Summary
If you likedAtomfall, there’s a good chance you’re into that kind of creepy, sci-fi storytelling. The game takes place in an alternative version of the 1960s in Northern England after a nuclear disaster turns the area into a radioactive zone.
What makes Atomfall feel so unique is that something feels off, but you can’t really explain why Some of these projects have a similar feel to them, and a few of these movies might be slow burns, but that just makes them feel more impactful.
8Annihilation (2018)
Rotten Tomatoes: 88 Percent
Maybe the closest in tone to Atomfall, Annihilation is the kind of movie where everything feels off, and you’re not even sure what you’re watching sometimes, but it’s still engrossing. It’sdirected by Alex Garland, who is extremely well versed in both writing and directing several popular sci-fi works, in what might be one of his most underrated projects.
The story follows a group of scientists going into a weird zone called The Shimmer where everything keeps mutating, including animals, plants, and even people. It’s surreal and very trippy but also really quiet and relatively intense.
7Fallout (2024)
Rotten Tomatoes: 94 Percent
Atomfall takes a lot of inspiration fromthe Fallout games, and if you want to experience that world, the Fallout TV series makes total sense to watch next. The show does a great job of telling its own, original story while still being true and respectful to the source material.
Although it’s not as gritty as the games from Fallout 1 to Fallout: New Vegas, and takes a bit more inspiration from Fallout 4 for its quirkiness and more colorful look, it still thoroughly feels like Fallout. The weird humor is greatly balanced out with all of the gripping drama and character work, especially everything that happens in the flashbacks shown from The Ghoul’s POV.
628 Days Later (2002)
Rotten Tomatoes: 87 Percent
28 Days Later is another movie written by Alex Garland, but instead directed by Danny Boyle, in what is one of the most different and grounded zombie movies. The story is somewhat simple - a man wakes up in a hospital and finds London completely empty.
He finds out that a virus has spread and turned people into these infected monsters. It focuses a bit more on how people act in a broken world, much like Atomfall. The movie has a gritty look and really uses silence and space well, and a sequel titled 28 Years Later releases in June of 2025.
5Chernobyl (2019)
Rotten Tomatoes: 95 Percent
HBO’s Chernobyl miniseries was created by Craig Mazin, who interestingly enough had only written comedies like the third and fourth Scary Movie, as well as the second and third Hangover movies, although he’s now most well-known for being the showrunner behind The Last of Us show.
Chernobyl was completely different from his past work at the time, and it tells the true story of the titular nuclear disaster in 1986. The show is brilliantly acted and looks amazing too, dark and full of dread. It manages to accomplish so much in just five episodes, and is already considered one of the greatest shows of all time.
4Stalker (1979)
Rotten Tomatoes: 100 Percent
Stalker is definitely not for everyone, but if you liked Atomfall, it’s absolutely worth watching. Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky and usually considered as his best work, it’s slow, quiet, and very philosophical. It’s about a guide, called the Stalker, who leads two men into a strange place called the Zone.
Inside the Zone, physics doesn’t always work right, and even Alex Garland’s Annihilation has a clear parallel in this narrative hook. It’s a story about a strange place that messes with your head and leaves a lot up to the viewer and their interpretation.
3The Man In The High Castle (2015–2019)
Rotten Tomatoes: 84 Percent
Much like Atomfall, The Man in the High Castle takes place in a totally different version of history. In this world, the Axis powers won World War II, and now the U.S. is split between Nazi Germany and Japan, creating a very interesting setting.
It’s based on the novel by Philip K. Dick, who also wrote Blade Runner. The story follows different characters across this unique version of America. There’s even some interesting sci-fi stuff involving alternate realities. If you’re into world-building and alternate histories, it’s a really solid show worth watching.
Rotten Tomatoes: 74 Percent
The Road is a very hard-hitting and emotional movie, especially with its ending. It’s based on the book by Cormac McCarthy and stars Viggo Mortensen as a father trying to protect his sonin a post-apocalyptic world.
It focuses more on how people deal with the collapse of society instead of explaining exactly why it happened. The movie is depressing, but also powerful. It still holds up really well today and remains one of the more realistic takes on what the end of the world might feel like.
1The Leftovers (2014-2017)
Rotten Tomatoes: 91 Percent
The Leftovers is a very underrated show, and one of the absolute best of the modern TV era. It really nails the feeling of loss and mystery. It was created by Damon Lindelof, who also created Lost, Watchmen, and 2026’s Lanterns show for the DCU.
The show follows a story where two percent of the world’s population suddenly disappears one day with no explanation. A lot of the people left behind, naturally, don’t handle it well. It doesn’t always explain everything, and that really helps give it a certain surreal vibe.
