Movies like A Lamb in Despair (1999)
The best movies like A Lamb in Despair (1999) are God Is a Bullet (2023), Strange Darling (2024) and Psycho Killer (2026). If A Lamb in Despair hooked you with its crime and horror, 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
- NewestPsycho Killer (2026)Released 2026
God Is a Bullet (2023)
Vice detective Bob Hightower finds his ex-wife murdered and daughter kidnapped by a cult. Frustrated by the botched official investigations, he quits the force and infiltrates the cult to hunt down the leader with the help of the cult’s only female victim escapee, Case Hardin.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStrange Darling (2024)
Nothing is what it seems when a twisted one-night stand spirals into a serial killer’s vicious murder spree.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPsycho Killer (2026)
Following the brutal murder of her husband, a Kansas highway patrol officer sets out on a journey to track down the perpetrator. As the hunt progresses, she comes to realize the man responsible is a sadistic serial killer, and the depth of his mental depravity and his sinister agenda is more twisted than anyone could have imagined.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & horror
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 & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBloodline (2019)
Evan values family above all else, and anyone who gets between him, his wife, and newborn son learns that the hard way. But when it comes to violent tendencies, it seems the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisDaddy's Little Girl (2014)
After the police find Derek’s daughter brutally murdered on the beach, he vows to make the culprit suffer for his actions, even if that person is ‘part of the family.’ With careful research into the history of torture, Derek prepares himself and his basement for a week of brutal tactics that will make his daughter’s killer feel the pain that he has inflicted upon so many others. In a time when stranger danger is ever present, a single father learns that it’s the ones you trust most who have to be watched the closest.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisReturn to a Better Tomorrow (1994)
An adventure that delves into the dark caverns of the underworld and tells the tale of three chivalrous gangsters who attempt to escape the powerful clutch of their gang leader.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRampage (2009)
The boredom of small town life is eating Bill Williamson alive. Feeling constrained and claustrophobic in the meaningless drudgery of everyday life and helpless against overwhelming global dissolution, Bill begins a descent into madness. His shockingly violent plan will shake the very foundations of society by painting the streets red with blood.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRevenge: A Love Story (2010)
A serial murderer has brutally killed several policemen and their pregnant wives. After a quick investigation, the murderer is revealed to be Kit, whom the case's detective-in-charge knows from a previous case. Once upon a time, Kit was an innocent boy in a rural village who also has a crush on naïve high school student Wing. After the death of Wing's grandmother, Kit rescues Wing from a foster care facility, and the two quickly fall in love. However, their romance ends prematurely when a local policeman arrests them. The events that follow lay the seeds for Kit's terrifying path to vengeance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCheat (2023)
On the surface it's believed to be another urban legend - a supernatural being from the afterlife is violently killing anyone who cheats on their significant other in the small college town of Silvercreek, Pennsylvania. But the town's unusually high suicide rate is finally convincing both locals and college students that everything is not as it seems. When Maeve - a female college student - sleeps with Charlie, the married man of the host family she is staying with, both sense the deadly curse is closing in on them. Unable to get anyone to believe them, Maeve and Charlie seek out a local history student to help find answers and figure out a way to defend themselves. It all comes undone, however, as several people are horrifically killed by the savage being - one-by-one at a rapid pace. Eventually, Maeve, Charlie and the few survivors band together in an attempt to defeat the monster once and for all.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Worth the HypeMovies like thisUntil Death (2007)
Anthony Stowe is a dirty cop who is hooked on heroin—and everyone hates him. After a serious accident, he is placed into an induced coma, but emerges from it a better person who wants to put things right.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisVengeance (2009)
A French chef swears revenge after a violent attack on his daughter's family in Macau, during which her husband and her two children are murdered. To help him find the killers, he hires three local hit-men working for the mafia.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
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 thisThe Corrupted (2019)
Set ahead of the 2012 London Olympics, the film follows Liam, an ex-con trying to win back the love and trust of his family. He has lost everything at the hands of a local crime syndicate run by Clifford Cullen, who has high-level connections in politics, finance and the police force. Liam's drive for redemption sees him caught up in a web of conspiracy, crime, and corruption.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBooks of Blood (2020)
A journey into uncharted and forbidden territory through three tales tangled in space and time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTime and Tide (2000)
A streetwise young man becomes a bodyguard to score quick cash. He befriends a disillusioned mercenary determined to begin life anew. They find themselves working together to foil an assassination attempt, but their partnership ultimately can't last.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIn the Blood (2014)
When her husband goes missing during their Caribbean vacation, a woman sets off on her own to take down the men she thinks are responsible.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisPort of Call (2015)
Based on a real murder case where a dismembered corpse of a murdered 16-year-old prostitute girl was found in Hong Kong in 2008.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLegacy of Rage (1986)
A man is framed for murder by his drug-dealing best friend who covets his girlfriend, leading to eight years in jail and a vow of revenge upon release.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDog Bite Dog (2006)
A young Cambodian man who has been trained to fight for money in his country is hired to kill someone in Hong Kong. He performs the hit and then flees from Hong Kong police, who are wrestling with internal problems of a model cop and his son, who is also on the force and who was told by his dad not to become a police officer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRaped by an Angel (1993)
A lawyer is obsessed by a TV advertisement's two models, Yau Yuk Nam and Chu Kit Man. He schemes an elaborate plot to sexually assault Chu and get away with it. With the help of a philanthropic triad boss, Yau uses her body to lure him into a trap.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisRaped by an Angel 4: The Rapist's Union (1999)
CIA agent turned sexual predator Daniel (Ben Ng) uses his wealth and collection of high-tech gadgets to prey on unsuspecting women. After arranging for the prison breakout of notorious rapists "Rain Killer" (Ankee Leung) and "Tuen Mun Rapist" (Chan Chi-Fai), Daniel invites the men to ravage the two women he has chained in the basement. He next sets his sights on Kwan Shi-han (Suki Kwan), the romance novelist next door; but first preys on her movie star friend, Icy (Yeung Fan). Desperate for a lead, the police consult a semi-reformed deviant known as "The Human Milk Drinking Doctor" (Anthony Wong), who used to prey on lactating women and now controls his sexual urges by working as a porno theatre projectionist.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & horror
Love to Kill (1993)
A woman looks to a cop for help against her abusive husband, who constantly rapes, beats, and belittles her and her son, but the husband catches wind of the cop's plan.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & horror
The Six Devil Women (1996)
Shenzhen, with its booming economy and new found riches, has attracted thousands of young women from the countryside. They all come with the hopes of a better life for themselves and their families. The six women portrayed in this film are classic cases of the thousands of women who, for various different reasons, have chosen the path of no return.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
Take Me (1991)
Milk's husband dies on their wedding night while having sex. He returns as a ghost as she attempts to get her life back on track whilst choosing between two new men in her life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
A Chinese Torture Chamber Story (1994)
A corrupt magistrate subjects an innocent young bride to inconceivable physical punishments after convicting her of killing her husband.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisRed to Kill (1994)
A serial rapist rapes a girl with mental disability for wearing a red dress, which triggers him. Now the girl's social worker vows to get revenge on the rapist.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Fatal Love (1993)
After being thrown out of the police academy, Debbie Fung (Ellen Chan) gets a new chance but instead the proposition is to go undercover. Accepting the mission to get close to tycoon Lau Fuk Tin (Michael Wong) as he's suspected of a number of murders of women, under the disguise of Maryanne, Debbie quickly gets close to Lau. Going so far as getting almost permanent residence with the man, Debbie witness horrific things on the grounds. Despite, affection starting to develop towards her target.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Spirit of Love (1993)
Judging by her lavish home, a model is making a fortune doing TV commercials. When her boyfriend/boss comes over and tries to get romantic, the model begins seeing weird and scary visions. Visions of blood flooding her floor, and a three year old boy ghost. It seems that, three years earlier, she was pregnant and caught her husband athletically knocking off a blonde. Husband kicked her down the stairs, which causes her to abort. The ghost is evidently the aborted baby grown up. Back to the present day, hubby has teamed up with a new girl, and is trying to get back into the house and kidnap the boy ghost.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Pretty Woman (1991)
While working alone late at the office one night, Veronica is raped by a returning male colleague, who accidentally kills her in the process (she falls back and hits her head on a sharp object). Later that same evening, he comes across a bar hostess who looks identical to the woman that he has just murdered. He eventually talks her into showing up for work in Veronica's place on the very next day, and handing in her resignation. Unfortunately for him, she is persuaded to stay, and decides to continue impersonating the deceased secretary.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
Like A Lamb in Despair and something else?
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like A Lamb in Despair?
The closest matches to A Lamb in Despair are God Is a Bullet (2023), Strange Darling (2024) and Psycho Killer (2026). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after A Lamb in Despair?
Start with God Is a Bullet (2023), the closest match to A Lamb in Despair.
What is the highest-rated movie like A Lamb in Despair?
Saw (2004), rated 7.4/10 by 10,485 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like A Lamb in Despair?
Psycho Killer (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to A Lamb in Despair chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside A Lamb in Despair, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.