquing works. While many would come to love him for films likeParasite,Snowpiercerstands as another monumental piece from the South Korean visionary. Set in a future Earth trapped in an eternal winter, the film follows a train hosting the survivors of the climate-fueled calamity. A sole civilization that continuously runs throughout the world, the train is stratified by wealth, with the elite based in the front and the lower-class passengers in the caboose. Frustrated with the oppressive hierarchy, a group of passengers led by Curtis Everett (Chris Evans) hope to shift tides into their favor.
A Tour of Hierarchy
Much of the appeal behindSnowpiercerlies in its captivating performances and stimulating storylines. Baked with intentional surprises that contribute to the purposeful exploration of themes such as greed, liberation, and curiosity, the film is a fruitful combination of bleak realism and hopefulness about a collective consensus for equity and preservation, both of human civilization itself as well as the world beyond the steel serpent. This optimism and determination is further driven by contributions from the likes of Evans, Octavia Spencer, Song Kang-ho, and Tilda Swinton to name a few, each pulling from historical events as well as universal values to propel the story from a concept to a fully realized reflection of life.
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3‘The Day After Tomorrow’ (2004)
The Day After Tomorrow
The Day After Tomorrowis another snow-filled, dystopian thriller that follows Jack Hall (Dennis Quaid), a paleoclimatologist who alerts world leaders of an impending ice age due to climate change. Initially rebuffed, the world becomes concerned as hailstorms ravage Tokyo, followed by a trinity of winter storms threatening the stability of the Northern Hemisphere. As Jack and his team hope to salvage as many communities as possible, real-life phenomena such as political hubris, environmentalism, and anti-intellectualism rise to the surface.
A Dreary, Blizzard-Filled Future
Earning middling reviews due to perceived silliness, according to critics from the likes of the Chicago Sun-Times,The Day After Tomorrowwould go on to be a box-office success, holding the record for having the highest opening weekend for a natural disaster film,until the release ofTwistersin 2024. Nevertheless, the ambitious film had much to say about public and political indifference towards the warnings regarding climate change. Years removed from the film’s debut, it seems likeThe Day After Tomorrowstands with its peers as one of the more vocal oracles of the various predicaments that disrupt daily life in the present. Aside from its accuracy, the film is an enjoyable watch with performances from the likes of Quaid, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Emmy Rossum.
2‘Brazil’ (1985)
Brazilis often regarded as one ofthe most successfully ambitious sci-fi thrillers. Set in an Orwellian future defined by hyper-consumption and rampant pollution, the film begins with a Christmas tragedy. Due to an otherwise innocuous mishap, the execution of an innocent soul proceeds without intervention. When low-level government employee Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce) recognizes the mistake, he hopes to rectify the situation with a simple visit. Instead, he is pulled into a sea of conspiracies. As Sam inches closer to the truth, he soon learns that his visions of a damsel in distress may not be all that unrelated.
A Cold, Desolate Glimpse at Tyranny
A compelling dystopian satire,Braziltakes a close look at the consequences of over-surveillance, deification of the government, as well as the power of the mind. While the comedic beats help buoy the film’s entertainment value, the humor woven throughout Sam’s story also helps illustrate the absurd and dehumanizing practices of the status quo. As film-watchers empathize and identify with Sam throughout his rather tragic holiday season, the film also crafts scathingly accurate critiques of capitalism through the callousness and carelessness of the Ministry of Information, the grueling, exploitative labor many of the film’s characters depend on for survival, as well as the distortion of the truth, three artistic decisions that peel back a long held tradition of the elite that has yet to be dissolved.
1‘Polaris’ (2022)
Taking place in the year 2144,Polarisfollows a young girl named Sumi (Viva Lee) traversing the post-apocalyptic Earth. With protection in the form of a loyal polar bear, Sumi explores the icy tundra, fleeing from a group of vicious marauders who attempted to kidnap her. During her travels, she stumbles upon another girl (Khamisa Whilsher) and the two strive to survive together using the only clue to a greater future they have, the titular North Star.
A Mythology-Making Masterpiece
Part of the wonder behindPolarislies in its imaginative storytelling. Many have attempted to envision a future where the world is submerged in snow and ice, following characters that have to reckon with their individual and collective contributions to the state of the world. However,Polaristakes it one step further. Its inventive worldbuilding leaves audiences with little information but much to consider. Between Sumi’s relationships with the polar bear, the “Frozen-Girl”, the matriarch known simply as Dee (Muriel Dutil), as well as the juxtaposition between them and the marauders,Polarisdemands attention and urgency from its viewers, promising a mind-changing conclusion about the environment and interpersonal relationships.
