There's nothing like a small, enclosed space that gets the anxiety going.

Movies have the power to evoke unlimited responses from audience members. From anguish, fear, love, laughter, excitement, and everything else in between, movie lovers seek out onscreen stories to elicit these emotions. Claustrophobia, the extreme fear of confined spaces, is one powerful (and underrated) response that even bad movies can project onto their viewers. If a film contains all the cinematic elements to cause the watcher to feel this fear, the job is done. Sweaty palms, fidgeting, and the popular "Nope, no way" response are all signs we're feeling the claustrophobia.

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Whether underwater or underground, the characters in these movies are placed in extreme circumstances, often in the face of survival. As viewers root for their favorites to make it out in one piece, we feel a sense of confinement and fear as we imagine what we'd do if the roles were reversed.

An iconic shark movie in its own right, Deep Blue Sea played on the claustrophobic fears of viewers many times throughout the 105-minute runtime. Scientists in a remote Alzheimer's research facility quickly discover that their test subjects, sharks, have become exponentially more intelligent and have now begun to hunt their human counterparts.

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What's become a shark-genre classic is a prime example of tight space fears in cinema. From the flooding research facility to Preacher (LL Cool J) climbing in and hacking his way through an industrial cooking oven to avoid the sharks, Deep Blue Sea keeps viewers on their toes and tensed as each character is put through the wringer to survive...or not. It's available with an HBO Max subscription, for free with Tubi, or for rental on various platforms like Amazon Prime.

It does not get more claustrophobic than Ryan Reynolds in Buried. Reynolds stars as Paul, a U.S. truck driver who, while working in Iraq, is attacked and kidnaped. He wakes up buried in a coffee in the desert with only a cell phone and a lighter to get himself out. A hit with critics and audiences, Buried captivated moviegoers from start to finish.

With multiple elements to stir up claustrophobia in viewers, Reynolds managed to handle the dramatic role without fusing too much of his usual comedic tones. Whether it's the dwindling oxygen levels, the idea of being encased in sand with only a few flimsy wood boards to protect you, or the limited cell phone capabilities, Buried peaked anxiety in everyone who watched. It's available with an HBO Max subscription or for rental on various platforms like Amazon Prime.

There's something about water movies that draws out the fear in movie lovers. After an underwater earthquake damages their drilling facility, a group of oceanic researchers must walk across the ocean floor to reach the main sector, only to be terrorized by an underwater creature no one's ever seen. Led by Kristen Stewart, Underwater is the perfect claustrophobic horror thriller.

In these types of movies, they're always one suit short; someone's got to stay behind to man the controls or some other excuses to add tension and the feeling like the walls are closing in. As if the usual genre elements weren't enough, let's add in the setting, which is six miles underwater in the dark, crushing depths of the ocean...tensed up yet? Underwater is available to stream with subscriptions to Hulu or Sling and for rental on multiple sites like Amazon Prime and YouTube.

Not just an elaborate movie set, the elevator in Devil is an everyday source of anxiety and claustrophobia. Five strangers in an office building are trapped in an elevator and believe the Devil is potentially among them. The film spends almost the entirety of its 80-minute runtime in the elevator with the central cast as they are not only fighting their fears but each other.

To critics and audiences, Devil is as stuck as the elevator with no scares and a disappointing premise. Manifesting not just claustrophobia onscreen with the minimal setting, audiences felt trapped by this horror film's acting and low-budget quality despite M. Night Shyamalan's name attached to it.Devil is available for rental on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, and Vudu.

Another horror movie that looked so good but was so bad, As Above So Below is still an optimal choice if you're seeking a claustrophobic stream. A crew of young explorers takes their cameras through the catacombs beneath Paris in search of the Philosopher's Stone. While viewers were disappointed by an enticing setup with no satisfying conclusions, the film still provides the sense of limited space as the explorers squeeze through (and sometimes get stuck) the underground tunnels.

The found footage style filmmaking adds to the tension and suspense as viewers imagine themselves wedged in the tiny catacomb spaces, desperate to get loose with no one to help. A manageable 93-minutes in runtime, As Above, So Below is available to rent or purchase on Amazon Prime.

A remake that didn't sit well with critics or viewers, we can't deny the scenes of claustrophobic panic Poseidon brought to screen. Guests on a luxury ocean liner are forced to fight for their survival and escape as a rogue wave capsizes the ship. With an all-star cast led by Kurt Russell, Poseidon features the talents of Josh Lucas, Emmy Rossum, and Richard Dreyfuss, among its other stars.

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From rising water levels, climbing through air ducts, holding your breath for dear life, and everything in between, this film is one survival story that taps on the fears of its viewers. Surprisingly nominated for one Visual Effects Oscar, Poseidon is available to watch with a Hulu subscription or for rental on various platforms like Apple TV and Amazon Prime.

A mash-up of a few of the other films on this list, Sanctum may boast expansive caves and beautiful sites, but the danger lurking below the surface is highly palpable throughout the film. When crisis strikes a group of cave researching divers, their only hope of survival is to try and make their way out by diving below and exiting through the unexplored cave system.

Claustrophobia hits in this movie as characters with no diving experience are forced to pile on heavy gear and swim through passages and caverns with little oxygen and space. At one point, a character does get stuck and panics, causing a catalyst for the rest of the film. Just shy of two hours, Sanctum is available to rent on various platforms like Amazon Prime, Apple TV, and Vudu.

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Writing from downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Ali's either watching movies or growing her list to watch. Her blog, peskethings, is about film reviews and whether to see it or skip it. She has a Bachelor's in English and minor in creative writing. When she's not writing for Collider, or her blog, you can find her exploring Wisconsin with friends and family.

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