Movies like Detention of the Dead (2012)
The best movies like Detention of the Dead (2012) are Little Monsters (2019), Spontaneous (2020) and Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse (2015). If Detention of the Dead hooked you with its comedy and horror, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedFright Night (1985)7.1/10 from 1,660 votes
- NewestBloodthirsty (2026)Released 2026
Little Monsters (2019)
A washed-up musician teams up with a teacher and a kids show personality to protect young children from a sudden outbreak of zombies.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSpontaneous (2020)
When students in their high school begin inexplicably exploding (literally), seniors Mara and Dylan struggle to survive in a world where each moment may be their last.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisScouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse (2015)
Three scouts and lifelong friends join forces with one badass cocktail waitress to become the world’s most unlikely team of heroes. When their peaceful town is ravaged by a zombie invasion, they’ll fight for the badge of a lifetime and put their scouting skills to the test to save mankind from the undead.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHold the Fort (2025)
A HOA turns out to be more troublesome than usual in this wildly amusing, FX-heavy freak-out about newly minted suburbanites unexpectedly forced to take part in a struggle against monstrous forces.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWe Are Zombies (2024)
In a city infested with the LIVING-IMPAIRED aka non-cannibal zombies - three slackers after easy money must fight small-time crooks and an evil megacorporation to save their kidnapped grandma.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisGatlopp: Hell of a Game (2022)
Four friends get together for a nostalgic evening of fun and games after a decade of absence, which takes a dark turn.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisReturn of the Living Dead Part II (1988)
A group of kids discover one of the drums containing a rotting corpse and release the 2-4-5 Trioxin gas into the air, causing the dead to once again rise from the grave and seek out brains.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNight of the Demons 2 (1994)
Angela, the hostess from hell, summons her army of teen demons when teenagers from St. Rita's High School decide to party at the haunted Hull House on Halloween.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBoo! A Madea Halloween (2016)
Madea winds up in the middle of mayhem when she spends a hilarious, haunted Halloween fending off killers, paranormal poltergeists, ghosts, ghouls, and zombies while keeping a watchful eye on a group of misbehaving teens.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisCooties (2014)
A mysterious virus hits an isolated elementary school, transforming the kids into a feral swarm of mass savages. An unlikely hero must lead a motley band of teachers in the fight of their lives.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisWyrmwood: Road of the Dead (2014)
Barry is a talented mechanic and family man whose life is torn apart on the eve of a zombie apocalypse. His sister, Brooke, is kidnapped by a sinister team of gas-mask wearing soldiers and experimented on by a psychotic doctor. While Brooke plans her escape Barry goes out on the road to find her and teams up with Benny, a fellow survivor – together they must arm themselves and prepare to battle their way through hordes of flesh-eating monsters in a harsh Australian bushland.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDeathgasm (2015)
Two teenage boys unwittingly summon an ancient evil entity known as The Blind One by delving into black magic while trying to escape their mundane lives.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHappy Death Day 2U (2019)
Collegian Tree Gelbman wakes up in horror to learn that she's stuck in a parallel universe. Her boyfriend Carter is now with someone else, and her friends and fellow students seem to be completely different versions of themselves. When Tree discovers that Carter's roommate has been altering time, she finds herself once again the target of a masked killer. When the psychopath starts to go after her inner circle, Tree soon realizes that she must die over and over again to save everyone.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPsycho Goreman (2020)
Siblings Mimi and Luke unwittingly resurrect an ancient alien overlord. Using a magical amulet, they force the monster to obey their childish whims, and accidentally attract a rogues’ gallery of intergalactic assassins to small-town suburbia.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFright Night (1985)
Charley Brewster, a high school student, accidentally discovers the true and creepy nature of Jerry Dandrige, his dashing and enigmatic new neighbor; but no one seems willing to believe him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & horror
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNight of the Living Dead (1990)
A ragtag group barricade themselves in an old Pennsylvania farmhouse to remain safe from a horde of flesh-eating ghouls ravaging the Northeast.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNight of the Animated Dead (2021)
An animated retelling of ‘Night of the Living Dead’, in which a group of people in a rural farmhouse struggle to survive the threat of bloodthirsty zombies.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTrick or Treat (1986)
Eddie Weinbauer, a metalhead teen who is bullied at school, looks to his heavy metal superstar idol, Sammi Curr, for guidance. When Curr is killed in a hotel fire, Eddie becomes the recipient of the only copy of his unreleased album, which, when played backwards, brings the rocker back to life. As Halloween approaches, Eddie begins to realize that this isn't only rock 'n roll...It's life and death.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisF (2010)
A group of teachers must defend themselves from a gang of murderous kids when their school comes under siege after hours.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Driver (2019)
After a plague of the undead decimates human life on Earth, a former hit man (Mark Dacascos), his wife, and daughter live quietly in a survivalist compound. But when their base is attacked, a massive explosion summons a swarm of the undead. They escape and must seek out the Haven, a rumored sanctuary up north, while the father teaches his daughter to shoot, drive, and survive before time runs out.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisZBurbs (2017)
When a suburban housewife discovers that her husband has become a Zombie with an appetite for human flesh, she fights to keep him well fed and out of government clutches.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & horror
Future Shock (2021)
An android is accused of a murder that he has not committed ... A couple lock themselves in a basement to protect themselves from the apocalypse... Impacts of a future seen from today.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & comedy
High School U.S.A. (1983)
Set in a senior high school class, J.J. pursues the girlfriend of a rival from a higher clique which culminates in a race at the end of the movie between the two rivals in this light comedy.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Cromartie High School: The Movie (2005)
When a good student named Kamiyama gets placed in a high school filled with disobedient kids, he steps up to the plate and takes a position of leadership. Urging the young slackers and rebels to clean up their act, Kamiyama is in store for a lot of resistance.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Dead of Night (1974)
A young soldier who was thought to be killed in Vietnam returns home and exhibits disturbing behavior, much to the confusion of his family.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBloodthirsty (2026)
On the night of their anniversary, Sarah is unexpectedly called into work but when a sudden zombie outbreak traps her inside, Brian must fight through the chaos to reach her before it's too late.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Shadows of the Dead (2004)
A couple's weekend getaway turns into a nightmare after they are stranded in the woods and discover what they assume to be a dead body. The assumption is wrong and John and his girlfriend Jennifer are infected with a deadly disease that will soon ravage their bodies. With no place to go, and no one to turn to, they are forced to find shelter in a deserted cabin. This is where they'll find safety, but this is also where they'll experience a slow and torturous death. They must come to terms with their inevitable deaths, the temptation to kill others to sustain their own lives, and the consequences of murder. They will cling to one another's love and support, but in the end.... all great love stories end tragically.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
AMYGDALA (2026)
When Zoe is attacked by a mysterious woman and begins to experience strange visions, she has only minutes to get help or else uncover the mystery behind the madness that surrounds her.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Bubba's Chili Parlor (2005)
Bubba's Chili Parlor, a restaurant in rural Texas, becomes ground zero for a worldwide zombie epidemic after Bubba unwittingly serves chili infected with a mutated strain of Mad Cow Disease.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
The Wild Life (1984)
Eighties teen romp involving Bill and his new apartment, Jim and his rebellious antics, Tom and his crazy self, and Anita with her older man David.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Detention of the Dead?
The closest matches to Detention of the Dead are Little Monsters (2019), Spontaneous (2020) and Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse (2015). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Detention of the Dead?
Start with Little Monsters (2019), the closest match to Detention of the Dead.
What is the highest-rated movie like Detention of the Dead?
Fright Night (1985), rated 7.1/10 by 1,660 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Detention of the Dead?
Bloodthirsty (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Detention of the Dead?
Yes: Little Monsters (2019), Spontaneous (2020) and Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse (2015).
How are movies similar to Detention of the Dead chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Detention of the Dead, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.