Movies like Secrets of the Unknown: Poltergeists (1988)
The best movies like Secrets of the Unknown: Poltergeists (1988) are The Crystal Calls - Making The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019), Naqoyqatsi (2002) and Heart of a Dog (2015). If Secrets of the Unknown: Poltergeists hooked you with its documentary, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Secrets of the Unknown: Poltergeists
Quick picks
- Highest ratedDeliver Us from Evil (2006)7.2/10 from 216 votes
- NewestOasis: Don't Look Back in Anger (2026)Released 2026
The Crystal Calls - Making The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019)
Go behind the scenes with stars, puppeteers and creators as they bring Jim Henson's magical world of Thra back to life in a sweeping fantasy series.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNaqoyqatsi (2002)
A visual montage portrait of our contemporary world dominated by globalized technology and violence.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHeart of a Dog (2015)
Musician and performance artist Laurie Anderson reflects on the deaths of her husband Lou Reed, her mother and her beloved dog.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Love Song for Latasha (2019)
A dreamlike conversation with the past and the present, reimagining Latasha Harlins' story by excavating intimate memories shared by those who loved her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLove, Marilyn (2013)
Using the book 'Fragments', which collects Marilyn Monroe's poems, notes and letters, and with participation from the Arthur Miller and Truman Capote estates who have contributed more material, each of the actresses will embody the legend at various stages in her life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLooking for Richard (1996)
Al Pacino's deeply-felt rumination on Shakespeare's significance and relevance to the modern world through interviews and an in-depth analysis of "Richard III."
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMore Brains! A Return to the Living Dead (2011)
Retrospective documentary about the making of the horror cult classic "The Return of the Living Dead."
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado (2020)
Once the world's most famous astrologer, Walter Mercado seeks to resurrect a forgotten legacy. Raised in the sugar cane fields of Puerto Rico, Walter grew up to become a gender non-conforming, cape-wearing psychic whose televised horoscopes reached 120 million viewers a day for decades before he mysteriously disappeared.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like this180° South (2010)
The film follows adventurer Jeff Johnson as he retraces the epic 1968 journey of his heroes Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins to Patagonia.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLemmy (2010)
Over four decades, Motorhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister has registered an immeasurable impact on music history. Nearly 65, he remains the living embodiment of the rock and roll lifestyle, and this feature-length documentary tells his story, one of a hard-living rock icon who continues to enjoy the life of a man half his age.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBeyond Infinity: Buzz and the Journey to Lightyear (2022)
Explore the evolution of Buzz Lightyear from toy to human in the making of Pixar’s Lightyear. Dive into the origin and cultural impact of everyone’s favorite Space Ranger, the art of designing a new “human Buzz,” and the challenges faced by the Lightyear crew along the way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEnd of the Century: The Story of the Ramones (2003)
A years-in-the-making documentary on the legendary punk band the Ramones. Through a mixture of archival footage, archival and new interviews with all members of the band's various lineups, and new interviews with a number of their contemporaries, the film traces the peaks and valleys the band experienced over the course of its 20-plus year career before disbanding in 1995.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDeliver Us from Evil (2006)
Documentary filmmaker Amy Berg investigates the life of 30-year pedophile Father Oliver O'Grady and exposes the corruption inside the Catholic Church that allowed him to abuse countless children. Victims' stories and a disturbing interview with O'Grady offer a view into the troubled mind of the spiritual leader who moved from parish to parish gaining trust ... all the while betraying so many.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFor the Love of Spock (2016)
The life of Mr. Spock, as well as that of Leonard Nimoy, the actor who played him for almost fifty years, written and directed by his son: Adam.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisUnknown: Cave of Bones (2023)
Scientists examine underground clues from over 250,000 years ago that raise questions about our early relatives — and what it truly means to be human.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisColdplay: A Head Full of Dreams (2018)
An in-depth and intimate portrait of Coldplay's spectacular rise from the backrooms of Camden pubs to selling out stadiums across the planet. At the heart of the story is the band's unshakeable brotherhood which has endured through many highs and lows.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBillie Eilish - Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D) (2026)
Captured during Billie Eilish's sold-out world tour, a concert experience from one of the most celebrated and successful artists of her generation, presented in immersive 3D.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisOasis: Don't Look Back in Anger (2026)
Experience the meteoric rise of Oasis through rare footage and untold stories as the band reunites for Oasis Live '25, chronicling their journey from Manchester streets to global rock stardom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDaft Punk Unchained (2015)
Daft Punk Unchained is the first film about the pop culture phenomenon that is Daft Punk, the duo with 12 million albums sold worldwide and seven Grammy Awards. Throughout their career Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo have always resisted compromise and the established codes of show business. They have remained determined to maintain control of every link in the chain of their creative process. In the era of globalisation and social networks, they rarely speak in public and neither do they show their faces on TV. This documentary explores this unprecedented cultural revolution revealing a duo of artists on a permanent quest for creativity, independence and freedom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart (2020)
The story of the triumphs and hurdles of brothers Barry, Maurice, and Robin Gibb, otherwise known as the Bee Gees. The iconic trio, who found early fame in the 1960s, went on to write over 1,000 songs and have 20 No. 1 hits throughout their career, transcending more than five decades of changing tastes and styles.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBigfoot: Man or Beast? (1972)
People go and search for the legendary Bigfoot creature.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Ghosts at Sea: Paranormal Shipwrecks and Curses (2014)
Pirates and Sailors have fought many battles at sea but many who lost didn't go quietly into the murky depths. This killer collection of Ghostly Sea Hauntings will curl your toes and shiver your timbers with real ghost tales from the depths of the Paranormal.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
The Hidden Hand: Alien Contact and the Government Cover-up (2013)
The Hidden Hand is a controversial Award-winning documentary that explores the possibility of an extraterrestrial presence here on Earth. The film takes a keen look at a spectrum of topics like alien abduction, human/alien hybridization, the military's reverse-engineering of alien technology and the government cover-up of anything related to extraterrestrials. Is preoccupation with E.T.'s a form of cultural madness, or is something really going on? How would E.T. contact change the religious and political institutions of our society? The Hidden Hand is full of riveting interviews with experts and experiencers alike: Whitley Strieber, Dr. Edgar Mitchell, the 6th astronaut on the moon, Paul Hellyer, a former Canadian Defence Minister, Richard Dolan, Jim Marrs, Linda Moulton Howe, Col. John Alexander, Lyn Buchanan, Clifford Stone, Nassim Haramein, David Icke, Dr. Roger Leir, Graham Hancock and Paola Harris, among others. The shadowy world of UFOs is suddenly brought to light.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Kiamichi Beast expedition 2 (2022)
The Kiamichi beast Oklahoma's is a 200-year-old legend, that is real.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Interview with a Poltergeist (2007)
In August 1977, strange things started to happen in a quiet north London suburb. This unusual, terrifying activity lasted several months and became known as the Enfield Poltergeist. Among those who witnessed this apparently paranormal activity were journalists and the police. Some of the evidence is controversial. But 30 years on it remains the best-documented and most puzzling case of its kind, and may be the first time that a spirit voice has been captured on tape.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
The Unbelievable (2009)
A documentary team takes on an expedition to an exotic country in Southeast Asia in search of paranormal phenomena. What they never expected is a horrifying journey with encounters of unexplained occurrences. Led by a notable parapsychologist, the encounters are so gruesome and hone chilling beyond what they can bear, ranging from paranormal phenomenon such as poltergeist, exorcism, haunted house to supernatural force like witchcraft, spells, voodoo, curse, tec. Based on Hong Kong Cable TV’s popular paranormal phenomena program of the same name, “The Unbelievable” is a documentary-style movie that throws the audiences to the twilight zone…and beyond! Rated Category III for its shocking scenes of horror, violence and nudity, the reality program-turned-movie features extreme content that makes the TV version look tame in comparison. I’m a fan of the HK TV program. If you like paranormal stuff, check this out!
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
On The Trail of The Lake Michigan Mothman (2021)
In 2017 a rash of sightings of a winged creature spread around Chicago. Now, Small Town Monsters launches their own investigation into the Mothman sightings that spread around Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. Is the Mothman real? Seth Breedlove and Heather Moser pull at the threads of one of the most bizarre paranormal mysteries of the last decade. Along the way they interview witnesses, investigators, and even capture footage of a massive, winged being in downtown Chicago. What are people seeing? What does it mean? Is the Mothman simply an unidentified animal or a misidentified bird? Or is it something far more sinister? The truth is here, and the answers may shock you.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Coven (2023)
Exploring their identities as witches in today's world, three millennial women set out to discover if their ancestors' rituals and sacred places can help them channel their gifts and reclaim their power.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Investigating the Afterlife (2008)
How hard can ghost hunting be? Join Shane Free as he enlists the help of friends and family and documents personal experiences at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania's Cashtown Inn, the Prospect Place Mansion in Trinway, Ohio, and the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California. Unlike many popular ghost hunting shows, "Investigating the Afterlife" does not alter the footage and presents the evidence as it was recorded.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Miz Cracker's Favorite Haunts (2024)
World-renowned Drag Queen Miz Cracker helps a Texas family that’s experiencing strange occurrences after renovating their 1892 home. As a lover of the paranormal, can Miz Cracker solve their ghost problem and help them coexist peacefully with the spirits?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Secrets of the Unknown: Poltergeists?
The closest matches to Secrets of the Unknown: Poltergeists are The Crystal Calls - Making The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019), Naqoyqatsi (2002) and Heart of a Dog (2015). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Secrets of the Unknown: Poltergeists?
Start with The Crystal Calls - Making The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019), the closest match to Secrets of the Unknown: Poltergeists.
What is the highest-rated movie like Secrets of the Unknown: Poltergeists?
Deliver Us from Evil (2006), rated 7.2/10 by 216 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Secrets of the Unknown: Poltergeists?
Oasis: Don't Look Back in Anger (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Secrets of the Unknown: Poltergeists?
Yes: The Crystal Calls - Making The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019), Naqoyqatsi (2002) and Heart of a Dog (2015).
How are movies similar to Secrets of the Unknown: Poltergeists chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Secrets of the Unknown: Poltergeists, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.