Twister is a 1996 American disaster thriller film that was directed by Jan de Bont from a screenplay by Michael Crichton and Anne-Marie Martin. It was produced by Crichton, Kathleen Kennedy, and Ian Bryce, with Steven Spielberg, Walter Parkes, Laurie MacDonald, and Gerald R. Molen serving as executive producers. The film stars an ensemble cast that includes Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, Jami Gertz and Cary Elwes as a group of amateur but spirited storm chasers trying to deploy a tornado research device during a severe outbreak in Oklahoma.
Twister was released in theaters on May 10, 1996. It is notable for being among the first films to be released on DVD in the United States.