Dan Trachtenberg Producer: J.J. Abrams (Bad Robot Productions) Writers: Josh Campbell, Matthew Stuecken, Damien Chazelle (credited for rewrite) Starring: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Goodman, John Gallagher Jr.

The film has become a touchstone for "contained thrillers" and a textbook example of how to market a film with secrecy. It launched Dan Trachtenberg’s career (he would go on to direct Prey in 2022). More importantly, it gave audiences one of the most memorable modern screen villains in Howard Stambler—a man who built a perfect cage and called it safety.

90% (Certified Fresh) Metacritic: 76/100 Box Office: $110 million on a $15 million budget

Critics praised the tight script, suffocating tension, and John Goodman’s Oscar-worthy performance. It was named one of the best films of 2016 by Empire , The Guardian , and Rolling Stone .

A local man (played by John Gallagher Jr.) who helped build the bunker and corroborates Howard's story. Production: From "The Cellar" to "Cloverfield"

Her captor, or perhaps savior, is Howard Stambler (John Goodman), a hulking, doomsday-prepper conspiracy theorist. He explains that a massive chemical or biological attack has left the outside air lethal. He rescued her, and the only way to survive is to stay in his fully stocked, underground bunker.