Last Updated on September 6, 2024
You don’t have to be a storm chaser to share in the fascinating world of twisters. We selected the best movies that bring you all the thrills without the dangers. You can look forward to real-life documentaries, top fiction films, and even horror movies shuddering with tornadoes!
1. Twister (1996)
Jo Thornton is haunted by the childhood memory of the day a massive tornado killed her father. Determined not to let it happen again, she becomes a storm chaser to gather information on how twisters work.
The idea is to use Dorothy, her estranged husband’s invention, to map a tornado‘s formation and behavior. But to succeed, Jo has to survive wreckless rival storm chasers who stole the idea, her crumbling marriage and the most lethal twister of the season.
2. Geostorm (2017)
After a series of devastating natural disasters, the world launches a group of satellites capable of controlling the climate. When its chief controller, Jake Lawson, uses it without authorization to stop a typhoon in Shanghai, he’s fired.
But when terrifying natural disasters return, Jake suspects that the satellites are being used by someone as a weapon. As he races to neutralize the threat, he discovers a dangerous plot to turn America into a dictatorship that will dominate the world.
3. Sharknado (2013)
Off the coast of Mexico, a cyclone picks up swarms of sharks. As it arrives in the US, the shark-infested waters flood Los Angeles, prompting the predators to viciously attack people and cars. Bar owner Fin knows that he has to get back home to save his family and gathers a group of friends and head out.
But their progress is hindered by “sharknadoes,” tornadoes that have sucked up water filled with hyper-aggressive sharks that attack everything in their path.
4. Into the Storm (2014)
If you love the “found footage” genre, then this is the movie for you. The story follows an ordeal suffered by the inhabitants of Silverton, Oklahoma after a devastating storm hit the town. Shot in a documentary-style film, storm chasers and citizens alike face deadly situations as Silverton is hit by several tornadoes, a firenado and ultimately a fearsome F5 category tornado.
5. Where Was God? (2014)
One of the most heart-wrenching – and heart-warming – documentaries filmed about a real tornado, this movie recounts what happened on May 20, 2013. An F5 tornado ripped through Moore, Oklahoma and caused more damage than 8 atomic bombs.
Seen through the eyes and interviews with survivors, tales of horror, loss, hope and heroism surface in a way that makes the Moore tornado an unforgettable event in history.
6. Ice Twisters (2009)
When researchers conduct an experiment to control the weather, they initially believe that the top-secret project is a success. However, a nearby town is soon hit by a storm that takes the lives of several people.
The experiment has a chain reaction that nobody foresaw and it threatens to consume the entire world. The race is on to stop the global freezing before it becomes too late.
7. Atomic Twister (2002)
This movie is based on the real-life disaster that had taken place on June 24. 1998. An F2 tornado hit the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station in Ohio. The plant was damaged and lost power, making it exceptionally hard for workers to operate the the power station.
The story follows two groups – those inside the power plant who are desperately trying to prevent a nuclear meltdown and the survivors in town fighting to help each other during the aftermath of the tornado.
8. Category 6: Day of Destruction (2004)
Andy Goodman, a meteorologist, is a week away from forced retirement. But when Las Vegas is unexpectedly almost levelled by tornadoes, Goodman’s experience prompts him to closely track and analyze the storm. He deduces that it is heading for Chicago.
The movie follows several characters to show the progression of the storm, from reporters to politicians, and a series of events that knocks out power to the entire city of Chicago just before the tornadoes hit.
9. Category 7: The End of the World
A sequel to “Category 6: Day of Destruction,” you can look forward to global destruction. The storm that hit Chicago is far from over. Growing in size and strength, it hits Paris. Meanwhile, more tornadoes are forming in the US and FEMA and other officials scramble to understand what is behind the destructive weather.
As several tornadoes converge, they create a “category 7” twister that razes everything in its path. The storm is now so massive that it threatens to trigger a worldwide apocalypse.
10. Clownado (2019)
If low-budget horror films are your thing, then don’t forget to watch this somewhat ridiculous and yet unique movie. The premise of the film involves a group of killer clowns that can travel anywhere they want – by turning into a tornado.
The whirlwind clowns cause massacres wherever they touch down. But a group of people, including the woman who cursed the clowns and caused the clownado, has to find a way to stop the bloodshed before they also fall victim.
11. The Day After Tomorrow(2004)
As a paleoclimatologist, Jack Hall can see the signs of an impending ice age brought on by climate change. Despite his repeated warnings, those in power ignore his pleas to begin a mass evacuation of the Northern states.
As he feared, a massive storm envelopes the northern hemisphere and flash-freezes everything in its path. While natural disasters raze all the affected countries, Jack is one of the few people heading back into the storm as he desperately searches for his son who is trapped in Manhattan.
12. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
In this classic, Margaret Hamilton’s iconic depiction of the Wicked Witch of the West almost steals the show. The musical fantasy follows the adventures of a girl named Dorothy after a tornado takes her house to Munchkinland in the Land of Oz.
Taking the Yellow Brick Road and gathering her friends, Dorothy has to ward off the witch’s attempts to stop them from returning home to Kansas.
13. Sharknado 2: The Second One (2014)
In this sequel, Fin and his wife, April, are promoting her book on how to survive a sharknado. But on the tour, a second sharknado hit their plane and causes a slaughter during which April is severely injured. Upon landing, Fin tries to warn people that a second storm is coming but nobody takes him seriously, believing that it had been a one-time event.
When the shark-infested storm hits, it comes with floodwaters and screaming victims. Through it all, Fin has to battle to save his sister and her family.
14. The Perfect Storm (2000)
Based on the real sinking of a fishing boat in 1991, the Andrea Gail, the story is a blend of known facts and fiction.
In October, Captain Billy Tyne sets off on a late-season trip with the hope of reversing a really bad fishing streak. The crew get a lucky break at the Flemish Cap but when their ice machine breaks, they decide to risk returning through a storm rather than lose the fish. But fueled by two epic weather fronts, rogue waves and a hurricane, the storm is just too powerful.
15. Tornado Valley (2009)
Twenty-five years ago, a tornado destroyed the McAdams home, traumatizing Liz and her sister. The memory of that day haunts her into adulthood but even so, Liz becomes a professional storm chaser. When a new deadly tornado season appears on the horizon, Liz has to fight to save her family once again.