Movies like Side Effects (2013)
The best movies like Side Effects (2013) are House of Games (1987), Crisis (2021) and Righteous Kill (2008). If Side Effects hooked you with its thriller and crime, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Night of the Hunter (1955)7.8/10 from 1,938 votes
- NewestNeighborhood Watch (2025)Released 2025
House of Games (1987)
A psychiatrist comes to the aid of a compulsive gambler and is led by a smooth-talking grifter into the shadowy but compelling world of stings, scams, and con men.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCrisis (2021)
Three stories about the world of opioids collide: a drug trafficker arranges a multi-cartel Fentanyl smuggling operation between Canada and the U.S., an architect recovering from an OxyContin addiction tracks down the truth behind her son's involvement with narcotics, and a university professor battles unexpected revelations about his research employer, a drug company with deep government influence bringing a new "non-addictive" painkiller to market.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRighteous Kill (2008)
Two veteran New York City detectives work to identify the possible connection between a recent murder and a case they believe they solved years ago; is there a serial killer on the loose, and did they perhaps put the wrong person behind bars?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisBlood Ties (2013)
Two brothers, on either side of the law, face off over organized crime in Brooklyn during the 1970s.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRicochet (1991)
An attorney is terrorized by the criminal he put away years ago when he was a cop.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKlute (1971)
A high-priced call girl is forced to depend on a reluctant private eye when she is stalked by a psychopath.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAmerican Psycho (2000)
A wealthy New York investment banking executive hides his alternate psychopathic ego from his co-workers and friends as he escalates deeper into his illogical, gratuitous fantasies.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDead Man Down (2013)
In New York City, a crime lord's right-hand man is seduced by a woman seeking retribution.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Woman in the Window (2021)
An agoraphobic woman living alone in New York begins spying on her new neighbors only to witness a disturbing act of violence.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLight Sleeper (1992)
John LeTour is a recovering drug user who suffers insomnia and still deals to a high-end New York clientele, even though he’s trying to move on from the business. John’s professional midlife crisis becomes something more acute — and dangerous — when he re-encounters an old flame while a string of seemingly drug-related murders rocks the city.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDon't Say a Word (2001)
When the daughter of a psychiatrist is kidnapped, he is horrified to discover that the abductors' demand is that he break through to a young woman, suffering from PTSD, who knows a secret six digit code number.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPhone Booth (2003)
A slick New York publicist who picks up a ringing receiver in a phone booth is told that if he hangs up, he'll be killed... and the little red light from a laser rifle sight is proof that the caller isn't kidding.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Last Seduction (1994)
A devious femme fatale steals her husband’s drug money and hides out in a small town where she meets the perfect dupe for her next scheme.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNeighborhood Watch (2025)
When a mentally ill young man thinks he witnesses an abduction and the police refuse to believe him, he reluctantly turns to his next door neighbor – a bitter, retired security guard – to help him find the missing woman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPacific Heights (1990)
A couple works hard to renovate their dream house and become landlords to pay for it. Unfortunately one of their tenants has plans of his own.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Bone Collector (1999)
Lincoln Rhyme was the department's top homicide detective and leading expert in criminal forensics until an injury left him paralyzed, depressed, and incapable of working. But when a gruesome murder in Manhattan leaves detectives baffled, they call on Rhyme to help solve the mystery. Amelia Donaghy, a rookie cop whose quick thinking preserved a gruesome murder scene, is enlisted by Rhyme to be his on-the-scene forensics expert. With Amelia reluctantly acting as Rhyme's able-bodied go-between, the pair piece together cryptic clues the killer leaves behind at the scene of the crime, hoping to catch the grisly serial killer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like this25th Hour (2002)
On the eve of a seven-year prison sentence, a New York drug dealer spends his final day of freedom confronting his past, his relationships, and the choices that led to his downfall in a city still reeling from 9/11.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCanary Black (2024)
Top level CIA agent Avery Graves is blackmailed by terrorists into betraying her own country to save her kidnapped husband. Cut off from her team, she turns to her underworld contacts to survive and help locate the coveted intelligence that the kidnappers want.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBad Influence (1990)
Wimpy young executive Michael is about to get pulverized by a jealous boyfriend in a bar when a handsome, mysterious stranger steps in—and then disappears. Later that night, Michael runs into a stranger on a pier, who wheedles his way into Michael's life and turns it upside down.
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 Devil's Own (1997)
Frankie McGuire, one of the IRA's deadliest assassins, draws an American family into the crossfire of terrorism. But when he is sent to the U.S. to buy weapons, Frankie is housed with the family of Tom O'Meara, a New York cop who knows nothing about Frankie's real identity. Their surprising friendship, and Tom's growing suspicions, forces Frankie to choose between the promise of peace or a lifetime of murder.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPanic Room (2002)
Trapped in their New York brownstone's panic room, a hidden chamber built as a sanctuary in the event of break-ins, newly divorced Meg Altman and her young daughter Sarah play a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with three intruders - Burnham, Raoul and Junior - during a brutal home invasion. But the room itself is the focal point because what the intruders really want is inside it.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCassandra's Dream (2007)
The tale of two brothers with serious financial woes. When a third party proposes they turn to crime, things go bad and the two become enemies.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Night of the Hunter (1955)
In Depression-era West Virginia, a serial-killing preacher hunts two young children who know the whereabouts of a stash of money.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Machinist (2004)
Trevor, an insomniac lathe operator, experiences unusual occurrences at work and home. A strange man follows him everywhere, but no one else seems to notice him.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOn the Line (2021)
Seo-joon, loses everything to voice phishing and infiltrates a organization in China to meet Kwak Pro, the designer behind this phishing system.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPirogov (1947)
A biopic based on the life of Russian scientist and doctor Nikolai Ivanovich Pirogov (1810-1881), famous for being the founder of field surgery.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Manhattan Night of Murder (1965)
Second Jerry Cotton movie. A ring of gangsters has been terrorizing New York City. Special agent Jerry Cotton is summoned by the FBI to help crack down on the Criminals and put them out of business. He doesnt pull any punches either.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
Jerry Cotton: The Trap Snaps Shut at Midnight (1966)
Third Jerry Cotton Adaption. A big shipment of Nitroglycerine, enough to make a shambles of New York, mysteriously vanishes! It's a race between agent Jerry Cotton and the underworld to see who can find the deadly explosive first. To complicate things further, the nitro must be found before a torrid heat wave causes it to blow much of the city sky high.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
Jerry Cotton: Tip Not Included (1966)
An elaborate bank robbery takes place and the gangsters succeed although the FBI had been warned. Jerry Cotton, who is considered accountable for this major failure, loses his badge over this. Being the man he is, Cotton doesn't let the evil-doers forget that he has unfinished business with them.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Side Effects?
The closest matches to Side Effects are House of Games (1987), Crisis (2021) and Righteous Kill (2008). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Side Effects?
Start with House of Games (1987), the closest match to Side Effects.
What is the highest-rated movie like Side Effects?
The Night of the Hunter (1955), rated 7.8/10 by 1,938 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Side Effects?
Neighborhood Watch (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Side Effects?
Yes: House of Games (1987), Crisis (2021) and Righteous Kill (2008).
How are movies similar to Side Effects chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Side Effects, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.