Movies like Primordial Theorem (2024)
The best movies like Primordial Theorem (2024) are Smile (2022), Haunter (2013) and Saw (2004). If Primordial Theorem 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 ratedSaw (2004)7.4/10 from 10,485 votes
- NewestPlay Dead (2025)Released 2025
Smile (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 & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHaunter (2013)
A teenager is stuck in a time loop that is not quite the same each time. She must uncover the truth but her actions have consequences for herself and others.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSaw (2004)
Two men wake up to find themselves shackled in a grimy, abandoned bathroom. As they struggle to comprehend their predicament, they discover a disturbing tape left behind by the sadistic mastermind known as Jigsaw. With a chilling voice and cryptic instructions, Jigsaw informs them that they must partake in a gruesome game in order to secure their freedom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMalignant (2021)
Madison is paralyzed by shocking visions of grisly murders, and her torment worsens as she discovers that these waking dreams are in fact terrifying realities with a mysterious tie to her past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDevil (2010)
A group of people are trapped in an elevator high above Philadelphia, and one of them is the Devil.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Harvest (2015)
After becoming orphaned, a lonely girl moves in with her grandparents and tries to befriend a sick, bed-ridden boy next door, despite his mother’s strong objections. Her persistence leads to a friendship, but during secret visits, she uncovers dark secrets in the boy's home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Awakening (2011)
In post–War England, a writer and sometime-ghost hunter investigates a reported haunting at a boys boarding school.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJigsaw (2017)
Law enforcement finds itself chasing the ghost of a man dead for over a decade, embroiled in a diabolical new game that's only just begun.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCome Play (2020)
Oliver, a lonely autistic boy, seeks solace and refuge in his ever-present cell phone and tablet. When a mysterious creature uses the boy's devices against him, his parents must fight to save their son from the monster beyond the screen.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSinister (2012)
True-crime writer Ellison Oswalt is in a slump; he hasn't had a best seller in more than 10 years and is becoming increasingly desperate for a hit. So, when he discovers the existence of a snuff film showing the deaths of a family, he vows to solve the mystery. He moves his own family into the victims' home and gets to work. However, when old film footage and other clues hint at the presence of a supernatural force, Ellison learns that living in the house may be fatal.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBarbarian (2022)
In town for a job interview, a young woman arrives at her Airbnb late at night only to find that it has been mistakenly double-booked and a strange man is already staying there. Against her better judgement, she decides to stay the night anyway.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEscape Room: Tournament of Champions (2021)
Six people unwittingly find themselves locked in another series of escape rooms, slowly uncovering what they have in common to survive... and discovering they've all played the games before.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCreep 2 (2017)
After finding an ad online for “video work,” Sara, a video artist whose primary focus is creating intimacy with lonely men, thinks she may have found the subject of her dreams. She drives to a remote house in the forest and meets a man claiming to be a serial killer. Unable to resist the chance to create a truly shocking piece of art, she agrees to spend the day with him. However, as the day goes on, she discovers she may have dug herself into a hole from which she can’t escape.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAlive (2018)
A severely injured man and woman awake in an abandoned sanitarium only to discover that a sadistic caretaker holds the keys to their freedom and the horrific answers as to their true identity.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCube (1998)
A group of strangers find themselves trapped in a maze-like prison. It soon becomes clear that each of them possesses the peculiar skills necessary to escape, if they don't wind up dead first.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Descent: Part 2 (2009)
Distraught, confused, and half-wild with fear, Sarah Carter emerges alone from the Appalachian cave system where she encountered unspeakable terrors. Unable to plausibly explain to the authorities what happened - or why she's covered in her friends' blood - Sarah is forced back to the subterranean depths to help locate her five missing companions.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhisper (2007)
Sinister things begin happening to kidnappers who are holding a young boy for ransom in a remote cabin.
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 thisLake Mungo (2009)
After 16-year-old Alice Palmer drowns at a local dam, her family experiences a series of strange, inexplicable events centered in and around their home. Unsettled, the Palmers seek the help of a psychic and parapsychologist, who discovers that Alice led a secret, double life. At Lake Mungo, Alice's secret past emerges.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPlay Dead (2025)
A woman wakes up injured in a basement surrounded by corpses. To survive, she pretends to be dead while a grotesque ritual unfolds in the house above.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMeurtre du tableau (2025)
An artist, surrounded by the mess in her studio, struggles with frustration as she tries to find inspiration for her new painting.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & mystery
Honto ni Atta! Noroi No Video 78 (2018)
The top monopoly in the psychic horror documentary. A video was taken to post the railroad crossing rumored to be a ghost on a video site. Six other videos posted.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Crossroads (1942)
A French diplomat who's recovered from amnesia is blackmailed over crimes he can't remember.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery
Little Sister (1995)
After several years without contact, Martijn visits his sister Daantje, who just started to live on her own in Amsterdam. He tells her he is going to make a documentary from her life, and enters her home life with a video camera.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHonto Ni Atta! Noroi No Video 72 (2017)
72nd entry in the popular "Honto ni Atta. Noroi no Video" series.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Honto Ni Atta! Noroi No Video 74 (2017)
74th entry in the popular "Honto ni Atta. Noroi no Video" series.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Honto ni Atta! Noroi No Video 70 (2016)
Dominating the top spot among psychic horror documentaries. Can you face the truth reflected by the camera? A video of the Marionette poster's husband playing with the puppets he bought for his daughter. A bloody woman's face is reflected on the edge of the shelf behind her husband's puppet. Six other posted videos are included.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Honto Ni Atta! Noroi No Video 71 (2017)
71th entry in the popular "Honto ni Atta. Noroi no Video" series.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Near (2023)
Hollis suffers from an affliction; anyone who gets too close to him dies.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Buying Time (2024)
It is the year 2028 and antibiotics are no longer effective. A corporation called Lifeline has invented a health chip which everyone can get for free via the NHS. You can buy an upgrade which is effective against more infections and diseases. In 2028 computing and processing power is restricted however for someone to have an upgrade some one has to die for the power to be transferred. People are dieing randomly. Lifeline are launching their 2nd upgrade which is expected to earn them billions along with their ministerial backer. Daniel Avery has lost his wife and daughter in such circumstances and recent nightmares and flashbacks have instigated him to investigate. He slowly uncovers the truth with the help of a rebel group of the pull for power and greed that goes right to the top.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Primordial Theorem?
The closest matches to Primordial Theorem are Smile (2022), Haunter (2013) and Saw (2004). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Primordial Theorem?
Start with Smile (2022), the closest match to Primordial Theorem.
What is the highest-rated movie like Primordial Theorem?
Saw (2004), rated 7.4/10 by 10,485 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Primordial Theorem?
Play Dead (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to Primordial Theorem chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Primordial Theorem, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.