One of the most common phobias that people have is the fear of heights. If you match that description then you will probably want to be careful when you see the upcoming Everest, which opens in IMAX and 3D September 18 and 2D on September 25. It tells the true story of what happened when a monster snowstorm stranded some mountain climbers high up Mt. Everest, and their harrowing descent off the peak. Here are 10 other scenes from movies that’ll leave you acrophobes feeling dizzy.
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011) – Ethan Hunt Hangs Off a Building
Tom Cruise is willing to risk his life for your entertainment! But before Ethan Hunt jumped on a plane in Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, he was hanging off the side of the tallest building in the world in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.
Gravity (2013) – Floating Away in Space
Almost nothing is scarier to someone afraid of heights than the idea of floating away in space. Unfortunately, that is exactly what happens to Sandra Bullock’s character in Gravity.
Lethal Weapon (1987) - Martin Riggs Saves a Suicide Jumper
If someone is threatening to jump off a tall building, suicidal police officer Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) from Lethal Weapon might not be the guy you want to call for help. His method for talking down the jumper: handcuffing their wrists together and jumping off the building into a safety net.
The A-Team (2010) – “They’re Trying to Fly That Tank”
The titular characters featured in The A-Team are famous for escaping from impending doom, but when they found themselves freefalling from a plane inside a tank, it was unclear how the soldiers of fortune would survive. Their plan: fly the tank!
Die Hard (1988) – John McClane Jumps Off Nakatomi Plaza
With the roof of Nakatomi Plaza about to blow, and his wife held hostage a few floors below, John McClane (Bruce Willis) wrapped a fire hose around his waist and jumped off the side of the building in Die Hard. Swinging through the air, our hero shot open a window and narrowly survived.
North by Northwest (1959) – Escape from Mount Rushmore
In Alfred Hitchcock’s classic, Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) suddenly realizes that he is on the edge of Mount Rushmore while being pursued by the film’s villains. If you think hanging of the side of a mountain is bad, try hanging off the side of George Washington’s ear!
The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) – Cliffside Dinosaur Attack
It’s bad enough to be trapped inside a trailer on the edge of a cliff, but who wants a dinosaur trying to push them over? That’s exactly what happens to Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum), Dr. Sarah Harding (Julianne Moore) and Nick Van Owen (Vince Vaughn) in The Lost World: Jurassic Park.
Furious 7 (2015) – Plane Drop
Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) is no stranger to dangerous stunts, nor is his team of elite drivers. But they topped themselves in the recent Furious 7 when they drove cars equipped with parachutes out of a plane in midair.
The Dark Knight (2008) – Batman’s Hong Kong Extraction
One thing is for sure, Batman is not afraid of heights. When a crooked mob accountant escapes to Hong Kong in The Dark Knight, the caped crusader (Christian Bale) extracts him from a skyscraper by flying away on a zip wire attached to a jumbo aircraft.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) – Indy’s Leap of Faith
We all know that Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) is afraid of snakes, but he didn’t look too happy in Last Crusade when he had to step off of a cliff in the third of his trials. However, once Indy took the “leap of faith,” he was able to find the Holy Grail and save his father’s life.
