Movies like Shadow Play (1986)
The best movies like Shadow Play (1986) are The Night House (2021), The Awakening (2011) and The Legend of Hell House (1973). If Shadow Play hooked you with its mystery and horror, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Invisible Man (2020)7.1/10 from 6,560 votes
- NewestSosok Ketiga: Lintrik (2025)Released 2025
The Night House (2021)
Reeling from the unexpected death of her husband, Beth is left alone in the lakeside home he built for her. She tries as best she can to keep it together — but then nightmares come. Disturbing visions of a presence in the house calling to her, beckoning her with a ghostly allure. Against the advice of her friends, she begins digging into her husband's belongings, yearning for answers. What she finds are secrets both strange and disturbing — a mystery she's determined to unravel.
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 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 & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Boy (2016)
A young American woman takes a job as a nanny in a remote English village, soon discovering that the family's eight-year-old son is a life-sized doll that comes with a list of strict rules.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like this1408 (2007)
A man specializing in debunking paranormal occurrences checks into the fabled room 1408 at the Dolphin Hotel. Soon after settling in, he confronts genuine terror.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCaveat (2021)
A lone drifter suffering from partial memory loss accepts a job to look after a psychologically troubled woman in an abandoned house on an isolated island.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Vigil (2020)
A man providing overnight watch to a deceased member of his former Orthodox Jewish community finds himself opposite a malevolent entity.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
SnoozefestMovies like thisDisturbing Behavior (1998)
Steve Clark is a newcomer in the town of Cradle Bay, and he quickly realizes that there's something odd about his high school classmates. The clique known as the "Blue Ribbons" are the eerie embodiment of academic excellence and clean living. But, like the rest of the town, they're a little too perfect. When Steve's rebellious friend Gavin mysteriously joins their ranks, Steve searches for the truth with fellow misfit Rachel.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisWatcher (2022)
As a serial killer stalks the city, Julia — a young actress who just moved to town with her husband — notices a mysterious stranger watching her from across the street.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMonstrous (2022)
Laura, traumatized by an abusive relationship, runs away from her former husband with her seven-year-old son Cody. But in their new, idyllic and remote sanctuary, they find they have another, bigger and more terrifying monster to deal with…
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
SnoozefestMovies 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 & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHide and Seek (2005)
David Callaway tries to piece together his life in the wake of his wife's suicide and has been left to raise his nine-year-old daughter, Emily on his own. David is at first amused to discover that Emily has created an imaginary friend named 'Charlie', but it isn't long before 'Charlie' develops a sinister and violent side, and as David struggles with his daughter's growing emotional problems, he comes to the frightening realisation that 'Charlie' isn't just a figment of Emily's imagination.
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 thisDaniel Isn't Real (2019)
A troubled college freshman resurrects his imaginary friend to help him cope with a violent trauma.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLights Out (2016)
Rebecca must unlock the terror behind her little brother's experiences that once tested her sanity, bringing her face to face with a supernatural spirit attached to their mother.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like this825 Forest Road (2025)
After a family tragedy, Chuck Wilson hopes to start a new life in Ashland Falls with his wife Maria and little sister Elizabeth, but he quickly discovers that the town has a dark history of being haunted by a ghostly woman who drives residents to suicide.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Invisible Man (2020)
When Cecilia's abusive ex takes his own life and leaves her his fortune, she suspects his death was a hoax. As a series of coincidences turn lethal, Cecilia works to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSecret Window (2004)
Mort Rainey, a writer just emerging from a painful divorce with his ex-wife, is stalked at his remote lake house by a psychotic stranger and would-be scribe who claims Rainey swiped his best story idea. But as Rainey endeavors to prove his innocence, he begins to question his own sanity.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHe's Out There (2018)
On vacation at a remote lake house, a mother and her two young daughters must fight for survival after falling into a terrifying and bizarre nightmare conceived by a psychopath.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisWinchester (2018)
San Jose, California, 1906. Isolated in her labyrinthine mansion, eccentric firearm heiress Sarah Winchester believes that she is being haunted by the souls of those killed by the guns manufactured by her company.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisDark Water (2002)
A woman in the midst of an unpleasant divorce moves to an eerie apartment building with her young daughter. The ceiling of their apartment has a dark and active leak.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBelow (2002)
In the dark silence of the sea during World War II, the submarine USS Tiger Shark prowls on what should be a routine rescue mission. But for the shell-shocked crew, trapped together in the sub's narrow corridors and constricted spaces, this is about to become a journey into the sensory delusions, mental deceptions and runaway fears that lurk just below the surface of the ocean.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSatan's Slaves (2017)
After dying from a strange illness that she suffered for three years, a mother returns home to pick up her children.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisUnfriended (2014)
While video chatting one night, six high school friends receive a Skype message from a classmate who killed herself exactly one year ago. At first they think it's a prank, but when the girl starts revealing the friends' darkest secrets, they realize they are dealing with something out of this world, something that wants them dead.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & mystery
SnoozefestMovies like thisFaces of Death (1978)
A collection of death scenes, ranging from TV material to homemade super 8 movies.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisA Haunting on Brockway Street (2019)
In 2007, the Braley Family decided to rescue an abandoned and dilapidated Civil War Era home in historic Saginaw, Michigan. Despite the overwhelming need for repair, the Braley's saw nothing but potential; a 6,000 square foot blank canvas to which the large family could pain a future of their own. Sparing no expense, contractors were deployed to the stately and iconic manor, with the mission to preserve its original 19th century colonial architecture. Almost immediately, strange occurrences began taking place within the home; tools coming up missing, disembodied voices and footsteps, and the shocking appearance of a semitranslucent apparition of a young child. Following several weeks of escalating activity, the bewildered family took it upon themselves to find out who or what was haunting their home. That is when they made the unfortunate mistake of turning to a spirit board for answers...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Alone in the Dark (2005)
Edward Carnby is a private investigator specializing in unexplainable supernatural phenomena. His cases delve into the dark corners of the world, searching for truth in the occult remnants of ancient civilizations. Now, the greatest mystery of his past is about to become the most dangerous case he has ever faced.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisHigh Anxiety (1977)
A psychiatrist with intense acrophobia (fear of heights) goes to work for a mental institution run by doctors who appear to be crazier than their patients, and have secrets that they are willing to commit murder to keep.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSosok Ketiga: Lintrik (2025)
After six months of marriage, Andin begins to notice many oddities in her marriage. From the beginning, Uncle Bagyo suspected the marriage was rushed, and together with Amara—Andin's younger sister who also inherited the mystical arts—he often noticed disturbing, odd signs. Their suspicions were proven correct when it was revealed that Ario, Andin's husband, had been having a special relationship with Naura, a wealthy woman in their town who was trying to steal Ario completely from Andin using the Lintrik love spell, a dangerous mystical power that dragged Andin and her family into endless supernatural terror. What will happen to Andin and Ario's marriage going forward?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Islamic Exorcist (2017)
The lives of an Indian couple are devastated when their adopted daughter becomes possessed by a demonic force. The father shoots the daughter to death, However an investigative journalist doesn't believe in their story and becomes determine to know the real truth by going much deeper in the couple's scary past.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Like Shadow Play and something else?
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Shadow Play?
The closest matches to Shadow Play are The Night House (2021), The Awakening (2011) and The Legend of Hell House (1973). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Shadow Play?
Start with The Night House (2021), the closest match to Shadow Play.
What is the highest-rated movie like Shadow Play?
The Invisible Man (2020), rated 7.1/10 by 6,560 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Shadow Play?
Sosok Ketiga: Lintrik (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Shadow Play?
Yes: The Night House (2021), The Awakening (2011) and The Legend of Hell House (1973).
How are movies similar to Shadow Play chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Shadow Play, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.