Movies like Suddenly in the Dark (1981)
The best movies like Suddenly in the Dark (1981) are Castle Freak (1996), They Look Like People (2016) and Night of Dark Shadows (1971). If Suddenly in the Dark hooked you with its horror and mystery, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedHush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964)7.3/10 from 297 votes
- NewestHold Your Breath (2024)Released 2024
- In KoreanA Tale of Two Sisters (2003)Also in Korean
Castle Freak (1996)
John Reilly discovers that his family's newly inherited castle in Italy is haunted by a relentless, bloodthirsty creature.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThey Look Like People (2016)
Suspecting that people are transforming into malevolent shape-shifters, Wyatt flees to New York City to seek out his estranged childhood friend Christian.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNight of Dark Shadows (1971)
Recently married, Quentin and Tracy Collins have just moved into Collinwood, a New England estate that has long been in the Collins family and which Quentin has just inherited. They soon find themselves plagued by spirits of past residents.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBlackwater Lane (2024)
An American school teacher in England drives past an abandoned car late one night, unaware that the driver was the victim of a murder. As she comes to terms with the realization, seemingly supernatural events start to affect the gothic manor she lives in with her husband.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Tale of Two Sisters (2003)
Two sisters return home after a stay in a mental institution, only to face disturbing events and a strained relationship with their stepmother. As eerie occurrences unfold, dark family secrets begin to surface, blurring the line between reality and nightmare.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & horror
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Echo (2008)
An ex-prisoner moves to an old apartment, where one gets to see in the middle of a domestic problem between a police officer, his wife and his daughter. When he tries to intervene, he will be caught in a mysterious curse.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhat Lies Beneath (2000)
Norman and Claire Spencer are a seemingly happily married couple who uncover a terrible secret… a secret so disturbing it threatens to destroy them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBrahms: The Boy II (2020)
After a family moves into the Heelshire Mansion, their young son soon makes friends with a life-like doll called Brahms.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
SnoozefestMovies like thisParanormal Activity (2009)
After a young, middle-class couple moves into what seems like a typical suburban house, they become increasingly disturbed by a presence that may or may not be demonic, but is certainly the most active in the middle of the night.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOddity (2024)
After the brutal murder of her twin sister, Darcy goes after those responsible by using haunted items as her tools for revenge.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Cellar (2022)
When Keira Woods' daughter mysteriously vanishes in the cellar of their new house in the country, she soon discovers there is an ancient and powerful entity controlling their home that she will have to face or risk losing her family's souls forever.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBurnt Offerings (1976)
A family moves into a large old mansion in the countryside which seems to have a mysterious and sinister power over its new residents.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHold Your Breath (2024)
In 1930s Oklahoma amid the region's horrific dust storms, a woman is convinced that a sinister presence is threatening her family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Night Walker (1964)
A woman is haunted by recurring nightmares, which seem to be instigated by her late husband who supposedly was killed in a fire.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Haunted (1991)
When the Smurl family moves into a duplex, they find out it's haunted. When the Catholic Church is no help, they reach out to famous demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Witch (2016)
In 1630, a farmer relocates his family to a remote plot of land on the edge of a forest where strange, unsettling things happen. With suspicion and paranoia mounting, each family member's faith, loyalty and love are tested in shocking ways.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisStarve Acre (2024)
When their son starts acting strangely, a couple unwittingly allow dark and sinister forces into their home, awakening a long-dormant ancient evil rooted deep in the countryside.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisHush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964)
An aging, reclusive Southern belle plagued by a horrifying family secret descends into madness after the arrival of a lost relative.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHereditary (2018)
When the matriarch of the Graham family passes away, her daughter begins to unravel cryptic and increasingly terrifying secrets about her ancestry.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisImaginary (2024)
When Jessica moves back into her childhood home with her family, her youngest stepdaughter Alice develops an eerie attachment to a stuffed bear named Chauncey she finds in the basement. Alice starts playing games with Chauncey that begin playful and become increasingly sinister. As Alice’s behavior becomes more and more concerning, Jessica intervenes only to realize Chauncey is much more than the stuffed toy bear she believed him to be.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
SnoozefestMovies like thisAn American Haunting (2005)
An invisible entity haunts a 19th century family, and family secrets soon begin to surface. Based on the true events of the only case in US History where a spirit caused the death of a man.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & mystery
SnoozefestMovies like thisKonthayum Poonoolum (2014)
The movie deals with the trials and tribulations of multiple disconnected characters trying to find meaning in the spiritual and super natural experiences they have. The intertwining story threads include a baker (Kunchako) going to meet his pregnant wife (Bhama), a moneylender (Manoj K Jayan) with an imaginary friend (Saiju Kurup), an atheist policeman (Kalabhavan Mani) who is unfaithful to his wife, an old man (Janardhanan) whose daughter (Anju Aravind) gets into a road accident, a photographer (Joy Mathew) and a college girl (Sarayu) trying to prank her room mates.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & mystery
It Follows (2015)
A young woman is followed by an unknown supernatural force after a sexual encounter.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhite Noise (2005)
An architect's desire to speak with his wife from beyond the grave using EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon), becomes an obsession with supernatural repercussions.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Fly (1958)
Industrialist François Delambre is called late at night by his sister-in-law, Helene, who tells him that she has just killed her husband. Reluctant at first, she eventually explains to the police that he invented a matter transportation apparatus and, while experimenting on himself, a fly entered the chamber.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisI Can Only See (2021)
A comic horror drama depicting a grotesque situation that occurs with the appearance of a supernatural entity navigating between the filming teams at the filming site.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Edge of Summer (2024)
A summer holiday and an old folk tale bring two 11-year-olds together as they set out to explore just what, or who, is calling to them, from deep within an abandoned tin mine.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Haunted Girl (1973)
An occult supernatural ghost horror classic.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Regimiento 7 regresa a casa (2014)
A former soldier reunites with his comrades, who are unaware that they are dead.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
88 Minutes (2007)
Famed forensic psychiatrist Dr. Jack Gramm enjoys a reputation as one of the most sought-after profilers around. His expert testimony has resulted in the conviction of many criminals, including serial killer Jon Forster. On the eve of Forster's execution, one of Gramm's students is murdered in a vicious copycat crime, and Gramm himself receives an ominous message informing him that he has less than 90 minutes to live.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery
SnoozefestMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Suddenly in the Dark?
The closest matches to Suddenly in the Dark are Castle Freak (1996), They Look Like People (2016) and Night of Dark Shadows (1971). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Suddenly in the Dark?
Start with Castle Freak (1996), the closest match to Suddenly in the Dark.
What is the highest-rated movie like Suddenly in the Dark?
Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964), rated 7.3/10 by 297 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Suddenly in the Dark?
Hold Your Breath (2024) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Korean movies like Suddenly in the Dark?
Yes: A Tale of Two Sisters (2003) and I Can Only See (2021).
How are movies similar to Suddenly in the Dark chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Suddenly 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.