The snow is a winter setting that could conjure a myriad of moods. Whether it be to create a sense of elegant wonder, a Winterland setting for fantasy, the cold, barren, desolate nature of nothingness, or to remind an audience of its climate, the snow is a great prop. The snow creates a sense of versatility with filmmakers not only for the holiday spirit but to project mood onto the story, a subtext, much like the rain.
It could be a great way to juxtapose violence as blood paints the white floor or that feeling of everything being new again. There’s even a Western genre dedicated to the snow, thanks to a recent collection by Criterion. Winter season is still going strong, and before spring breaks, one might want to watch a movie that captures the snowy weather that is going on outside. These are the best films set up or against the snow.
Update January 29, 2024: This article has been updated with even more great films set in the snow by Soniya Hinduja to enjoy this winter season.
15 I’m Thinking of Ending Things (2020)
Featuring outstanding performances from Jessie Buckley and Jesse Plemons, I’m Thinking of Ending Things is a riddle of a film that demands all your attention. Buckley plays Lucy, a young woman who goes on a trip with his boyfriend Jake, played by Plemons, to meet his parents. But strange occurrences send her deep into thought and reconsideration. The film also has a parallel narrative with footage of a school janitor. Its dream-like treatment makes you squirm until the very end.
Kaufman’s Little Puzzle Box
“Time passes through us,” utters Jessie Buckley. The inscrutable, skin-scrawling existential angst and romance tied to the ideas of loving and being loved is at the center of Charlie Kaufman’s film. He’s a writer-director terrified of losing his ideas and obsessed with who will remember them once completed. I’m Thinking of Ending Things wants an entire life to be lived and breathed in, much like Synecdoche, New York. Through the head-scratching time shifts and breaks, in reality, the uncomfortable malaise of growing old, “did it happen or was it a dream?” platitudes, Kaufman has faithfully adapted a novel, but this is undoubtedly his work — one of his best. Stream on Netflix
14 The Edge (1997)
A common rift between the working class and the wealthy elite they work for, matched with jealous rage and fits of domestic disturbances, The Edge takes men not built for the wilderness and whittles them down to their bare essence. Starring Alec Baldwin as a family man taking his wife to Alaska for a photo shoot and Anthony Hopkins as a man with a seemingly boundless knowledge of all things and a celebrated photographer by profession, the film takes them to the deep end to see two men reach past their shortcomings.
Man Vs Nature, Or Man Vs Man?
With a sublime direction by Lee Tamahori, a harrowing score by Jerry Goldsmith, and the most stunning shots of mountains, The Edge subverts expectations of survival thrillers. It also gives us two vulnerable and complicated protagonists in Baldwin and Hopkins as they are pulled into the taut narrative filled with near-death-defying battle of wits and bound to each other in the most unexpected ways. Shot amidst breathtaking Alaskan scenery that consumes characters as much as the storyline, the film is a work of art and an instant classic. Rent on Apple TV
13 Misery (1990)
Misery
- Release Date
- November 30, 1990
Adapted from a 1987 novel by Stephen King, Misery is an excellent psychological thriller. It follows acclaimed novelist Paul Sheldon, who crashes his car in a snowstorm and is rescued by former nurse Annie Wilkes. Paul isn’t even surprised to hear that she’s a huge fan of his work. But as Annie nurses Paul back to health in her secluded home, he discovers that she’s severely unstable and is holding him captive.
Chilling And Manipulative Game Of Wits
Director Rob Reiner has a resume dotted with critical and fan-wide success, and his behind-the-scenes works often include coming-of-age dramas. With Misery, Reiner ratchets up the kind of nail-biting suspense and manipulative horror that was synonymous only with the ‘90s. James Caan is great as Paul, but it is Kathy Bates who astonishes in the role of Annie and leads King to pen a series of novels with her character. The movie plays out beautifully against the unforgiving snowy landscape and stays with us long after. Rent on Apple TV
12 Cliffhanger (1993)
Bracing for extremity with battles, explosions, and collisions atop the snowy mountains as Sylvester Stallone looks to redeem his begotten past, Cliffhanger sees him as Gabe Walker, a ranger trying to help plane crash survivors. But among them is a devious John Lithgow planning the heist of the US Treasury Plane. The heist takes a dangerous turn into the snow-filled Rocky Mountains. With a crew rounded out by the vastly underused Leon as the lead henchman, the climber, played by Stallone, is tasked with reducing the hostages.
Action Thriller Packed With Adrenaline
Essentially Die Hard on a mountain, Cliffhanger is said to be one of the most dangerous films ever made. Stallone is perfectly cast in this breathtaking ode to 1990s action cinema, where the good guy often gets embroiled in a cat-and-mouse game. With this one featuring heart-in-your-mouth stunts, real shots of wintery cliffs and authentic climactic scenes, the audience is sure to have a good time. No stranger to the snow — after making Die Hard 2 — director Renny Harlin made a hit, as the film went on to gross $255 million. Rent on Apple TV
11 Snowpiercer (2013)
With a stacked cast of Chris Evans, Tilda Swinton, Song Kang-ho, John Hurt, and Ed Harris, director Bong Joon-ho plunges us into a snow-capped hellscape in a post-apocalyptic world where the population is forced to live on a never-ending train ride. With the social hierarchy baked into the train and story set-up, the poorest are forced to live in the back. Led by Evans, the back of the train takes arms and starts a revolution to get to the front.
Dystopian Satire For The Ages
Bong Joon-ho has a penchant for weaving in critiques of social classes and hierarchies in many of his action-thriller movies. With Snowpiercer, he found the perfect source material to make his first American film. Inside the claustrophobic setting, he constructs a microcosm of a society forgotten and a society that envelops us all to seamlessly blend action, satire, and tense scenes that all build towards a brilliant climax. Snowpiercer is not just a landmark science fiction epic, but Bong’s sublime work of art. Currently unavailable to stream.
10 Wind River (2017)
Wind River
- Release Date
- August 3, 2017
- Cast
- Kelsey Chow , Jeremy Renner , Julia Jones , Teo Briones , Apesanahkwat , Graham Greene
Wind River is directed by Taylor Sheridan, and is a recipient of the Top Ten Independent Films award under National Board of Review’s 2017 turnout. It follows Cory Lambert, an experienced wildlife officer and tracker who joins forces with FBI agent Jane Banner following the death of a young woman. Because her body was found on a snowy Indian Reservation in Wyoming, it was impossible for the people to have the means to investigate the matter. So Jane and Cory rely on each other’s skills to unravel the truth.
Neo-Noir Thriller With Steely Winds
Sheridan draws inspiration from the true cases of missing native American girls and infuses the tightly-wound script with as much realism, empathy, and nuance as possible. Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen are perfectly cast as the two intense and determined individuals navigating their chilly environment and gaining trust from the people. While the movie centers on themes of loss and grief, it is Sheridan’s use of shadowy backdrops that swallows the audience into a desperate search for truth. Stream on Freevee
9 Home Alone (1990)
As the 8-year-old Kevin McCallister (the revelatory Macaulay Culkin) gets stranded at his house after an emotional spinout with his family, he relishes his time alone as the man of the house, having the freedom to do whatever he wishes, whenever he wishes. But, forced by two bumbling crooks who try to infiltrate his home, he goes to battle with a hilariously volatile Joe Pesci. Playing the PG version of the persona he made famous under the guise of Martin Scorsese, Pesci gets outwitted by the kid.
An Unparalleled Holiday Classic
The Christmas movie classic doesn't just get its lovely, warm feeling of family from the wonderful cast of actors and the sleek, Spielbergian direction from Chris Columbus, but the lovely snow setting the McAllisters live in at the quiet Illinois suburb. While Kevin’s hijinks satisfy the soul, it is the holiday cheer, the fanciful neighborhood, and the snow-laced slapstick justice that warms our hearts even today. Home Alone is a classic for a reason and one that fits perfectly for the snowy, cold weather. Stream on Disney+ and Hulu.
8 The Revenant (2015)
The movie that finally presented a much-deserved Oscar to Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant, is inspired by a shocking true story of one man’s survival against all odds. Hugh Glass is a frontiersman under orders from Captain Andrew Henry, guiding other men in an uncharted American wilderness. But one day, the deadly landscape of Dakota is cruel to Glass and he is mauled by a savage bear. When his fellow companion leaves him for dead, Glass begins his quest to survive and exact revenge.
An Awe-Inspiring Survival Epic
The Revenant reveals a treacherous snowbound terrain, which acts as a secondary character and amplifies the film’s nightmarish scenario. Had Glass been in the same situation against a different backdrop, maybe the film wouldn’t have had such a jarring impact. That said, every stunning frame of The Revenant is worthy of hanging in a museum. DiCaprio’s physical performance, which was committed, fierce, and beautiful, cements the actor’s legendary status in the industry. Rent on Apple TV
7 The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
The Grand Budapest Hotel is about a Zero, played by Tony Revelori for the majority of the film and F. Murray Abraham for the present-day sequence, who reflects on his life to a young writer (Jude Law) about the eccentric concierge Monsieur Gustave H. (Ralph Fiennes) and how love is the only answer to war. It is set in the 1930s, the time when Zero became friends with Mr. Gustave. Zero tells of his past, and how the world drastically changed, of how love had been lost, and how innocence died.
Wes Anderson’s Most Whimsical Work
The underlying humanity of Wes Anderson never came through quite as it did with The Grand Budapest Hotel. A film about the crushing blow of fascism and what it can do to a country. But also, a film about memory and storytelling neatly packages itself into the Anderson mold. It also helps that the meticulous details, lush set pieces, and deadpan humor make Gustave’s adventures less absurd and more heartfelt. It is Anderson's most celebrated Oscar film to date, and one is decorated neatly by an elegant snow blanket. Rent on Apple TV
6 Werewolves Within (2021)
Werewolves Within
Feature adaptation of the video game where werewolves attack a small town.
- Release Date
- July 2, 2021
- Director
- Josh Ruben
Based on the video game of the same name, Werewolves Within is a horror-comedy that features some of the funniest comedic actors working, including Sam Richardson and Milana Vayntrub, as a group of people are trapped in a small Vermont town during a snowstorm to discover a werewolf is hunting them. Everyone is a suspect, and nothing is as it seems.
Cold Terrors and Laughs
Werewolves Within is not only the best video game movie but an incredibly funny horror comedy that stands alongside greats like Shaun of the Dead and Evil Dead 2. The film's snowy environment helps sell the terror of the situation while also allowing for some incredibly comedic moments of allowing for people to be trapped together that otherwise would not have. The film's cold setting made it a nice break from the hot summer in which it was released. Certainly, an underrated film, not many audiences have seen that is worth checking out. Stream on Hulu.
5 The Holdovers (2023)
The Holdovers
- Release Date
- November 10, 2023
Set against the backdrop of a New England boarding school during Christmas, The Holdovers is a comedy-drama directed by Alexander Payne. It centers around Paul Hunham, a strict ancient civilizations professor who is stuck with chaperoning a handful of students who stayed back for the breaks because they had nowhere to go. Of the five boys, four eventually set off skiing, leaving Angus Tully, an intelligent troublemaker. The two end up forming an unlikely bond with each other and the head cook, Mary, who just lost her son in the Vietnam War.
Mesmerizing Study Of Character Relationships
Beautiful, bittersweet, and extremely overwhelming, The Holdovers is a film that thrives in its rich performances and character relationships. On the one hand, there’s Dominic Sessa, who stuns in his debut as a relentless and troubled kid. And on the other hand, there are two of the industry’s greatest actors, Da'Vine Joy Randolph and Paul Giamatti, who have both received Academy Award nominations for their performances. Despite being a story infused with personal tragedy, The Holdovers finds comfort in its snowy holiday setting. Stream on Peacock Premium
4 The Shining (1980)
In the vein of Stanley Kubrick's dark sense of humor that permeates all his work and the inertia of dread that cracks through his films, Jack Nicholson, the screen idol, goes lunatic in The Shining, adding a new dynamic to the Kubrick oeuvre. While inflicting trauma on his family as he slowly loses his mind, Nicholson's performance is one of over-the-top theatrics, going full tilt as he dives down the rabbit hole, but also colors the character with the classic Jack-speak. “Here’s Johnny!” — Kubrick cast the role perfectly, creating another role that became iconic.
Masterclass In Horror
The way Kubrick transforms King’s supernatural-infused source materials with a more psychological bent is terrifying, as the audience is never sure if the hotel is truly haunted or if the isolation is just driving Jack mad. Pairing it with a minimal score and the film's dead-set snow setting only increases the feeling of isolation that sends the craziness to a peak. Moreover, for fans of the horror genre, Nicholson has forever been etched in our brains for his performance. As the Torrance family faces the danger of succumbing to the abnormal influences within the hotel wall, it is the mounting insanity within Nicholson’s character that is unforgettable. Stream on DirecTV
3 The Thing (1982)
Locking at a crew of research scientists in the heart of a remote Antarctic site as an unknown alien presence infiltrates their grounds, imitating and copying any flesh it comes into contact with, Carpenter created a pillar of the body horror genre. As Kurt Russell and Keith David navigate the crew's paranoia and their suspicion of who controls the power dynamics, The Thing slowly devolves into a body horror gore fest where no one is to be trusted.
Cracks Up The Paranoia To A Solid 11
King of the horror film genre in the 1980s, Carpenter’s The Thing is a feat of editing, practical effects, and his keen sense of creating an atmosphere of paranoia. The movie is an interesting take on the John W. Campbell Jr. novella, which is just as disturbing. Beyond the claustrophobic setting and constant state of dread, it is the small crew’s dynamics that truly lays the groundwork for the film’s jaw-dropping reveals. Experiencing the moment when any character could flip is incredible, and it has become a template for snowy mysteries from Werewolves Within to Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight. Stream on Shudder
2 Fargo (1996)
Fargo
- Release Date
- March 8, 1996
Fargo is an early crime masterwork from the Coens that acts like a savage tale of desperation and lowly criminals who abide by no moral code. The main storyline sees car salesman Jerry Lundegaard in desperate need of cash. He hires two men to kidnap his wife with the hopes of extorting a hefty ransom from his wealthy father-in-law. However, the plan quickly goes south, and a trail of blood has the town’s police chief scratching his chin, trying to piece the mystery together.
Coen Brothers’ Snow-Filled Crime Thriller
In 1996, the Coen Brothers decided to make a move towards the minimal, sparse landscape of noir that put their name on the map. To say the director-duo defined their trademark style would be fitting. Filled with an incredible lead role from Coen muse Frances McDormand, which earned her first Oscar, Fargo mixes the funny, goofball earnestness of the Midwest with brutal, senseless violence to a chilling degree. As the snow-filled mask of the surface creates an undertone where blood gets lost and frozen. Stream on Max
1 Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
The iconic battle of Hoth lives in the pantheon of great Star Wars sequences but is also one of the best openings to a film ever. With the iconic setting in the snow-covered planet, as the rebels and empire battle it out, the snow sets a place for Luke Skywalker to start a new road on his way to becoming a Jedi master. He receives training from Master Yoda and Darth Vader tries to track down. Meanwhile, Princess Leia, Han Solo, and Chewbacca are captured by the stormtroopers and eventually handed over to Boba Fett.
The Apex Of Pop Cinema
Director Irvin Kershner takes the beloved saga to great depths by presenting our heroes amidst struggles and losses. Setting the stage for quite possibly the greatest sequel ever made, Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back transcended the first and became the iconic piece of pop cinema it is today. While the Hoth planet is only the film's opening, it is the signature planet for the film, and the snowy cold environment is both the one most associated with the film but also matches the colder, darker themes of this second chapter in the original trilogy. From the incredibly quotable script to the epic lightsaber battle where the implications blew father-son dynamics out of the water, Empire stands the test of time. Stream on Disney+
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