Movies like The Dancing Skeleton (1898)
The best movies like The Dancing Skeleton (1898) are Thriller Night (2011), Scared Shrekless (2010) and Once Bitten (1985). If The Dancing Skeleton hooked you with its comedy and fantasy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)7.9/10 from 1,851 votes
- NewestFriends Like Us (2026)Released 2026
- In FrenchUn Chien Andalou (1929)Also in French
Thriller Night (2011)
A Shrek parody of Michael Jackson's Thriller song and music video, with Donkey singing.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisScared Shrekless (2010)
Shrek challenges Donkey, Puss in Boots and his other fairy tale character friends to spend the night in Lord Farquaad's haunted castle, telling scary stories to see who can resist becoming scared and stay the longest.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOnce Bitten (1985)
Mark wants to lose his virginity, but his girlfriend wants to wait. Unfortunately for both of them, a 400-year-old vampire Countess needs to turn a virgin into a vampire before Halloween in order to preserve her own youthful appearance, and when she finds Mark, she turns his life upside-down.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisHigh Spirits (1988)
When a hotelier attempts to fill the chronic vacancies at his castle by launching an advertising campaign that falsely portrays the property as haunted, two actual ghosts show up and end up falling for two guests.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Grim Adventures of the Kids Next Door (2007)
A crossover with The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy and Codename: Kids Next Door. While Billy's Dad is underwear shopping, Billy wears his dad's lucky pants, and accidentely rips them with Grim's scythe. He calls Ed, Edd n Eddy, and they recommend Kids Next Door for charity. Numbuh 1 disguises as Billy while Billy is taken to the Deep Sea Lab. Mandy arrives at Billy's house and knows Numbuh 1 is not Billy, and tortures him into revealing the truth. Meanwhile, the Delightful Children From Down the Lane and Billy accidentally fuse with the scythes power to create the Delightful Reaper, and Mandy takes over the KND by fooling Numbuh 362 and the rest of the operatives. Now its up to Numbuh 1 and the Grim Reaper to save KND and stop Mandy and the Delightful Reaper.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWendell & Wild (2022)
Two scheming demons strike a deal with a punk rock-loving teen so they can leave the Underworld and live out their dreams in the Land of the Living.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTrick 'r Treat (2007)
Four interwoven stories that occur on Halloween: an everyday high school principal has a secret life as a serial killer; a college virgin might have just met the one guy for her; a group of teenagers pull a mean prank, and a bitter old recluse receives an uninvited guest.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Skeleton Dance (1929)
The clock strikes midnight, the bats fly from the belfry, a dog howls at the full moon, and two black cats fight in the cemetery: a perfect time for four skeletons to come out and dance a bit.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & horror
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMater and the Ghostlight (2006)
Mater, the rusty but trusty tow truck from Cars, spends a day in Radiator Springs playing scary pranks on his fellow townsfolk. That night at Flo's V8 Café, the Sheriff tells the story of the legend of the Ghostlight, and as everyone races home Mater is left alone primed for a good old-fashioned scare.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Haunted House (1929)
Mickey seeks shelter from a storm in a house that turns out to be haunted. The skeletons command him to play the organ; they dance and play along.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPorno (2019)
When a group of naive teens working at a movie theater in a small Christian town discover a mysterious film hidden in its basement, they unleash an alluring succubus who gives them a sex education…written in blood.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSketch (2025)
When a young girl’s sketchbook falls into a strange pond, her drawings come to life—chaotic, real, and on the loose. As the town descends into chaos, her family must reunite and stop the monsters they never meant to unleash.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFrankenweenie (2012)
When a car hits young Victor's pet dog Sparky, Victor decides to bring him back to life the only way he knows how. But when the bolt-necked "monster" wreaks havoc and terror in the hearts of Victor's neighbors, he has to convince them that Sparky's still the good, loyal friend he was.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & horror
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Addams Family (1991)
When a man claiming to be long-lost Uncle Fester reappears after 25 years lost, the family plans a celebration to wake the dead. But the kids barely have time to warm up the electric chair before Morticia begins to suspect Fester is fraud when he can't recall any of the details of Fester's life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMarvel One-Shot: All Hail the King (2014)
A documentary filmmaker interviews the now-famous Trevor Slattery from behind bars.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBride of Re-Animator (1990)
Unperturbed by the disastrous outcome of his previous meddling with the dead, Dr. West continues his research into the phenomenon of re-animation; only this time, he plans to create life – starting with the heart of his young protégé Dan's dearly deceased Meg Halsey.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Smurfs: The Legend of Smurfy Hollow (2013)
When Brainy Smurf is favored to win the annual Smurfberry Hunt for the ninth year in a row, Gutsy Smurf sets out to discover how Brainy wins every year. Gutsy’s investigation takes him into spooky Smurfy Hollow–and right into Gargamel’s trap! Can Brainy and Gutsy, with the help of Smurfette, put aside their rivalry before Gargamel captures them–or worse, they come face-to-face with the legendary ghost, the Headless Horseman?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisUn Chien Andalou (1929)
Un Chien Andalou is an European avant-garde surrealist film, a collaboration between director Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dali.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & horror
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSing: Thriller (2024)
Buster Moon dreams up a star-studded spectacle set to Michael Jackson's "Thriller" in this animated short featuring characters from the hit "Sing" films.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOne Hundred and One Nights (1995)
Monsieur Cinema, a hundred years old, lives alone in a large villa. His memories fade away, so he engages a young woman to tell him stories about all the movies ever made.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSlippery When Wet (2025)
A group of friends must work together to survive after a blessing spoils their dinner. A short film that was made for the Pittsburgh 48 Hour Film Horror Project.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & horror
Friends Like Us (2026)
A dark comedic thriller where two sitcom actors have to reenact a new version of their show’s series finale after a crazed fan keeps them hostage.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Antoine and Colette (1962)
Now aged 17, Antoine Doinel works in a factory which makes records. At a music concert, he meets a girl his own age, Colette, and falls in love with her. Later, Antoine goes to extraordinary lengths to please his new girlfriend and her parents, but Colette still only regards him as a casual friend. First segment of “Love at Twenty” (1962).
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPersonal Baggage (2025)
Two agents, one hardened, one optimistic, face their morality in the line of duty. A short film that was made for the Pittsburgh 48 Hour Film Project.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Atér (2021)
Sahar tirelessly travels the forgotten plains and cliffs of his native island to prospect for a rare mineral. Suddenly, a voice upsets his search, his relationship with the world, and our Milky Way.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
Cock, Crap, Fuck (2019)
Max, 20 years old, is a boy scout leader dealing with Tourette's syndrome. His symptoms disappear when he is in front of a camera. That's how he manages to seduce Giulia. But when they decide to make love, is the camera still welcome?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
Francis, a young man, recalls in his memory the horrible experiences he and his fiancée Jane recently went through. Francis and his friend Alan visit The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, an exhibit where the mysterious doctor shows the somnambulist Cesare, and awakens him for some moments from his death-like sleep.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisOrquesta Los Bengalas (2021)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Stars of Gaomeigu (2017)
At the Gaomeigu Observatory in China, the Naxi people scan the sky, convinced they are the descendants of immortal beings living there, abandoned on earth to watch them. Between astronomy and legends, Marko Grba Singh seems to compose a mysterious and polysemous tableau. From folk tales heroes such as William Tell, Prince Marko or Sanduo for the Naxi, passing by a miraculous catch, Gods besotted with each other, or the absence of walls built around a city because of the ambiguity of Chinese characters, 'Stars of Gaomeigu' dresses the bodies and contemporary images of mythological tales.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Dancing Skeleton?
The closest matches to The Dancing Skeleton are Thriller Night (2011), Scared Shrekless (2010) and Once Bitten (1985). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Dancing Skeleton?
Start with Thriller Night (2011), the closest match to The Dancing Skeleton.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Dancing Skeleton?
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), rated 7.9/10 by 1,851 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Dancing Skeleton?
Friends Like Us (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there French movies like The Dancing Skeleton?
Yes: Un Chien Andalou (1929), One Hundred and One Nights (1995) and Antoine and Colette (1962).
How are movies similar to The Dancing Skeleton chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Dancing Skeleton, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.