Movies like A Tale from the East (1990)
The best movies like A Tale from the East (1990) are Hellboy Animated: Sword of Storms (2006), Secret Society of Second-Born Royals (2020) and The Twins Effect (2003). If A Tale from the East hooked you with its horror and fantasy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedPirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)7.4/10 from 17,840 votes
- NewestThe Witcher: Sirens of the Deep (2025)Released 2025
Hellboy Animated: Sword of Storms (2006)
A folklore professor becomes unwittingly possessed by the ancient Japanese demons of Thunder and Lightning. But when The Bureau of Paranormal Research & Defense dispatches a team of agents to investigate, a cursed samurai sword sends Hellboy to a supernatural dimension of ghosts, monsters, and feudal mayhem. Now while pyrokinetic Liz Sherman and fishboy Abe Sapien battle one very pissed-off dragon, a lost and cranky Hellboy must find his way home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSecret Society of Second-Born Royals (2020)
A rebellious teenage princess discovers she has superhuman abilities and joins a secret society of extraordinary second-born royals tasked with protecting the world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Twins Effect (2003)
An evil Duke attempts to kill and collect the blood of a royal family of European vampires in order to become all powerful. The only surviving member of the family travels to Hong Kong, only to complicate his struggle by falling in love with a mortal girl who just happens to have a vampire hunter for a brother.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Duel (2000)
The sword saint requests a duel with god of sword at the apex of the forbidden city to determine the worlds best. As the date of the duel nears troubles befall the imperial town until everything is revealed at the climactic fight.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisWe're Going to Eat You (1980)
Agent 999 is sent to a remote Chinese island to capture a notorious bandit named Rolex. Upon arrival, 999 begins to suspect that something is wrong, and soon learns that the island is inhabited by flesh-eating cannibals under control of a tribal chief. 999 ultimately teams up with Rolex to overthrow the evil chief and escape the island.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDave Made a Maze (2017)
Dave, an artist who has yet to complete anything significant in his career, builds a fort in his living room out of pure frustration, only to wind up trapped by the fantastical pitfalls, booby traps, and critters of his own creation. Ignoring his warnings, Dave’s girlfriend Annie leads a band of oddball explorers on a rescue mission. Once inside, they find themselves trapped in an ever-changing supernatural world, threatened by booby traps and pursued by a bloodthirsty Minotaur.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Warriors Gate (2016)
After a mysterious chest opens a gateway through time, teen gamer Jack is transported to an ancient empire terrorized by a cruel barbarian king. Jack will need all of his gaming skills as he battles to defeat the barbarian, protect a beautiful princess, and somehow find his way back home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Princess (2022)
A beautiful, strong-willed young royal refuses to wed the cruel sociopath to whom she is betrothed and is kidnapped and locked in a remote tower of her father’s castle. With her scorned, vindictive suitor intent on taking her father’s throne, the princess must protect her family and save the kingdom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Kid Who Would Be King (2019)
Old-school magic meets the modern world when young Alex stumbles upon the mythical sword Excalibur. He soon unites his friends and enemies, and they become knights who join forces with the legendary wizard Merlin. Together, they must save mankind from the wicked enchantress Morgana and her army of supernatural warriors.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Eagle Shooting Heroes (1993)
A power struggle between the Queen's treasonous lover and a princess occurs amid musical numbers, slapstick battles, and martial arts acrobatics.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisConan the Destroyer (1984)
Conan is commissioned by the evil queen Taramis to safely escort a teen princess and her powerful bodyguard to a far away castle to retrieve the magic Horn of Dagoth. Unknown to Conan, the queen plans to sacrifice the princess when she returns and inherit her kingdom after the bodyguard kills Conan. The queen's plans fail to take into consideration Conan's strength and cunning and the abilities of his sidekicks: the eccentric wizard Akiro, the warrior woman Zula, and the inept Malak. Together the hero and his allies must defeat both mortal and supernatural foes in this voyage to sword-and-sorcery land.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisArmour of God (1986)
After an adventurer known as the Asian Hawk steals a mysterious sword known to be a piece of the Armour of God, a magical suit of armour that dates back to the Crusades, a cult of Satanic monks kidnap his ex-girlfriend and demand he turn over the sword and recover the rest of the armour.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHook (1991)
The boy who wasn't supposed to grow up—Peter Pan—does just that, becoming a soulless corporate lawyer whose workaholism could cost him his wife and kids. During his trip to see Granny Wendy in London, the vengeful Capt. Hook kidnaps Peter's kids and forces Peter to return to Neverland.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (2024)
A sudden attack by Wulf, a clever and traitorous lord of Rohan seeking vengeance for the death of his father, forces Helm Hammerhand, the King of Rohan, and his people to make a daring last stand in the ancient stronghold of the Hornburg.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Legend of the Swordsman (1992)
Ling Wu Chung decides to hide from the chaotic world. Before leaving, he visits his friends, a tribe of snake-wielding women warriors. However, he finds that the tribe have been attacked, and their leader Yam Ying Ying has been abducted.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Legend (1993)
The secret Red Lotus Flower Society is committed to the overthrow of the evil Manchu Emperor and his minions. One of his Governors is sent on a mission to retrieve a list of members of that secret society. Meanwhile, Canton kung fu practitioner Fong Sai-Yuk falls in love with the beautiful daughter of a rich merchant.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Legend II (1993)
The hero Fong Sai Yuk becomes involved in the secret brotherhood "The Red Flower", who are trying to overthrow the Manchurian emperor and re-establishing the Ming dynasty. The social upheaval is combined with Sai Yuk's personal moral conflict about how to conform to the rigid regime of the brotherhood and on top of that sort out his difficult love life, saddled with two presumptive wives.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHeavenly Sword (2014)
The film's plot follows that of the game closely. Nariko, a member of an ancient tribe who have guarded an ancient magical sword for thousands of years, is charged with bringing the sword to its destined wielder, a deity reincarnated who will bring peace to the land. But on her quest, Nariko must wield the sword herself against the forces of King Bohan, who wishes to possess the weapon himself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Witcher: Sirens of the Deep (2025)
When human sailors are attacked by mysterious creatures of the deep, only one person can stop the war between land and sea: the Witcher, Geralt of Rivia.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMythica: A Quest for Heroes (2014)
Stuck in a life of indentured servitude, Marek dreams of becoming a wizard. When she meets the beautiful priestess Teela in need of help, she offers her assistance and provides a motley troupe. Together they go in search of Teela's sister, who was kidnapped by a wild ogre.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & fantasy
SnoozefestMovies like thisAragami (2003)
Two seriously wounded samurai find refuge from a storm at an isolated temple, the home of a swordsman and a mysterious young woman. One samurai awakes to find that not only has his comrade died, but that his wounds have miraculously healed. He discovers that he has been given the power of immortality by the swordsman, a man once known as the legendary Miyamoto Musashi, who now lives an endless existence as Aragami, a "god of battle".
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & horror
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEnchanted (2007)
The beautiful princess Giselle is banished by an evil queen from her magical, musical animated land and finds herself in the gritty reality of the streets of modern-day Manhattan. Shocked by this strange new environment that doesn't operate on a "happily ever after" basis, Giselle is now adrift in a chaotic world badly in need of enchantment. But when Giselle begins to fall in love with a charmingly flawed divorce lawyer who has come to her aid - even though she is already promised to a perfect fairy tale prince back home - she has to wonder: Can a storybook view of romance survive in the real world?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Enchanted Prince (1978)
A mouthy frog gets his wish when a princess’s kiss turns him into a human. But just because he’s got a voice doesn’t mean he has much to say.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & fantasy
Family Guy Presents: It's a Trap! (2010)
With the Griffins stuck again at home during a blackout, Peter tells the story of “Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.”
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004)
There's trouble brewing in Bikini Bottom. Someone has stolen King Neptune's crown, and it looks like Mr. Krab, SpongeBob's boss, is the culprit. Though he's just been passed over for the promotion of his dreams, SpongeBob stands by his boss, and along with his best pal Patrick, sets out on a treacherous mission to Shell City to reclaim the crown and save Mr. Krab's life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Accidental Spy (2001)
A fun-filled story about an ordinary guy about to kick into an action-packed adventure. Jackie Chan plays a bored and unsuccessful salesman who never thought his life would amount to anything. All that changes one day when he becomes an instant hero by foiling an attempted bank robbery.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
Captain Jack Sparrow’s got a blood debt to pay: he owes his soul to the legendary Davy Jones, ghastly Ruler of the Ocean Depths. To escape eternal servitude aboard the Flying Dutchman, ever-crafty Jack must track down the still-beating heart of Jones. But he won’t do it alone: Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann are drawn back into another one of his perilous quests—assuming they can evade execution for aiding a pirate.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLadyhawke (1985)
Captain Etienne Navarre is a man on whose shoulders lies a cruel curse. Punished for loving each other, Navarre must become a wolf by night whilst his lover, Lady Isabeau, takes the form of a hawk by day. Together, with the thief Philippe Gaston, they must try to overthrow the corrupt Bishop and in doing so break the spell.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHappily N'Ever After (2007)
An alliance of evil-doers, led by Frieda, looks to take over Fairy Tale Land. But when Ella realizes her stepmother is out to ruin her storybook existence, she takes a dramatic turn and blossoms into the leader of the resistance effort.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & fantasy
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Magic Sword (1950)
Evil Bash-Chelik is terrorizing people, but only the magic sword can harm him. A young hero goes on the dangerous quest to find that sword.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like A Tale from the East?
The closest matches to A Tale from the East are Hellboy Animated: Sword of Storms (2006), Secret Society of Second-Born Royals (2020) and The Twins Effect (2003). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after A Tale from the East?
Start with Hellboy Animated: Sword of Storms (2006), the closest match to A Tale from the East.
What is the highest-rated movie like A Tale from the East?
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006), rated 7.4/10 by 17,840 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like A Tale from the East?
The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to A Tale from the East chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside A Tale from the East, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.