Movies like Night Crawlers (1996)
The best movies like Night Crawlers (1996) are Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (1973), Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (2010) and The Boogeyman (2023). If Night Crawlers hooked you with its horror, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Thing (1982)8.1/10 from 8,434 votes
- NewestThe Swallow (2026)Released 2026
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (1973)
A young couple inherits an old mansion inhabited by small demon-like creatures who are determined to make the wife one of their own.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDon't Be Afraid of the Dark (2010)
A young girl sent to live with her father and his new girlfriend discovers creatures in her new home who want to claim her as one of their own.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Boogeyman (2023)
Still reeling from the tragic death of their mother, a teenage girl and her younger sister find themselves plagued by a sadistic presence in their house and struggle to get their grieving father to pay attention before it’s too late.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Evil (1978)
Shortly after moving into a dark, brooding mansion, a psychologist and his co-workers are terrorized by a horrible evil being.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisDark Light (2019)
A woman returns to her family home and discovers it to be inhabited by monsters.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDust Bunny (2025)
Ten-year-old Aurora asks her hitman neighbor to kill the monster under her bed that she claims ate her family. To protect her, he must battle an onslaught of assassins while accepting that some monsters are real.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSplinter (2008)
When their plans for a nature trip go awry, Polly and boyfriend Seth decide to check into a motel. On their way, they're carjacked and kidnapped by low-rent crooks Dennis and Lacey, who take the victims and their SUV to a nearby gas station. Along the way, they encounter an increasingly terrifying horde of parasites, and if any of them intend to survive, they'll have to outsmart the deadly organisms.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNightbreed (1990)
A troubled young man is drawn to a mythical place called Midian where a variety of friendly monsters are hiding from humanity. Meanwhile, a sadistic serial killer is looking for a patsy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStrays (1991)
A young married couple and their daughter are terrorized by a pride of ferocious feral felines.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMostly Ghostly 3: One Night in Doom House (2016)
Just one enchanted jewel stands between earth and an army of evil spirits led by the devious ghoul, Phears. With the help of his new girlfriend and ghost pals, Max Doyle races to find the crystal and save the world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBagman (2024)
For centuries and across cultures, parents have warned their children of the legendary Bagman, who snatches innocent children and stuffs them into his vile, rotting bag—never to be seen again. Patrick McKee narrowly escaped such an encounter as a boy, which left him with lasting scars throughout his adulthood. Now, Patrick’s childhood tormentor has returned, threatening the safety of his wife Karina and son Jake.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSilver Bullet (1985)
The small city of Tarker's Mills is startled by a series of sadistic murders. The population fears the work of a maniac, but sightings of a mysterious, hairy creature soon spread. People lock themselves up at night, but there's one boy who's still outside…
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Uncanny (1977)
Wilbur Gray, a horror writer, has stumbled upon a terrible secret, that cats are supernatural creatures who really call the shots. In a desperate attempt to get others to believe him, Wilbur spews three tales of feline horror.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisBrahms: The Boy II (2020)
After a family moves into the Heelshire Mansion, their young son soon makes friends with a life-like doll called Brahms.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisNever Let Go (2024)
As an evil takes over the world beyond their front doorstep, the only protection for a mother and her twin sons is their house and their family’s protective bond.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Cellar (2022)
When Keira Woods' daughter mysteriously vanishes in the cellar of their new house in the country, she soon discovers there is an ancient and powerful entity controlling their home that she will have to face or risk losing her family's souls forever.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBed Rest (2023)
After struggling to start a family, Julie Rivers becomes pregnant and moves into a new home with her husband. She's ordered to mandatory bed rest, and begins seeing ghostly happenings throughout the house.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAlligator (1980)
A baby alligator is flushed down a toilet and survives by eating discarded lab animals that have been injected with growth hormones. The now gigantic animal escapes the city sewers and goes on a rampage, pursued by a cop and a big-game hunter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDreams in the Witch House (2005)
A college student renting an old room in a boarding house discovers a plot by sinister, otherworldly forces to sacrifice his neighbor's infant.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAmerican Horror House (2012)
On Halloween night, a sorority house is overrun with ghosts, while a vengeful housemother goes on a killing spree.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisBlack Mountain Side (2016)
A group of archaeologists working in Northern Canada uncover a strange structure dating over ten thousand years before the present. The team soon finds themselves isolated when their communication systems fail and they begin to feel the effects of solitude.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisGremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)
Young sweethearts Billy and Kate move to the Big Apple, land jobs in a high-tech office park and soon reunite with the friendly and lovable Gizmo. But a series of accidents creates a whole new generation of Gremlins. The situation worsens when the devilish green creatures invade a top-secret laboratory and develop genetically altered powers, making them even harder to destroy!
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Thing (1982)
A research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisHusbandhood (2016)
In January of 2014, five filmmakers suddenly disappear while shooting in the nearby Drigh Lake Larakana woods. One week later, their camera was found.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
The Consumer (TBA)
Anna invites something sinister into her home when her online shopping obsession leads to a mysterious late-night delivery.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
The Grudge (2004)
An American nurse living and working in Tokyo is exposed to a mysterious supernatural curse, one that locks a person in a powerful rage before claiming their life and spreading to another victim.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisDragon Fury (2021)
A group of soldiers are taken to the mountains of Wales to investigate a strange looking monster.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisDinosaur Hotel (2021)
Sienna is desperate to win a large cash prize in a secret underground game show. However, Dinosaur's begin to hunt her down for the entertainment of the rich and wealthy. Can she be the last to survive the horrific night to win the prize?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisPsycho III (1986)
When Maureen Coyle, a suicidal nun who resembles Norman's former victim, Marion Crane, arrives at the motel, all bets are off and "Mother" is less than happy.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Swallow (2026)
Ziggy and her four friends journey out on a camping trip to a picturesque remote forest. But trespassing into an off-limits area, they awaken an uncanny terror in the woods... and a ravenous hunger from within the Earth. Soon, the ground itself is trying to swallow anything and anyone it comes into contact with and Ziggy and her friends have nowhere to run as every trembling step they take could be their last.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Night Crawlers?
The closest matches to Night Crawlers are Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (1973), Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (2010) and The Boogeyman (2023). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Night Crawlers?
Start with Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (1973), the closest match to Night Crawlers.
What is the highest-rated movie like Night Crawlers?
The Thing (1982), rated 8.1/10 by 8,434 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Night Crawlers?
The Swallow (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Night Crawlers?
Yes: Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (1973), Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (2010) and The Boogeyman (2023).
How are movies similar to Night Crawlers chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Night Crawlers, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.