Movies like Pennhurst (2012)
The best movies like Pennhurst (2012) are Grave Encounters (2011), undertone (2026) and Paranormal Activity (2009). If Pennhurst hooked you with its horror, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedGhostwatch (1992)7.1/10 from 201 votes
- NewestBackrooms (2026)Released 2026
Grave Encounters (2011)
A crew from a paranormal reality television show lock themselves in a haunted psychiatric hospital. They search for evidence of paranormal activity as they shoot what ends up becoming their final episode.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisundertone (2026)
The host of a popular paranormal podcast becomes haunted by terrifying recordings mysteriously sent her way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies 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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor (2023)
A group of cold case investigators stay at the Carmichael Manor, site of the grisly and unsolved murders of the Carmichael family back in the eighties. After four nights, the group was never heard from again. What is discovered on their footage is even more disturbing than anything found on the Hell House tapes.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFragile (2005)
Haunted by memories of a patient's death, a nurse takes a job at an antiquated hospital for children. Soon she learns that the kids fear a ghost that prowls the floors and will not allow anyone to leave. Amy tries to protect them and convince the other staffers of the evil that lurks there.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Haunting in Connecticut (2009)
When the Campbell family moves to upstate Connecticut, they soon learn that their charming Victorian home has a disturbing history: not only was the house a transformed funeral parlor where inconceivable acts occurred, but the owner's clairvoyant son Jonah served as a demonic messenger, providing a gateway for spiritual entities to crossover.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Possession of Michael King (2014)
Michael King asks occultists to summon all evil spirits to prove his point that they do not exist. But something goes wrong and he becomes a danger to everyone.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Legend of Hell House (1973)
A team consisting of a physicist, his wife, a young female psychic, and the only survivor of the previous visit are sent to the notorious Hell House to prove or disprove survival after death. Previous visitors have either been killed or gone mad, and it is up to the team to survive a full week in isolation, and solve the mystery of the Hell House.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSmile (2022)
After witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient, Dr. Rose Cotter starts experiencing frightening occurrences that she can't explain.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCreep (2014)
Looking for work, Aaron comes across a cryptic online ad: "$1,000 for the day. Filming service. Discretion is appreciated." Low on cash and full of naiveté, he decides to go for it. He drives to a cabin in a remote mountain town where he meets Josef, his cinematic subject for the day. Josef is sincere and the project seems heartfelt, so Aaron begins to film. But as the day goes on, it becomes clear that Josef is not who he says, and his intentions are not at all pure.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisUntil Dawn (2025)
One year after her sister Melanie mysteriously disappeared, Clover and her friends head into the remote valley where she vanished in search of answers. Exploring an abandoned visitor center, they find themselves stalked by a masked killer and horrifically murdered one by one...only to wake up and find themselves back at the beginning of the same evening.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStir of Echoes (1999)
After being hypnotized by his sister-in-law, Tom Witzky begins seeing haunting visions of a girl's ghost and a mystery begins to unfold around her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBackrooms (2026)
A strange doorway appears in the basement of a furniture showroom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHell House LLC (2015)
Five years after an unexplained malfunction causes the death of 15 tour-goers and staff on the opening night of a Halloween haunted house tour, a documentary crew travels back to the scene of the tragedy to find out what really happened.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPhoenix Forgotten (2017)
Twenty years after three teenagers disappeared in the wake of mysterious lights appearing above Phoenix, Arizona, unseen footage from that night has been discovered, chronicling the final hours of their fateful expedition.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDon't Look at the Demon (2022)
A spiritual medium leads a paranormal investigative TV crew to a haunted home only to discover that the evil spirit she’s facing holds the key to her troubled past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBodycam (2026)
A call to a quiet suburban home unleashes unthinkable carnage when two officers mistakenly shoot a man and his infant child, spiraling the tragedy into a fierce, unrelenting fall into the unknown.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGhostwatch (1992)
On Halloween 1992, the BBC broadcasts an investigation into the supernatural, hosted by TV chat-show legend Michael Parkinson. Parky (assisted by Mike Smith, Sarah Greene and Craig Charles) and a camera crew attempt to discover the truth behind the most haunted house in Britain. This groundbreaking live television experiment does not go as planned, however.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFollowed (2020)
Social media influencer, 'DropTheMike', seeks thrills and stardom in the most horrific places. When he’s offered the possibility of a lucrative sponsorship, he takes his online channel to one of the most haunted hotels in America. What begins as a fun challenge accompanied by friends descends into a personal hell, begging the timely question: how far would you go to pursue internet fame?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisFear and Desire (2019)
A woman awakens in a remote location to news that the world as she knows it has ended. As she adjusts to her new reality, events unfold and details emerge that may suggest otherwise.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
The Poltergeist Diaries (2021)
After moving to an isolated cabin, Jacob Taylor vanishes without a trace. With the help of footage he leaves behind, his family members, friends, and a detective try to find answers to the strange events that are centered around him.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Vengeful Spirit House: Fear of Entering the Curse of Hell (2011)
In the tower that points out that it is the origin of all urban legends, it follows the horror directors Miki Hatano, Ayako Koito, and Kiyotaka Taguchi. A bizarre old woman with inspiration gathers everyone to the Koito family and thinks about countermeasures... In the Koito family, which has become a locked room, can old women find a mystery of the cause in the rampage appearance of vengeful ghosts.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
10/31/85 (2022)
On a chilly Halloween night in 1985, 3 teenagers happen upon the unfortunate antics of a crazed serial killer named Mr. Trick.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
The Henry Smurf Project (2005)
El proyecto del Pitufo Enrique is a document about the existence of a mysterious goblin from the province of Catamarca. During the filming of the movie there were some tragic incidents, such as the disappearance of six people or the violent deaths of another three. Some of these incidents were registered on video but couldn't see the light because of the ongoing legal battle between the director and the victim's families opposing its screening. On the contrary, Elvira Serio director of the movie, thinks that what is on the tape could be of great help shedding some light over all the mysteries around this thread. She hopes that her work can serve as a warning as well to all the residents and tourists who often visit that place.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
America's Most Haunted (2013)
The crew of a popular ghost hunting show gets more than they bargained for when they come across a location that's actually haunted.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Embedded (2013)
A seasoned news correspondent and cameraman embed themselves with a posse that set off into the rugged wilderness of the Rocky Mountains to find a missing child who may become the next victim of what is believed to be a rogue grizzly...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Sealed Video 55: Kami Yomoji (2021)
55th entry in the 'Sealed Video' franchise from the production team of 'Honto ni Atta. Noroi no Video'.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Sealed Video 57: Spirit (2022)
57th entry in the 'Sealed Video' franchise from the production team of 'Honto ni Atta. Noroi no Video'.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Sealed Video 58: Dragonfly (2022)
58th entry in the 'Sealed Video' franchise from the production team of 'Honto ni Atta. Noroi no Video'.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Like Pennhurst and something else?
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Pennhurst?
The closest matches to Pennhurst are Grave Encounters (2011), undertone (2026) and Paranormal Activity (2009). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Pennhurst?
Start with Grave Encounters (2011), the closest match to Pennhurst.
What is the highest-rated movie like Pennhurst?
Ghostwatch (1992), rated 7.1/10 by 201 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Pennhurst?
Backrooms (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Pennhurst?
Yes: Grave Encounters (2011), undertone (2026) and Paranormal Activity (2009).
How are movies similar to Pennhurst chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Pennhurst, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.