Movies like John Doe: Video Diary of a Serial Killer (2017)
The best movies like John Doe: Video Diary of a Serial Killer (2017) are Frank and Penelope (2022), God Told Me To (1976) and Maniac (1963). If John Doe: Video Diary of a Serial Killer hooked you with its thriller and horror, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedAwake (2007)6.6/10 from 1,656 votes
- NewestCreature of the Pines (2026)Released 2026
Frank and Penelope (2022)
A tale of love and violence when a man on his emotional last legs finds a savior seductively dancing in a run-down strip club. And a life most certainly headed off a cliff suddenly becomes redirected - as everything is now worth dying for.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & horror
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGod Told Me To (1976)
A New York detective investigates a series of murders committed by random citizens who claim that 'God told them to'.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisManiac (1963)
When a stranger enters a quiet, country town and is seduced by a sensuous married woman he unwittingly finds himself at the centre of a storm of sexual guilt and murder.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGod Is a Bullet (2023)
Vice detective Bob Hightower finds his ex-wife murdered and daughter kidnapped by a cult. Frustrated by the botched official investigations, he quits the force and infiltrates the cult to hunt down the leader with the help of the cult’s only female victim escapee, Case Hardin.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIn Cold Light (2026)
Fresh out of prison, Ava's attempt to reclaim her drug operation collapses when she witnesses a brutal crime, forcing her to flee into a nightmarish underworld where allies are scarce and enemies multiply by the minute.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Virtuoso (2021)
Danger, deception and murder descend upon a sleepy town when a professional assassin accepts a new assignment from his enigmatic boss.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe International (2009)
An interpol agent and an attorney are determined to bring one of the world's most powerful banks to justice. Uncovering money laundering, arms trading, and conspiracy to destabilize world governments, their investigation takes them from Berlin, Milan, New York and Istanbul. Finding themselves in a chase across the globe, their relentless tenacity puts their own lives at risk.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCity of Ghosts (2002)
A con man who is on the run from law enforcement in the U.S. travels to Cambodia to collect his share in an insurance scam but discovers more than he bargained for.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisBody Brokers (2021)
Utah and his girlfriend Opal, are drug addicts living on the streets in rural Ohio. After getting recruited by body broker Wood and offered treatment in Los Angeles, Wood takes Utah under his wing and introduces him to treatment center mogul Vin. Wood and Vin bring Utah in on their lucrative and illegal dealings, where saving lives comes second to the bottom line.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Seven-Ups (1973)
A tough detective who is part of an elite New York City unit is trying to find out who killed his partner, but uncovers a plot to kidnap mobsters for money.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAwake (2007)
While undergoing heart surgery, a man experiences a phenomenon called ‘anesthetic awareness’, which leaves him awake but paralyzed throughout the operation. As various obstacles present themselves, his wife must make life-altering decisions while wrestling with her own personal drama.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Glass Key (1942)
A crooked politician finds himself being accused of murder by a gangster from whom he refused help during a re-election campaign.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAll the Devils Are Here (2025)
After a heist, four criminals lay low in a remote safehouse, waiting for orders. As paranoia builds, one thing becomes clear — the real threat may not be outside, but among them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIndemnity (2022)
An ex-fireman with PTSD goes on the run when accused of a crime he doesn't even remember committing, leading him down a rabbit hole of conspiracy to the highest degree.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCleaner (2007)
Single father and former cop Tom Cutler has an unusual occupation: he cleans up death scenes. But when he's called in to sterilize a wealthy suburban residence after a brutal shooting, Cutler is shocked to learn he may have unknowingly erased crucial evidence, entangling himself in a dirty criminal cover-up.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Killer (2024)
Zee is a feared contract killer known as "the Queen of the Dead," but when she refuses to murder a young blind woman, she finds herself hunted both by criminal colleagues and a determined police detective.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisShade (2003)
Tiffany, Charlie and Vernon are con artists looking to up the ante from their typical scams. They figure a good way of doing this is taking down Dean "The Dean" Stevens, a well-known cardsharp, in a rigged game. However, they first need enough money to enter a game with Stevens, so they decide to strike a deal with fellow crook Larry Jennings to scam a local gangster -- which turns out to be a bad idea.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHellhound (2024)
Ready to leave his profession behind, Loreno, an assassin, lends help to an old friend, Cetan, and taking one last job in Thailand seeking out a local kingpin. A lapse in judgment means Loreno crosses paths with old colleague Paul.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisUntil Death (2007)
Anthony Stowe is a dirty cop who is hooked on heroin—and everyone hates him. After a serious accident, he is placed into an induced coma, but emerges from it a better person who wants to put things right.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisMisdirection (2026)
A desperate couple have pulled off a string of high-end break-ins to pay off a mob debt. When they attempt to rob their latest victim, they find themselves caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse. The tables are turned and the hunters become the hunted.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAstray (2025)
Police officers Kim and Jeroen are dispatched to a report from an elderly couple. What should have been an ordinary shift spirals into a nightmare as the duo stumbles upon a discovery that forces them to confront their fears and beliefs.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & crime
[REC]² (2009)
The action continues from [REC], with the medical officer and a SWAT team outfitted with video cameras are sent into the sealed off apartment to control the situation.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCreature of the Pines (2026)
Creature of the Pines is a found footage horror movie set in the legendary New Jersey Pine Barrens, one of the most mysterious and unsettling stretches of wilderness in America. Locals have whispered about strange sightings and disappearances for generations, but few people are willing to talk about what they’ve seen, and even fewer dare to go looking.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & thriller
Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)
The next great psycho horror slasher has given a documentary crew exclusive access to his life as he plans his reign of terror over the sleepy town of Glen Echo, all the while deconstructing the conventions and archetypes of the horror genre for them.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFawn (2019)
An evil supernatural presence terrorizes the locals of a small town.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
The Bleeding Dark (2025)
After a brutal assault leaves his wife dead and his teenage son traumatized, a single father must battle his grief and the destruction it leaves behind, as the darkness in their home begins to take on a life of its own.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Hunter's Weekend (2019)
Mockumentary about a weekend competition for hunters that is thrown into disarray when one of the hunters ends up dead.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Psychic Darkness Video 62 (2022)
The ultimate collection of horror videos that carefully select and introduce the psychic images that are about to be born from the darkness and buried in the darkness! " A friend and his wife who posted "Living in the countryside" bought a second-hand house in the countryside and moved from the city. But the house may have been a house that should never live in... / The lover of the contributor of "The Monster of the Business Hotel" decided to stay at a hotel on a business trip, but when she felt a sign of people in the room while sleeping at night and woke up, she had an amazing experience! / "Things lurking in the pond" A young couple exploring the pond that is said to be a haunted spot. Therefore, it is said that even women and children died tragically due to the war of samurai... In addition, several horror psychic images are included.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Psychic Darkness Video 63 (2022)
The ultimate collection of horror videos that carefully select and introduce the psychic images that are about to be born from the darkness and buried in the darkness! " "One-day hot spring" It is said that two women were taking a break after sweating in the hot spring in the middle of hiking. There is something strange from the decorations placed in the room... /The university students who were doing a club training camp at the villa where Mr. Oshiiri fell. A woman suddenly started a game similar to "Mr. Daruma fell down" and entered the closet... / When the "Midnight Sea" contributor went on a trip to the coastal region with his lover, he went to see the sea by car in the middle of the night. But when I was chatting in the car, a strange person suddenly asked me... In addition, several horror psychic images are included.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Psychic Darkness Video 69 (2022)
A contributor who ran a cabaret club through ZOOM during the Corona disaster. But one day, something strange happens while the cast is serving customers. And then unfortunate events continued...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
![[REC]² (2009) poster](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w342/n9okN1DnWQWI2fuByXTrv9DCL7u.jpg)
Like John Doe: Video Diary of a Serial Killer and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like John Doe: Video Diary of a Serial Killer?
The closest matches to John Doe: Video Diary of a Serial Killer are Frank and Penelope (2022), God Told Me To (1976) and Maniac (1963). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after John Doe: Video Diary of a Serial Killer?
Start with Frank and Penelope (2022), the closest match to John Doe: Video Diary of a Serial Killer.
What is the highest-rated movie like John Doe: Video Diary of a Serial Killer?
Awake (2007), rated 6.6/10 by 1,656 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like John Doe: Video Diary of a Serial Killer?
Creature of the Pines (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like John Doe: Video Diary of a Serial Killer?
Yes: Frank and Penelope (2022), God Told Me To (1976) and Maniac (1963).
How are movies similar to John Doe: Video Diary of a Serial Killer chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside John Doe: Video Diary of a Serial Killer, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.