Movies like Panic in High School (1978)
The best movies like Panic in High School (1978) are A Violent Separation (2019), Rampage: Capital Punishment (2014) and Barron's Cove (2025). If Panic in High School hooked you with its crime and thriller, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedBattle Royale (2000)7.3/10 from 4,019 votes
- NewestRedwood Diaries (2026)Released 2026
- In JapaneseCrows Zero II (2009)Also in Japanese
A Violent Separation (2019)
1983. In a quiet Midwestern town, a young deputy covers up a murder at the hands of his brother triggering a series of events that sends them and the victim's family towards a shattering climax.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRampage: Capital Punishment (2014)
A man takes over a TV station and holds a number of hostages as a political platform to awaken humanity, instead of money.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBarron's Cove (2025)
When his young son is viciously murdered by a classmate, a grieving father with a history of violence kidnaps the child responsible, igniting a frenzied manhunt fueled by a powerful politician -- the father of the kidnapped boy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCrows Zero II (2009)
Genji and his victorious G.P.S. alliance find themselves facing down a new challenge by the students of Hosen Academy, feared by everyone as 'The Army of Killers.' The two schools, in fact, have a history of bad blood between them. And the simmering embers of hatred are about to flare up again, burning away any last remnants of the truce they had so rigorously observed until now.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisClass of 1984 (1982)
Andy is a new teacher at an inner city high school that is unlike any he has seen before. There are metal detectors at the front door and the place is basically run by a tough kid named Peter Stegman. Soon, Andy and Stegman become enemies and Stegman will stop at nothing to protect his turf and drug dealing business.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBreaking In (2018)
Shaun Russell takes her son and daughter on a weekend getaway to her late father's secluded, high-tech vacation home in the countryside. The family soon gets an unwelcome surprise when four men break into the house to find hidden money. After managing to escape, Shaun must now figure out a way to turn the tables on the desperate thieves and save her captive children.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLesson of the Evil (2012)
Seiji Hasumi is a popular English teacher in a private high school. He is also a violent and sociopathic killer who concocts an extreme plan to deal with the rise of bullying and bad behavior among the student body.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisToy Soldiers (1991)
After federal agents arrest a drug czar and put him on trial, the cartel leader's vicious son storms a prep school and takes its students hostage. They rebel against the armed intruders and try to take back their academy by any means necessary.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Life Before Her Eyes (2008)
As the 15th anniversary of a fatal high school shooting approaches, former pupil Diana McFee is haunted by memories of the tragedy. After losing her best friend Maureen in the attack, Diana has been profoundly affected by the incident - her seemingly perfect life shaped by the events of that day.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBattle Royale (2000)
In the future, the Japanese government captures a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to kill each other under the revolutionary "Battle Royale" act.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Desperate Hour (2022)
A woman desperately races to save her child after police place her hometown on lockdown due to an active shooter incident.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLiverleaf (2018)
The story follows Nozaki Haruka, a middle school student who transfers to a new school in a small town because of her father's work. Unfortunately, she becomes a victim of horrific bullying, but since the school will be closing in 2 months after graduation, no one is willing to help her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAnother (2012)
After a chain of deaths at a junior high school, new transfer student Koichi Sakakibara turns to a mysterious girl who holds the key to the dark mystery.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisZero Day (2003)
Two troubled adolescents chronicle the events that ultimately lead up to a terrifying assault on their school.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Final (2010)
A group of high school outcasts get revenge on the students that torment them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHeathers (1989)
A girl who halfheartedly tries to be part of the "in crowd" of her school meets a rebel who teaches her a more devious way to play social politics: by killing the popular kids.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBaby Assassins 3 (2024)
Teenage assassins Mahiro and Chisato visit the coastal city of Miyazaki for a contract and a vacation, but they unexpectedly cross paths with a legendary, bloodthirsty assassin looking to add to his kill count.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisMassacre at Central High (1976)
Maimed by bullies at a California high school, a new student engineers acts of revenge.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisWhisper (2007)
Sinister things begin happening to kidnappers who are holding a young boy for ransom in a remote cabin.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCrows Explode (2014)
A month after Genji Takiya graduates, a new battle for supremacy at Suzuran All-Boys High School begins. Transfer student Kaburagi Kazeo combats Kagami Ryohei for the coveted top spot, amidst a brewing inter-school conflict with Kurosaki Industrial High.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGoth (2008)
Itsuki and Yoru share a passion for the dark and death, making them the perfect choice to track down a serial killer who is roaming the streets.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller & crime
Living & Dying (2007)
Four desperate bank robbers are forced to abandon their lucrative heist plans and become the reluctant heroes when two of their hostages turn out to be psychotic killers who won't stop until everyone in the bank has been ruthlessly slaughtered. As the police surround the building and the killers begin methodically executing the hostages.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & thriller
Redwood Diaries (2026)
When strange entries begin appearing in her diary written in handwriting that isn't hers, new student Evie Quinn is pulled into a chilling mystery as the messages reveal secrets, predict impossible events, and point toward a truth someone has desperately tried to bury.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Her Study of a Killer (2023)
A group of Liberty High School's alumni are preparing for their fifteen-year reunion when the death of one of their most beloved teachers starts a chain of events filled with secrets and revenge no one expects.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
We (2018)
During a scorching summer in a Belgian-Dutch border village, eight teenagers play games of discovery to break the listless monotony. They challenge each other and themselves and pretty soon, their sexual curiosity starts to blur the lines between right and wrong. As innocence is crushed in depraved games and sexual exploitation, the teenagers soon turn into ruthless predators.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisBlood Relative (2017)
After a botched robbery, a local crime syndicate sends a rookie enforcer to take care of a loose end. When the hit goes sideways and his civilian girlfriend ends up missing, her brother, Rodd, a mild-mannered guidance counselor, conducts an exhaustive search through the city to find her. With the support of a martial artist instructor, Bruce, the pair consistently becomes overwhelmed by a violent outfit of criminals looking to silence them. However, Rodd has a mysterious and dangerous past of his own, and with the help of his friend, they formulate a plan to take on the organization in this nail-biting action thriller.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
Sabotaging the Squad (2023)
Missy discovers the coveted role she's scored as head coach of her daughter's cheer squad comes with a deadly price.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Dead Above Ground (2002)
Jeff Lucas is already an outcast, but when he makes a horror film instead of a documentary for his class project, the ridicule his classmates inflict upon him soon turns to outright abuse.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
The Mysterians (1957)
In Japan, scientifically advanced invaders from the war-destroyed planet Mysteroid cause an entire village to vanish, then send a giant robot out to storm the city by night, after which they request a small patch of land on Earth and the right to marry earthling women, claiming to be pacifists. Mankind must decide whether to capitulate or to resist.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisViper Club (2018)
ER nurse Helen Sterling struggles to free her grown son, a journalist captured by terrorists in the Middle East. After hitting walls with the FBI and State agencies, she discovers a clandestine community of journalists, advocates, and philanthropists who might be able to help.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Like Panic in High School and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Panic in High School?
The closest matches to Panic in High School are A Violent Separation (2019), Rampage: Capital Punishment (2014) and Barron's Cove (2025). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Panic in High School?
Start with A Violent Separation (2019), the closest match to Panic in High School.
What is the highest-rated movie like Panic in High School?
Battle Royale (2000), rated 7.3/10 by 4,019 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Panic in High School?
Redwood Diaries (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Japanese movies like Panic in High School?
Yes: Crows Zero II (2009), Lesson of the Evil (2012) and Battle Royale (2000).
How are movies similar to Panic in High School chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Panic in High School, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.