Earlier than cinema, folks turned to the theater for his or her leisure. Whereas motion pictures have the distinctive capacity to move audiences anyplace on the planet (or exterior of it), theater productions and stage performs don’t have that energy. Whereas set design has developed over time to assist evoke a transportative feeling (particularly on bigger, costlier productions), the character of theater has pressured writers to inform partaking tales inside the confines of the stage.
Although some filmmakers might discover this limiting, others are drawn to the problem of telling a narrative in a singular setting, specializing in character growth and dialogue over VFX and motion spectacle. If that sounds intriguing to you, listed here are 26 motion pictures that happen solely in a single location.
Up to date January 27, 2025: This text has been up to date with further content material and knowledge to ensure it’s present with the perfect motion pictures shot in a single place.
26
ATM (2012)
ATM
- Launch Date
-
February 17, 2012
- Runtime
-
91 minutes
- Director
-
David Brooks
ATM is a horror film directed by David Brooks that stars Josh Peck, Alice Eve, and Brian Geraghty. The movie’s hook is unquestionably distinctive: it takes place solely in an in a single day ATM sales space. The thriller is centered round three co-workers who cease at a 24-hour ATM sales space to seize some money for a pizza after a drunken Christmas social gathering. However unbeknownst to them, they’ve grow to be the targets of a psychopathic killer who doesn’t intend to allow them to depart the sales space alive.
Author Chris Sparling Finds His Hollywood Area of interest
ATM was written by Chris Sparling, whose specialty appears to be writing real-time, single-setting thrillers as he had beforehand penned the screenplay for the Ryan Reynolds-led claustrophobic hit Buried in 2010. Though it’s a novel angle and a giant swing, the anxiety-inducing horror thriller didn’t land with lots of critics and acquired only a 12% Rotten Tomatoes rating. Nonetheless, it deserves a spot on this listing for holding the distinctive distinction of being the one movie set solely inside an ATM.
25
Circle (2015)
Circle
- Launch Date
-
October 16, 2015
- Runtime
-
87 Minutes
- Director
-
Aaron Hann, Mario Miscione
Impressed by 12 Indignant Males, Circle is a 2015 psychological sci-fi horror film from administrators Aaron Hann and Mario Miscione. Going down solely inside a darkish, mysteriously barren room, the story follows 50 random people who get up in mentioned room, unaware of how they acquired there. Tensions erupt after they uncover that somebody is killed each two minutes, or in the event that they try to go away. However the true horror units in after they discover out they’ve management over who’s chosen to die.
A Thought-Scary Psychological Horror Thriller
Circle made its pulse-pounding debut on the Seattle Worldwide Movie Competition, attracting reward for largely using the skills of unknown actors and for powerfully addressing psychological, social, and political points by deciding to shoot in only one room and thru its thought-provoking screenplay. In June 2024, a sequel to Circle was revealed to be within the works at Netflix, which can happen 17 years after the occasions of the unique, because the survivors come collectively and face a brand new menace.
24
Free Hearth (2017)
Free Hearth
- Launch Date
-
April 21, 2017
- Runtime
-
90minutes
If nothing else, genre-darling Ben Wheatley is a resourceful filmmaker. A lot of his finest movies — like Kill Record, Within the Earth, and A Subject in England — handle to evoke real worry and discomfort regardless of their small scales and restricted finances. Though not a horror film, Wheatley’s 2016 motion pic Free Hearth manages to perform the identical factor, and does so solely inside the confines of an deserted warehouse.
A Dazzling Solid of Hollywood Greats
Free Hearth is ready in Boston circa 1978, and facilities round a weapons deal between two gangs that goes explosively incorrect. Whereas the film is principally an explosive 90-minute shoot-out, it really works thanks partially to its star-studded solid, which incorporates Brie Larson, Cillian Murphy, Sharlto Copley, Michael Smiley, Jack Reynor, and Sam Riley, amongst many others, all of whom helped it grow to be a rip-roaring good time for audiences.
23
Pontypool (2009)
Pontypool
5
/5
- Launch Date
-
September 18, 2009
- Runtime
-
93 Minutes
- Director
-
Bruce McDonald
Pontypool is a small-scale horror film directed by Bruce McDonald. Set in Pontypool, Ontario, the movie stars Stephen McHattie as Grant Mazzy, a shock-jock radio persona who’s working the evening shift alongside his station supervisor Lizzie and technical assistant Laurel-Ann. Over the course of 1 evening, Grant receives quite a few studies of a lethal virus outbreak spreading by way of their small city. With nowhere to go and restricted contact with the skin world, it turns into clear to Grant and his small group that they may not survive the evening.
McDonald’s Homage to Radio Performs
Pontypool takes place inside the confines of Grant’s small radio station. Director Bruce McDonald drew closely from widespread radio performs from the ’30s and ’40s, particularly the notorious Orson Welles radio manufacturing of Battle of the Worlds. The truth is, a radio play model of Pontypool was even produced alongside the film. The movie’s slender scope actually emphasizes the strain, making for a genuinely unsettling and intense expertise.
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22
7500 (2019)
7500
- Launch Date
-
December 26, 2019
- Runtime
-
94 Minutes
- Director
-
Patrick Vollrath
Patrick Vollrath’s directorial debut 7500 is a white-knuckle thriller that — pardon the pun — flew beneath lots of people’s radars when it first landed (sorry) in 2019. The movie stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Tobias Ellis, a co-pilot on an in a single day flight from Berlin to Paris. However issues take a flip for the more serious when the plane is hijacked by terrorists meaning to crash it.
A Tense & Tightly-Wound Thriller
Whereas the story isn’t precisely groundbreaking, the movie is exclusive in that it takes place nearly solely within the cockpit of the airplane. We don’t see the violence being perpetrated off-screen; it’s solely heard. We by no means depart Ellis’ perspective, making for an extremely tense and claustrophobic film and an underrated entry in Gordon-Levitt’s distinctive resume.
21
Frozen (2010)
Frozen
- Launch Date
-
February 5, 2010
- Runtime
-
93 minutes
- Director
-
Adam Inexperienced
No, this has nothing to do with the mega-successful Disney collection. Relatively, 2010’s Frozen is a survival thriller from director Adam Inexperienced, the person behind the Hatchet collection. Frozen stars Shawn Ashmore, Emma Bell, and Kevin Zegers as three skiers who discover themselves stranded on a chairlift throughout an intense in a single day snowstorm. They’re left with two choices; both soar from the chair, or wait till morning. Each choices include the danger of demise.
A Really Chilling Survival Thriller Hit
Aside from the opening scene, practically all of Frozen takes place on the caught ski-lift, the viewers by no means as soon as leaving the characters’ perspective. With a purpose to make sure the viewers skilled the worry and severity of the scenario, Inexperienced shot the film virtually; that’s to say, the actors had been truly suspended fifty ft within the air on a mountain in Utah. It labored, as a result of Frozen is a nail-biting expertise.
20
The Sundown Restricted (2011)
The Sundown Restricted is a 2011 movie directed by Tommy Lee Jones and scripted by famed novelist Cormac McCarthy, primarily based on his play of the identical title. The film stars Jones as “White,” a cynical and depressed professor who makes an attempt to finish his life by leaping in entrance of a subway prepare. However his suicide try is thwarted by “Black” (Samuel L. Jackson), a former convict with a way more constructive outlook on life.
An Participating & Fantastically Written Drama
Set in Black’s cramped NYC studio condo, the 2 males talk about faith, philosophy, and the which means of life over the course of a single night. Like a couple of movies on the listing, The Sundown Restricted resembles a stage play greater than it does a movie (which is sensible contemplating its origins). However the philosophical dialogue is wealthy and fascinating, and is delivered superbly by Jackson and Jones. Stream on Max.
19
Examination (2009)
Examination
- Launch Date
-
June 19, 2009
- Runtime
-
101 minutes
- Director
-
Stuart Hazeldine
Examination is a 2009 British psychological thriller co-written and directed by Stuart Hazeldine, who earned a BAFTA nomination for Excellent Debut Function for this film. The movie follows eight candidates competing for a secretive however profitable job alternative at DATAPREV. The group enters an examination room for the ultimate step of their interview course of, by which they’re tasked with answering one easy query. The one drawback? They don’t know the query, and failing to abide by the foundations of the interview may finish of their deaths.
A Sluggish Burn Thriller Stuffed with Twists & Turns
Probably the most surefire solution to preserve a film partaking – particularly one which merely takes place inside a bland examination room – is to throw in an attractive and downright juicy thriller. From the beginning, Examination retains the viewers guessing, and culminates in a jaw-dropping twist that nobody will see coming, leading to a sensible, taut, underrated thriller.
18
All is Misplaced (2013)
all is misplaced
- Launch Date
-
August 23, 2013
- Runtime
-
106 Minutes
After the success of his debut function Margin Name, director J.C. Chandor moved away from the high-rises of New York Metropolis to the huge vacancy of the ocean along with his follow-up All is Misplaced. The practically dialogue-free film stars Robert Redford as an unnamed sailor who finds himself stranded at sea after his boat collides with a transport container.
Robert Redford’s Powerhouse Efficiency
As the one actor in your entire film, Redford provides a demanding efficiency. The movie takes place predominantly on his doomed yacht (and later in his lifeboat) as he desperately tries to remain afloat and survive the grueling open-water circumstances. J.C. Chandor is certain to maintain the digicam shut on Redford the entire time, and actually is aware of methods to intensify the panic and sheer helplessness of the scenario.
17
Presence (2025)
Presence
4
/5
- Launch Date
-
January 24, 2025
- Runtime
-
85 Minutes
- Producers
-
Ken Meyer
Steven Soderbergh as soon as once more proved he is one among Hollywood’s most revolutionary filmmakers when he directed the ominous supernatural thriller Presence, enlisting the skills of a small-yet-skilled solid together with Lucy Liu, Chris Sullivan, and Julia Fox and telling the spine-tingling story of a dysfunctional household who after transferring into a brand new dwelling within the suburbs begins to consider there’s a poltergeist lurking inside its partitions.
Soderbergh’s Sharp & Progressive Haunted Home Thriller
Regardless of the seemingly cliché premise and preliminary set-up, Soderbergh turns the haunted home style fully on its head and retains audiences glued to their seats as they discover themselves feeling trapped and unnerved within the dwelling proper together with the household all all through the slow-burn thriller. The revered director shot Presence solely within the first-person perspective, which solely provides to the intimate and downright stifling environment created because the true nature and which means of the entity is finally revealed. Presently in theaters.
16
The Outfit (2022)
The Outfit
- Launch Date
-
March 18, 2022
- Runtime
-
105 minutes
- Director
-
Graham Moore
Oscar-winning screenwriter Graham Moore, who took dwelling the perfect tailored screenplay award for The Imitation Recreation, made his directorial debut with the 2022 crime thriller The Outfit. Set in Chicago circa 1956, Mark Rylance stars as Leonard Burling, a “cutter” who runs a customized tailor store in a neighborhood managed by the Irish Mob; particularly, boss Roy Boyle and his gang of cronies.
A Riveting & Surprisingly Expansive Crime Thriller
When Boyle’s son Richie is introduced into the store after being shot by a rival household, Burling turns into embroiled in a long-gestating mob battle. The Outfit is ready solely inside the confines of Burling’s tailor store, and unravels over the course of 1 snowy evening. Regardless of the close-quarters setting, the movie feels giant and expansive, thanks partially to the proficient solid, which incorporates Zoey Deutch, Dylan O’Brien, and Simon Russell Beale.
15
My Dinner with Andre (1981)
My Dinner with Andre
- Launch Date
-
October 11, 1981
- Director
-
Louis Malle
-
-
Andre Gregory
Andre Gregory
-
-
Save for an establishing shot at the start of the movie, My Dinner with Andre takes place in a New York Metropolis restaurant; extra particularly, round a desk occupied by two estranged mates. The movie stars Wallace Shawn and Andre Gregory as, effectively…Wallace and Andre. (The 2 actors have said they don’t seem to be enjoying themselves, simply characters with their very own names).
A Splendidly Intimate ’80s Traditional
Over dinner, the 2 males recount their lives by way of a collection of slyly comical tales and anecdotes. It’s actually simply two folks chatting, however My Dinner with Andre is nonetheless an enticing time. By the top of it, you’ll really feel as if you understand these males on a private stage, and since its launch over 40 years in the past, the dramedy has gone on to grow to be a celebrated cinema basic.
14
Dial M for Homicide (1954)
Dial M for Homicide
- Launch Date
-
Might 29, 1954
- Runtime
-
105 minutes
-
Grace Kelly
Margot Wendice
-
-
Robert Cummings
Mark Halliday
-
John Williams
Chief Inspector Hubbard
Alfred Hitchcock’s 1954 thriller Dial M for Homicide holds two distinctive distinctions. First, the movie takes place nearly solely in our primary character’s condo. (Hitchcock made a complete of 4 “restricted setting” movies, together with Lifeboat and two different movies that can seem additional down this listing). The second distinction is that Dial M was the primary and solely movie Hitchcock ever shot in 3D.
Hitchcock’s Underrated Thriller Finds New Life
The movie stars Grace Kelly as Margot, a rich socialite married to Tony (Ray Milland), a retired tennis participant. After he discovers Margot is having an affair with crime novelist Mark Halliday (Robert Cummings), Tony makes an attempt to blackmail his previous pal Charles into killing his adulterous spouse so he can inherit her fortune. Issues, as you may count on, don’t go based on plan.
Sadly, Dial M for Homicide was a little bit of a dud when it was first launched. Although Hitchcock shot the image with the intention of projecting it in 3D (an arduous course of, by all accounts), the expertise was defective and susceptible to error. In consequence, the movie was primarily proven in 2D throughout the nation, and the image high quality suffered in consequence. However fortunately the film has taken on a brand new life, and has since been hailed as one among Hitchcock’s higher movies.
13
Telephone Sales space (2003)
Telephone Sales space
- Launch Date
-
April 4, 2003
- Runtime
-
81 minutes
Joel Schumacher’s early-2000s thriller Telephone Sales space has a little bit of a status because of its comically-blunt title and ridiculous premise. The film stars Colin Farrell as Stu Shepard, a publicist who finds himself trapped in a telephone sales space, pinned down by an unseen sniper with a set of calls for.
Colin Farrell Elevates a Ridiculously Wild Thriller
Telephone Sales space will not be excessive artwork by any stretch of the creativeness, however at 81 minutes lengthy, the film completely whizzes by. And you understand what? For a film that unravels inside the confines of a telephone sales space, it actually will get the blood pumping. Farrell really makes the many of the splendidly over-the-top storyline and manages to ship a compelling efficiency as a determined and terrified man preventing for his life in a telephone sales space.
12
Dice (1998)
Dice
- Launch Date
-
September 11, 1998
- Runtime
-
90 minutes
Dice is a science-fiction horror movie directed and co-written by Vincenzo Natali. Kind of like a sci-fi model of Noticed, the film follows 5 strangers who get up in a booby-trapped, cube-shaped room. They don’t know the place they’re, why they’re there, and who’s behind the twisted sport. And so far as they’re involved, there’s no solution to escape their confinement.
A Masterclass in Small-Scale Filmmaking
Dice rapidly developed a rabid cult following, and even spawned a small collection of movies and a Japanese remake as lately as 2021. The uniquely surreal setting is the movie’s main draw, and the rationale why its legacy has lasted for so long as it has. That is small-scale filmmaking executed proper, and it isn’t stunning that Dice and Natali received the award for Finest Canadian First Function Movie on the Toronto Worldwide Movie Competition.
11
Clerks (1994)
Clerks
- Launch Date
-
September 13, 1994
- Runtime
-
92 minutes
In 1994, aspiring filmmaker Kevin Smith was working at a comfort retailer. Relatively than going to Hollywood, he determined to make Hollywood come to him. He scraped collectively $25,000 and some mates, paid his boss to make use of his retailer as a filming location, and made the seminal indie-sensation Clerks.
Kevin Smith’s Enduring Indie Traditional
The story is an easy one; it follows a day within the lifetime of comfort retailer clerks Dante Hicks (Brian O’Hallerin) and Randal Graves (Jeff Anderson). Regardless of the mundane premise, Smith mines lots of humor from his lovably flawed characters, and does so with out ever leaving the comfort retailer the place the characters work. The movie grew to become an enormous hit, kick-starting Smith’s profession and spawning a trilogy of movies. Over 30 years later, Clerks stays a basic within the style.
10
The Responsible (2018)
The Responsible
- Launch Date
-
October 19, 2018
- Runtime
-
85 Minutes
- Director
-
Gustav Möller
The Responsible, the Danish single-setting crime thriller from co-writer/director Gustav Möller, is a masterful train in subdued pressure. The movie stars Jakob Cedergren as Asger Holm, a disgraced Copenhagen police officer assigned to emergency dispatch whereas he awaits his listening to for the questionable taking pictures and killing of a younger man. However Holm’s in any other case mundane evening takes a flip when he solutions a name from a kidnapped lady.
An Engrossing Crime Thriller Sensation
Möller — impressed by actual 911 audio recordings and true-crime podcasts — determined to set your entire movie in a single location, separated from the motion, relying solely on audio and Cedergren’s efficiency to create pressure — and it really works. Though Antoine Fuqua’s 2021 remake of the identical title additionally takes place in a single location, the Danish unique is the superior film.
9
Panic Room (2002)
Panic Room
- Launch Date
-
March 29, 2002
- Runtime
-
112 minutes
Impressed by movies like Rear Window and Straw Canines, Panic Room facilities round Meg Altman (Jodie Foster) and her daughter Sarah (Kristen Stewart), who transfer right into a lavish brownstone beforehand owned by a reclusive millionaire. When a bunch of violent burglars invade their new dwelling in quest of the prior proprietor’s misplaced riches, Meg and Sarah are pressured to cover out within the state-of-the-art panic room to guard themselves.
Fincher’s Pulse-Pounding Thriller Masterpiece
After the lengthy and arduous shoot that was Struggle Membership, director David Fincher needed his subsequent film to be a less complicated, extra streamlined manufacturing. When the script for Panic Room slid throughout his desk, a film that predominantly takes place in a single NYC Brownstone over the course of 1 evening, he accepted the prospect to direct it. Regardless of filming solely on a soundstage, the shoot ended up being harder than Struggle Membership. The movie would finally launch in 2002 and grow to be an enormous success.
8
Rope (1948)
Rope
- Launch Date
-
September 25, 1948
- Runtime
-
80 Minutes
Very similar to Dial M for Homicide, Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope is thought primarily for 2 causes: it takes place solely in a single condo in actual time, and is filmed to look as if it had been shot in a single take. To realize this impact, Hitchcock shot 4 single-takes, and stitched them collectively within the modifying room to make them seem as if they had been one steady shot.
Hitchcock’s Distinctive Experimental Thriller
The 1948 thriller stars James Stewart and John Dall as pompous faculty college students Rupert Cadell and Brandon Shaw, respectively. As a check of their mental prowess and skills, the 2 males strangle an previous classmate to demise in a bid to drag off the “good homicide.” To additional check their mind (and push their luck), they maintain a cocktail social gathering of their condo, all whereas the physique of their previous pal festers within the different room.
Like lots of Hitchcock’s motion pictures, Rope didn’t make waves with critics when it was launched; they discovered it a technical marvel (which it stays to this present day), however the topic to be lower than savory. The movie has since developed a passionate following, and plenty of contemplate it one among Hitchcock’s most experimental and fascinating movies.
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7
The Breakfast Membership (1985)
The Breakfast Membership
- Launch Date
-
February 15, 1985
- Runtime
-
97 minutes
John Hughes’ basic The Breakfast Membership is a staple within the coming-of-age style and shouldn’t require a lot of an introduction. The film stars Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, Ally Sheedy, and Anthony Michael Corridor (higher generally known as the “Brat Pack” by the media and followers) as youngsters from totally different cliques who’re pressured to spend their Saturday collectively in detention.
An Undisputed ’80s Juggernaut
Aside from the movie’s iconic, fist-pumping closing scene, The Breakfast Membership performs out nearly solely within the college’s library. It’s a humorous, endearing, and finally timeless film that deserves to be cherished for years to come back. The beloved ’80s staple is extensively thought to be one of many biggest teen movies of all time and additional established each its embellished solid and Hughes as a few of Hollywood’s most enjoyable skills.