The 10 Best Underground Sci-Fi Movies to Watch After ‘Silo’ Season 3

With the third season of Apple TV+’s “Silo” now concluded, viewers may be left craving more tales of life beneath the surface. The series recently revealed that trillionaire Per Stenson, portrayed by Colin Hanks, funded the construction of 50 underground bunkers in Georgia as a last-ditch effort to save 10,000 people each from global nanotech warfare. While real science has sometimes been ignored in favor of drama, Hollywood has long mined the subgenre of subterranean exploration.

From classic adventures to modern horrors, here is a curated list of the best underground sci-fi films available to watch.

10. “The Mole People” (1956)

Directed by Virgil W. Vogel, this campy black-and-white feature follows archaeologists who discover a tunnel leading to a lost Sumerian civilization deep inside the Earth. Pale-skinned inhabitants rule over mole-like mutants, forcing them to harvest mushrooms while demanding human sacrifices. Despite its cheesy romance and dated effects, the film remains a cult favorite, particularly for its memorable depiction of light as a weapon against the creatures.

9. “10 Cloverfield Lane” (2016)

John Goodman stars as Howard, a paranoid bunker dweller in this psychological thriller directed by Dan Trachtenberg. After being rescued from a car crash by Howard, Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is told the outside world has been poisoned by an alien invasion. Co-starring John Gallagher Jr. as the bunker’s engineer, the film keeps audiences guessing about the true nature of the threat until the very end.

8. “The Core” (2003)

Directed by Jon Amiel, this action-packed adventure features an ensemble cast including Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank, and Stanley Tucci. When Earth’s inner core stops spinning, threatening to tear the planet apart through magnetic anomalies, a team of scientists embarks on a suicidal mission to drill into the center and restart it using atomic bombs. While scientific accuracy is sparse, the film is celebrated as an entertaining B-movie spectacle.

7. “Journey to the Center of the Earth” (2008)

Brendan Fraser leads this 3D remake as a scientist searching for his missing brother, accompanied by his nephew (Josh Hutcherson) and a mountaineer (Anita Briem). Directed by Eric Brevig, the film boasts impressive visual effects for its time, featuring dinosaurs, glowing lava, and sea monsters. Though some critics noted a lack of the earnest charm found in the 1959 original, it remains a vibrant fantasy adventure.

6. “At the Earth’s Core” (1976)

Based on Edgar Rice Burroughs’ 1914 novel, this cult classic follows a Victorian scientist (Peter Cushing) and his American partner (Doug McClure) as they drill 4,000 miles into the planet’s interior. Directed by Kevin Connor, the film is filled with rubber-suited monsters and lighthearted dialogue, offering pure Saturday matinee entertainment.

5. “The Descent” (2005)

Directed by Neil Marshall, this horror film follows six women spelunking in an unmapped network of caves in the Appalachian Mountains. They soon encounter flesh-eating feral beings that have lived in the depths for thousands of years. Known for its intense claustrophobia and disturbing imagery, the film was successful enough to spawn a sequel in 2009.

4. “First Men in the Moon” (1964)

Released five years before the Apollo 11 moon landing, this film adapts H.G. Wells’ 1901 novel, taking viewers beneath the lunar surface. It features legendary stop-motion animator Ray Harryhausen’s work depicting insectoid Selenites and caterpillar-like creatures. The story uses dual timelines to connect a present-day expedition with a secret British mission from the 19th century.

3. “City of Ember” (2008)

Starring Saoirse Ronan and Harry Treadaway, this adaptation of Jeanne DuPrau’s novel follows two teens in a failing underground city trying to find an escape route left by its founders. The film shares thematic similarities with “Silo,” including a deceptive mayor played by Bill Murray and rising civil unrest. It also features Tim Robbins in a supporting role.

2. “Hidden” (2015)

Written and directed by The Duffer Brothers before their success with “Stranger Things,” this underrated thriller stars Alexander Skarsgård and Andrea Riseborough. A family forced underground by military bombing discovers humanoid creatures hunting them following a viral outbreak. Released by Warner Bros., the low-budget film draws comparisons to “A Quiet Place” and has gained appreciation in the decade since its release.

1. “Journey to the Center of the Earth” (1959)

Directed by Henry Levin, this lavish adaptation of Jules Verne’s 1864 classic is often cited as the definitive version. James Mason stars as a geologist who leads an expedition through an Icelandic volcano to discover the wonders of the inner Earth, including glowing crystals and the Lost City of Atlantis. The film is praised for its vivid De Luxe color cinematography and faithful adherence to the source material’s spirit.