Movies like The Empath (2002)
The best movies like The Empath (2002) are God Told Me To (1976), The Kid Detective (2020) and The Long Goodbye (1973). If The Empath hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
The Empath
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Long Goodbye (1973)7.4/10 from 841 votes
- NewestStrange Harvest (2025)Released 2025
God 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
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Kid Detective (2020)
A once-celebrated kid detective, now 31, continues to solve the same trivial mysteries between hangovers and bouts of self-pity. Until a naive client brings him his first 'adult' case, to find out who brutally murdered her boyfriend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Long Goodbye (1973)
In 1970s Hollywood, Detective Philip Marlowe tries to help a friend who is accused of murdering his wife.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisStrange Harvest (2025)
Detectives are thrust into a chilling hunt for a sadistic serial killer from the past whose return marks the beginning of a new wave of grotesque, otherworldly crimes tied to a cosmic force.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe First Deadly Sin (1980)
A serial killer is stalking New York City. Inspector Edward Delaney is an NYPD detective, nearing retirement, who is trying to put together the pieces of the case. Are the victims somehow linked? What does the brutal method of death signify?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisLonglegs (2024)
FBI Agent Lee Harker is a gifted new recruit assigned to the unsolved case of an elusive serial killer. As the case takes complex turns, unearthing evidence of the occult, Harker discovers a personal connection to the merciless killer and must race against time to stop him before he claims the lives of another innocent family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this21 Bridges (2019)
An embattled NYPD detective, is thrust into a citywide manhunt for a pair of cop killers after uncovering a massive and unexpected conspiracy. As the night unfolds, lines become blurred on who he is pursuing, and who is in pursuit of him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisQ & A (1990)
A young district attorney seeking to prove a case against a corrupt police detective encounters a former lover and her new protector, a crime boss who refuses to help him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisReptile (2023)
Following the brutal murder of a young real estate agent, a hardened detective attempts to uncover the truth in a case where nothing is as it seems, and by doing so dismantles the illusions in his own life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCop Land (1997)
Freddy Heflin is the sheriff of a place everyone calls “Cop Land” — a small and seemingly peaceful town populated by the big city police officers he’s long admired. Yet something ugly is taking place behind the town’s peaceful facade. And when Freddy uncovers a massive, deadly conspiracy among these local residents, he is forced to take action and make a dangerous choice between protecting his idols and upholding the law.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Night Strangler (1973)
After being run out of Las Vegas, reporter Carl Kolchak heads for Seattle and another reporting job with the local paper. It's not long before he’s on the trail of another string of bizarre murders. It seems that every 21 years, for the past century, a killer murders a certain number of people, drains them of their blood, and then disappears into the night. Kolchak is on his trail, but can he stop him?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)
Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren encounter what would become one of the most sensational cases from their files. The fight for the soul of a young boy takes them beyond anything they'd ever seen before, to mark the first time in U.S. history that a murder suspect would claim demonic possession as a defense.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSinister 2 (2015)
A young mother and her twin sons move into a rural house that's marked for death.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisTaking Lives (2004)
Recruited to assist Montreal police in their desperate search for a serial killer who assumes the identities of his victims, FBI profiler Illeana Scott knows it's only a matter of time before the killer strikes again. Her most promising lead is a museum employee who might be the killer's only eyewitness.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this16 Blocks (2006)
An aging cop is assigned the ordinary task of escorting a fast-talking witness from police custody to a courthouse, but they find themselves running the gauntlet as other forces try to prevent them from getting there.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMy Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done (2010)
Brad has committed murder and barricaded himself inside his house. With the help of his friends and neighbours, the cops piece together the strange tale of how this nice young man arrived at such a dark place.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Guilty (2021)
A demoted police officer assigned to a call dispatch desk is conflicted when he receives an emergency phone call from a kidnapped woman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCase 39 (2009)
In her many years as a social worker, Emily Jenkins believes she has seen it all, until she meets 10-year-old Lilith and the girl's cruel parents. Emily's worst fears are confirmed when the parents try to harm the child, and so Emily assumes custody of Lilith while she looks for a foster family. However, Emily soon finds that dark forces surround the seemingly innocent girl, and the more she tries to protect Lilith, the more horrors she encounters.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKiss the Girls (1997)
Forensic psychologist and detective Alex Cross travels to North Carolina and teams with escaped kidnap victim Kate McTiernan to hunt down "Casanova," a serial killer who abducts strong-willed women and forces them to submit to his demands. The trail leads to Los Angeles, where the duo discovers that the psychopath may not be working alone.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisI See You (2019)
When a 12-year-old boy goes missing at a local park, a detective investigates the case to help the boy's family find answers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Empath?
The closest matches to The Empath are God Told Me To (1976), The Kid Detective (2020) and The Long Goodbye (1973). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Empath?
Start with God Told Me To (1976), the closest match to The Empath.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Empath?
The Long Goodbye (1973), rated 7.4/10 by 841 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Empath?
Strange Harvest (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Empath?
Yes: God Told Me To (1976), The Kid Detective (2020) and The Long Goodbye (1973).
How are movies similar to The Empath chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Empath, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.