Best Vacation-Gone-Wrong Movies of All Time

Trips are supposed to be easy-breezy, but the movies below prove getaways can spiral into danger, disaster, or dark comedy fast. From beach towns and island resorts to ski lodges and backcountry trails, these stories push travelers far outside their comfort zones. You’ll find thrillers, horror, and a few comedies where the itinerary melts into chaos thanks to sharks, cults, criminals, or just wildly bad luck. Each pick includes key details—premise, notable cast and crew, and what makes the location pivotal—so you can zero in on the flavor of mayhem you’re in the mood for. Safe travels… or not.

‘Jaws’ (1975)

Set in the seaside community of Amity Island, this thriller follows a police chief, a marine biologist, and a grizzled shark hunter tracking a great white during peak beach season. Steven Spielberg directs, with Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, and Richard Dreyfuss headlining. Its coastal setting turns a holiday destination into a suspense machine, using water, crowds, and tourism pressure as central story drivers. Iconic editing and John Williams’s menacing two-note motif helped cement it as a landmark of summer-blockbuster storytelling.

‘Deliverance’ (1972)

Four Atlanta friends canoe a remote river and run into hostile locals and unforgiving wilderness. John Boorman directs, with Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, and Ronny Cox. The film uses the river’s escalating rapids and isolation to strip away safety nets and test group dynamics. Its themes of survival, masculinity, and urban–rural conflict are anchored by tense location shooting in rugged terrain.

‘Midsommar’ (2019)

A group of American students attend a once-in-a-lifetime solstice festival in a remote Swedish commune. Ari Aster writes and directs, with Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, and Will Poulter. The daylight-drenched countryside turns folk rituals and hospitality into a slowly tightening trap. Production design, costume symbolism, and ritual choreography make the setting’s customs the engine of unease.

‘The Hangover’ (2009)

A bachelor-weekend trip to Las Vegas derails when the groomsmen wake up with no memory and a missing groom. Todd Phillips directs, starring Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, and Ken Jeong. The strip’s casinos, suites, and attractions become clue-filled waypoints in a comic detective quest. Its structure hinges on piecing together a chaotic night through mislaid receipts, photos, and outlandish encounters.

‘National Lampoon’s Vacation’ (1983)

The Griswolds set out on a cross-country drive to the Walley World theme park, only to face breakdowns, detours, and family meltdowns. Harold Ramis directs from a John Hughes script, with Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo leading. Roadside Americana—from deserts to dingy motels—serves as a gauntlet of travel mishaps. The film codified the suburban family road trip as a comedy-of-errors template.

‘Jurassic Park’ (1993)

Visitors arrive for a preview tour of a luxury island theme resort featuring living dinosaurs. Steven Spielberg directs, with Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, and Richard Attenborough. Tropical habitats, electric fences, and automated tour vehicles create a high-tech vacation setting that collapses under system failures. Groundbreaking practical and digital effects integrate the park’s attractions into escalating survival set pieces.

‘The Ruins’ (2008)

Friends on a Mexican holiday follow a tip to an off-map archaeological site and become trapped on a vine-covered hill. Carter Smith directs from Scott Smith’s adaptation, with Jonathan Tucker and Jena Malone. The location’s borders, guarded by locals, turn the sunny excursion into a contained siege. Body horror and environmental threat merge as the terrain itself becomes the antagonist.

‘A Perfect Getaway’ (2009)

Newlyweds hiking in Hawaii cross paths with fellow couples while rumors spread about killer tourists on the loose. David Twohy writes and directs, starring Milla Jovovich, Steve Zahn, Timothy Olyphant, and Kiele Sanchez. Lush trails, waterfalls, and remote cabins frame a twisting whodunit that plays with identity and suspicion. The route’s forks and lookouts become strategic points in a cat-and-mouse game.

‘The Descent’ (2005)

A group of friends reunite for a spelunking adventure that turns perilous when they become lost underground. Neil Marshall directs, with Shauna Macdonald and Natalie Mendoza. Tight passages, total darkness, and unstable caverns transform a thrill-seeking trip into a claustrophobic survival fight. Practical creature effects and sound design leverage the maze-like cave system to disorient both characters and viewers.

‘Hostel’ (2005)

Backpackers traveling through Europe are lured to a Slovak hostel that hides a brutal enterprise. Eli Roth writes and directs, with Jay Hernandez and Derek Richardson. The story weaponizes budget travel—nightlife tips, shared rooms, and local whispers—to expose a predatory underworld. Urban edges, industrial spaces, and tourist bars map the slide from carefree exploration to captivity.

‘The Ritual’ (2017)

Four friends trekking through Scandinavian forest take a shortcut and stumble upon ominous symbols and a secluded settlement. David Bruckner directs, with Rafe Spall, Arsher Ali, Robert James-Collier, and Sam Troughton. The vast woodland, dotted with runic markers and a warped cabin, drives a folk-horror mystery about grief and guilt. Night sequences and distorted trees turn wayfinding into psychological erosion.

‘The Cabin in the Woods’ (2012)

College friends head to a remote cabin, unaware they’re part of a larger orchestrated scenario. Drew Goddard directs from a script with Joss Whedon; Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, and Fran Kranz star. The isolated vacation home conceals high-tech manipulation that reframes familiar horror beats as controlled experiments. Genre-savvy plotting ties location, archetypes, and choices to an elaborate system.

‘Vacancy’ (2007)

A bickering couple stranded by car trouble checks into a roadside motel and discovers hidden cameras. Nimród Antal directs, starring Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale. The grimy office, empty parking lot, and adjacent rooms create a maze designed for surveillance and entrapment. Tension grows from cat-and-mouse tactics, peepholes, and escape routes mapped through connected sets.

‘Triangle’ (2009)

A yachting daytrip leads survivors to a seemingly deserted ocean liner where time loops and doppelgängers collide. Christopher Smith writes and directs, with Melissa George leading the cast. The ship’s corridors, dining rooms, and decks serve as repeating stages that reset events with subtle shifts. Careful prop placement and cyclical blocking turn the vessel into a puzzle box.

‘Eden Lake’ (2008)

A romantic weekend at a rural quarry becomes a fight for survival against a violent group of teens. James Watkins writes and directs, with Kelly Reilly and Michael Fassbender. The lakeside clearing, brambles, and construction-site outskirts provide limited cover and escalating jeopardy. The film examines mob mentality and bystander dynamics within a bleak slice of countryside.

‘Open Water’ (2003)

A couple on a scuba outing is accidentally left behind in the ocean after a headcount mistake. Chris Kentis writes and directs, with Blanchard Ryan and Daniel Travis. Natural-light photography and open-sea shooting emphasize exposure, drift, and the logistics of rescue. The narrative tracks exhaustion, marine life encounters, and the chilling simplicity of miscommunication.

‘The Shallows’ (2016)

A surfing trip to a secluded cove places a medical student within striking distance of a territorial great white. Jaume Collet-Serra directs, starring Blake Lively. The tiny refuge of a rock outcrop and a shifting tide timetable structure each survival choice. Action beats revolve around improvised first aid, limited gear, and navigation to a buoy within sight of shore.

‘Force Majeure’ (2014)

A family on a ski holiday confronts the fallout of a parent’s split-second reaction during an avalanche scare. Ruben Östlund writes and directs, with Johannes Kuhnke and Lisa Loven Kongsli. The resort’s terraces, runs, and dining halls become stages for social discomfort and shifting alliances. Static compositions and awkward silences probe group image, responsibility, and repair.

‘Backcountry’ (2014)

A couple’s camping excursion in a Canadian provincial park goes awry when they stray off trail. Adam MacDonald writes and directs, with Missy Peregrym and Jeff Roop. Real-location filming emphasizes navigation errors, dwindling supplies, and wildlife encounters anchored by outdoor know-how. The film uses map-reading, terrain features, and bear behavior to ground its survival beats.

‘Spring Breakers’ (2012)

College friends fund a beach trip through a robbery and fall into the orbit of a local gangster. Harmony Korine writes and directs, with Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson, and James Franco. The neon-soaked party atmosphere contrasts with escalating criminality and shifting loyalties. Repetition, collage-like editing, and voiceover turn the getaway into a trancey descent.

‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall’ (2008)

A devastated composer flees to a Hawaiian resort, only to find his ex vacationing there with her new partner. Nicholas Stoller directs from a script by Jason Segel, who stars alongside Kristen Bell and Mila Kunis. The resort setting fuels overlapping itineraries, awkward run-ins, and reluctant self-improvement. Side characters—hotel staff and fellow travelers—provide subplots that revolve around activities, rooms, and excursions.

‘Weekend at Bernie’s’ (1989)

Two office workers arrive at their boss’s beach house and spend the weekend pretending he’s alive to dodge danger. Ted Kotcheff directs, starring Andrew McCarthy, Jonathan Silverman, and Terry Kiser. The coastal enclave, parties, and boats enable a farcical chain of cover-ups. Physical comedy and mistaken identities hinge on keeping up appearances across crowded social settings.

‘The River Wild’ (1994)

A family’s white-water rafting trip is commandeered by armed fugitives who need a guide down dangerous rapids. Curtis Hanson directs, with Meryl Streep, Kevin Bacon, and David Strathairn. On-location river sequences highlight rope work, scouting, and maneuvering through named runs. The geography—eddies, gorges, and drops—dictates the stakes and tactics on both sides.

‘The Impossible’ (2012)

A family vacationing in Southeast Asia is torn apart by a catastrophic tsunami and fights to reunite. Juan Antonio Bayona directs, with Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, and Tom Holland. Practical water effects and large-scale staging recreate the disaster’s immediate aftermath across hospitals and flooded streets. The narrative traces medical triage, survivor lists, and improvised communication that guide the search.

‘Couples Retreat’ (2009)

Four pairs travel to a tropical island for a mix of relaxation and mandatory relationship workshops. Peter Billingsley directs, starring Vince Vaughn, Malin Åkerman, Jason Bateman, and Kristen Bell. The resort’s scheduled activities—therapy sessions, lagoon exercises, and island excursions—structure each couple’s challenges. Group dynamics play out across villas, restaurants, and off-limits zones that test boundaries and patience.

‘The Beach’ (2000)

A young traveler in Thailand hears about a secret island community and follows a hand-drawn map to a hidden beach. Directed by Danny Boyle and adapted from Alex Garland’s novel, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Tilda Swinton, and Virginie Ledoyen. The film explores the logistics of an off-grid utopia—food, secrecy, and group rules—colliding with outside threats. Its coastal setting turns paradise into a fragile experiment that unravels under pressure.

‘Turistas’ (2006)

Backpackers stranded after a bus crash in Brazil accept help that leads them into a covert organ-trafficking operation. John Stockwell directs, with Josh Duhamel, Melissa George, and Olivia Wilde. The story uses language barriers, remote villages, and jungle terrain to isolate the tourists. Nighttime chases, improvised shelters, and underground caverns emphasize how unfamiliar ground limits options.

‘Brokedown Palace’ (1999)

Two American friends traveling in Southeast Asia are arrested when drugs are found in their luggage. Directed by Jonathan Kaplan and starring Claire Danes, Kate Beckinsale, and Bill Pullman, it follows their legal fight and family outreach. The narrative focuses on consular processes, prison conditions, and courtroom maneuvering. Cultural misunderstandings and paperwork hurdles become central obstacles to any relief.

‘The Wicker Man’ (1973)

A police sergeant visits a remote Scottish island to investigate a missing child amid a pagan harvest festival. Robin Hardy directs, with Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, and Britt Ekland. The island’s rituals, songs, and leadership structure complicate routine police procedure. Village geography and communal secrecy steadily close off exit routes.

‘The Reef’ (2010)

Sailors en route to Indonesia capsize on a coral reef and must decide between staying with the hull or swimming for land. Andrew Traucki directs, with Damian Walshe-Howling, Gyton Grantley, and Zoe Naylor. Open water, currents, and the presence of large predators drive survival decisions. Navigation by landmarks and tidal shifts shapes each attempt to reach shore.

’47 Meters Down’ (2017)

Two sisters on a cage-diving excursion become trapped on the seafloor when the winch fails. Johannes Roberts directs, starring Mandy Moore and Claire Holt. Air management, depth-related disorientation, and limited visibility govern every move. Communication with the boat, decompression risks, and circling sharks create a ticking-clock scenario.

‘Adrift’ (2018)

A couple delivering a yacht across the Pacific is caught in a catastrophic storm and must jury-rig a path to land. Directed by Baltasar Kormákur and starring Shailene Woodley and Sam Claflin, it draws on a true survival account. Rationing, celestial navigation, and makeshift repairs anchor the plot’s problem-solving. The isolation of bluewater sailing turns routine passages into high-stakes challenges.

‘Six Days Seven Nights’ (1998)

After a crash landing on a deserted island, a magazine editor and a pilot work together to signal rescue and dodge smugglers. Ivan Reitman directs, with Harrison Ford, Anne Heche, and David Schwimmer. The story leans on bush-plane details, shoreline scouting, and salvage from the wreck. Tropical geography—reefs, coves, and cliffs—dictates the hazards and escape routes.

‘Wrong Turn’ (2003)

Several travelers take a backroad detour in the Appalachians and run into a deadly clan in the woods. Rob Schmidt directs, with Eliza Dushku, Desmond Harrington, and Emmanuelle Chriqui. The dense forest, logging roads, and traps turn wayfinding into a survival puzzle. Abandoned cabins and lookout points provide temporary cover that rarely holds.

‘The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’ (1974)

Friends on a road trip visit a family homestead and stumble upon a house with a terrifying occupant. Tobe Hooper directs, with Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, and Gunnar Hansen. The rural setting—bone-strewn interiors, generators, and outbuildings—creates a grim obstacle course. Daylight sequences and heat-baked landscapes heighten the sense of exposure and exhaustion.

‘The Most Dangerous Game’ (1932)

After a yacht wreck, a big-game hunter washes ashore on a private island owned by another hunter who stalks human prey. Irving Pichel and Ernest B. Schoedsack direct, with Joel McCrea and Fay Wray. The narrative maps traps, terrain, and tactics used in a chase across jungle and cliffs. Setpieces revolve around improvised weapons and careful tracking.

‘Funny Games’ (1997)

A family at their lakeside holiday home is taken hostage by two polite intruders who subject them to escalating torment. Michael Haneke writes and directs, with Susanne Lothar, Ulrich Mühe, and Arno Frisch. The isolated rental’s layout—dock, living room, and neighboring houses—dictates the captors’ control. Formal techniques and deliberate pacing emphasize manipulation and helplessness.

‘EuroTrip’ (2004)

Teenagers bounce from city to city across Europe after a miscommunication sends them chasing a long-distance crush. Jeff Schaffer directs, with Scott Mechlowicz, Jacob Pitts, Michelle Trachtenberg, and Travis Wester. Budget travel details—hostels, trains, and border mix-ups—fuel a string of mishaps. Landmarks and festivals become checkpoints in a frantic itinerary.

‘Club Dread’ (2004)

Vacationers at a Caribbean party resort are stalked by a masked killer during a hedonistic weekend. Jay Chandrasekhar directs the Broken Lizard ensemble, including Bill Paxton, Kevin Heffernan, and Brittany Daniel. The resort’s activity schedule and sprawling grounds create opportunities and blind spots. Night swims, jungle trails, and blackout zones complicate searches and escapes.

‘The Beach House’ (2019)

A couple’s off-season retreat to a seaside home overlaps with unexpected guests and a strange coastal phenomenon. Jeffrey A. Brown writes and directs, with Liana Liberato, Noah Le Gros, Jake Weber, and Maryann Nagel. The plot uses marine ecology, contamination cues, and medical symptoms to escalate dread. Limited supplies and quarantine choices turn the house into a pressure cooker.

Share your favorite vacation-gone-sideways picks in the comments—what did we miss, and which getaway disaster do you swear by?