Movies like What Happens in the Dark (2023)
The best movies like What Happens in the Dark (2023) are Hello (2022), Seeds of Yesterday (2015) and A Sister's Secret (2018). If What Happens in the Dark hooked you with its thriller and tv movie, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedMiller's Crossing (1990)7.4/10 from 1,954 votes
- NewestBy His Hand (2026)Released 2026
Hello (2022)
An emotionally unavailable flight attendant meets a potential love interest and later finds out that her "perfect guy" has ulterior motives. As the clock ticks down on New Year's Eve, she must fight to keep her murdered ex-boyfriend's secrets or find herself dead.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSeeds of Yesterday (2015)
The Sheffield family reveal and go through some home truths as their middle child inherits the Foxworth mansion. The family's ghosts looming over, and more tragedies are in store as the curse lives on.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Sister's Secret (2018)
Twin sisters secretly swap places on their thirtieth birthday. The harmless prank becomes a nightmare when one of them is murdered.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Hound of the Baskervilles (2002)
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are called in to unravel a mysterious curse that has plagued the Baskerville family for generations. When Sir Charles Baskerville is found dead, his heir, Sir Henry, begs Holmes to save him from the terrifying supernatural hound that has brought fear and death to his household.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIf There Be Thorns (2015)
Christopher and Cathy Dollanganger live together as man and wife with Cathy's two sons who are unaware of the incestuous nature of their parents' relationship. But when a mysterious woman moves in next door and befriends the younger boy, Bart, he begins a strange transformation and displays accusatory behavior towards Cathy and Christopher. When Christopher discovers their mysterious neighbor is, in fact, his mother Corrine Dollanganger, all of the family's long-hidden secrets are revealed in a tragic climax.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Neighbor in the Window (2020)
A suburban wife finds herself and the security of her family threatened by another seemingly friendly neighborhood mom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLocke & Key (2011)
Three children become the caretakers of a New England mansion that is home to a bevy of secrets and magic.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIs There a Killer in My Family? (2020)
True-crime author, Carly, and her husband Kevin take a vacation at a historical mansion on Crawford Island. Kevin thinks it will be a chance for them to reconnect, but Carly plans to research the puzzling unsolved murder of Diana Crawford.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisYour Boyfriend Is Mine (2022)
Over the objection of his girlfriend, Ben agrees to take a job as the “live in” man servant to a wealthy businesswoman, Amanda, but quickly realizes he has made a deal with the devil, and has put himself and his girlfriend in mortal jeopardy
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisInfidelity in Suburbia (2017)
With her husband away at work, and her son at school, Laura dreams of a home-renovation project to supplant her restless days. Elliott, her irresistibly hot private contractor, soon fulfills her more forbidden dreams.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSleeping with Danger (2020)
Inspired by Ann Rule’s true crime collection Mortal Danger and Other True Cases. Paul Carter was like a knight in shining armor when he met flight attendant Grace Tanner and swept her into a passionate love affair. But her dream man quickly became her nightmare as his jealous rage ultimately led to a brutal attack. Incredibly, Grace was able to escape and go into hiding. Fearing for her life and the safety of other women Paul might seduce, Grace works with the police to bring Paul to justice.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTyler Perry's Duplicity (2025)
High-powered attorney Marley faces her most personal case yet when she is tasked with uncovering the truth behind the murder of her best friend Fela’s husband. With the help of her boyfriend – a former cop turned private investigator – Marley’s search for what really happened leads her down a treacherous maze of deception and betrayal.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Experiment (2010)
20 men are chosen to participate in the roles of guards and prisoners in a psychological study that ultimately spirals out of control.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBad Sister (2015)
As a top student at St. Adeline's Catholic Boarding School, Zoe senses that something is not quite right about the school's new nun-- a sense proven to be true when it is revealed the "good' nun is an imposter with a fatal attraction to Zoe's brother.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKept Woman (2015)
Jessica and her fiancé Evan have just moved from the city into their dream home on a quiet suburban street. Soon after, Jessica catches her seemingly friendly new neighbor, Simon, in a strange lie and can't let her suspicions rest. The danger escalates when Simon lures her inside his home and imprisons Jessica in his secret bunker, meticulously decorated in the idealized style of the 1950s.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHostage House (2021)
A realtor and her daughter are taken hostage by armed robbers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTwisted (2018)
Kara and Tyler are close to marriage when Tyler’s dangerous ex-girlfriend returns from rehab, and is adamant on winning him back, pulling Kara into a twisted game of cat and mouse.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDeep Water (2022)
A well-to-do husband who allows his wife to have affairs in order to avoid a divorce becomes a prime suspect in the disappearance of her lovers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisRiddled with Deceit: A Martha's Vineyard Mystery (2020)
Former detective Jeff Jackson teams up with Dr. Zee Madieras to track down their friend's missing emerald brooch, a thief, and also... a murderer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Locksmith (2023)
A thief fresh out of prison, tries to work his way back into the life of his daughter and ex-fiancé. Determined, he is forced to use the skills he has as a gifted locksmith. Things take a tumultuous turn after an unexpected disappearance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisBlack Bud (2021)
Sanya, a rebellious contemporary girl but a poet at heart, escapes her strict orthodox father's house in search of a new life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & thriller
By His Hand (2026)
Emma has spent her entire life trapped in Fowler’s fundamentalist cult. After a final act of humiliation, she decides to flee. Sam, a fellow member, bound by guilt and defiance, agrees to help her escape.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & thriller
Miller's Crossing (1990)
Set in 1929, a political boss and his advisor have a parting of the ways when they both fall for the same woman.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSuicide Kings (1997)
Carlo, a former mobster, is abducted by five privileged young men desperate to raise a $2 million ransom to save the sister of a friend. As Carlo plays mind games, however, his captors splinter -- each wondering whether one of their own had a hand in the crime.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Crying Game (1992)
Irish Republican Army member Fergus forms an unexpected bond with Jody, a kidnapped British soldier in his custody, despite the warnings of fellow IRA members Jude and Maguire. Jody makes Fergus promise he'll visit his girlfriend, Dil, in London, and when Fergus flees to the city, he seeks her out. Hounded by his former IRA colleagues, he finds himself increasingly drawn to the enigmatic, and surprising, Dil.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Ice Harvest (2005)
A shady lawyer attempts a Christmas Eve crime, hoping to swindle the local mob out of some money. But his partner, a strip club owner, might have different plans for the cash.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisWanted (2008)
Doormat Wesley Gibson is an office worker whose life is going nowhere. He meets an attractive woman named Fox and discovers that his recently murdered father - whom Wesley never knew - belonged to the Fraternity, a secret society of assassins which takes its orders from Fate itself. Fox and Sloan, the Fraternity's leader, teach Wesley, through intense training, to tap into dormant powers and hone his innate killing skills. Though he enjoys his newfound abilities, he begins to suspect that there is more to the Fraternity than meets the eye.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNo Darkness Last Forever (2023)
Ana, a young orphan moves to the house in the forest where her only friend lives. The ambition of her friend's father to take over the nearby lands will awaken an old pagan cult that will use Ana as their only option to protect the place.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Wekufe: The Origin of Evil (2016)
A student travels with her boyfriend to Chiloé, remote Patagonia island in southern Chile, to investigate the link that exists between the high number of sexual related crimes and the myths 'n' legends that surround this mysterious place.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Red Knot (2014)
Peter and Chloe, a young married couple from New York, decide on impulse to take a belated honeymoon on-board a research vessel en route to the icy wastes of Antarctica. Not long into the journey, Chloe begins to feel neglected and betrayed by Peter, who is focused on gathering information for an article he plans to publish on their return about the work of one of their fellow passengers, the whale biologist Roger Payne. After an unforgivable betrayal of trust by Peter, Chloe turns their fledgling marriage upside down by moving into her own room and staking out her independence onboard the ship. Drawing attention to the poles within each of us, the impressionistic story oscillates between the super-confined interiors of the ship and the vast open spaces of Antarctica. In the end, it's not until Chloe and Peter are lost - perhaps literally, perhaps metaphorically - in the Antarctic ice that they discover how essential one is to the other.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like What Happens in the Dark?
The closest matches to What Happens in the Dark are Hello (2022), Seeds of Yesterday (2015) and A Sister's Secret (2018). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after What Happens in the Dark?
Start with Hello (2022), the closest match to What Happens in the Dark.
What is the highest-rated movie like What Happens in the Dark?
Miller's Crossing (1990), rated 7.4/10 by 1,954 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like What Happens in the Dark?
By His Hand (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like What Happens in the Dark?
Yes: Hello (2022), Seeds of Yesterday (2015) and A Sister's Secret (2018).
How are movies similar to What Happens in the Dark chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside What Happens in the Dark, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.