Movies like The Punishing
The best movies like The Punishing are The Ritual (2017), Play Dead (2025) and The Boogeyman (2023). If The Punishing hooked you with its horror, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
The Punishing
Quick picks
- Highest ratedObsession (2026)8.2/10 from 6,574 votes
- NewestRedwood Diaries (2026)Released 2026
The Ritual (2017)
A group of university friends reunite for a hiking trip in Sweden, but are stalked by a menacing presence when they're diverted through the woods.
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 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 Watchers (2024)
A young artist gets stranded in an extensive, immaculate forest in western Ireland, where, after finding shelter, she becomes trapped alongside three strangers, stalked by mysterious creatures each night.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDark Harvest (2023)
In a small Midwestern town, a deadly annual ritual unfolds when the mythical nightmare, Sawtooth Jack, rises from the cornfields and challenges the town’s teenage boys in a bloody battle of survival.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGretel & Hansel (2020)
A long time ago in a distant fairy tale countryside, a young girl leads her little brother into a dark wood in desperate search of food and work, only to stumble upon a nexus of terrifying evil.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHouse of 1000 Corpses (2003)
Two teenage couples traveling across the backwoods of Texas searching for urban legends of serial killers end up as prisoners of a bizarre and sadistic backwater family of serial killers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThinner (1996)
An obese lawyer finds himself growing "Thinner" when an old Romani man places a hex on him. Now the lawyer must call upon his friends in organized crime to help him persuade the old man to lift the curse. Time is running out for the desperate lawyer as he draws closer to his own death, and grows ever thinner.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisR.L. Stine's Pumpkinhead (2025)
When his brother disappears and everyone forgets he existed, Sam must unravel the mystery before Finn is gone forever.
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 thisObsession (2026)
After breaking the mysterious "One Wish Willow" to win his crush's heart, a hopeless romantic finds himself getting exactly what he asked for but soon discovers that some desires come at a dark, sinister price.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisNosferatu (2024)
A gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman and the terrifying vampire infatuated with her, causing untold horror in its wake.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBlood on Satan's Claw (1971)
After a landsman in 18th century England discovers a corpse covered in fur buried in a field, the town becomes infected by "the devil's skin," leading the local children to engage in demonic rituals and criminal behavior.
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 thisDaddy's Head (2024)
A boy and his stepmother fear for their safety after an eerie creature resembling the boy's recently deceased father visits them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisMercy Falls (2023)
A group of friends set off into the Scottish Highlands in search of a long lost cabin. Once far from civilization, an unforeseen tragedy befalls the group and one bad decision leads to suspicion, betrayal and murder.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Wicker Man (1973)
Police sergeant Neil Howie is called to an island village in search of a missing girl whom the locals claim never existed. The investigation is further complicated as Howie’s religious views clash with those of the island’s residents.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Worth the HypeMovies like thisIn the Lost Lands (2025)
A queen sends the powerful and feared sorceress Gray Alys to the ghostly wilderness of the Lost Lands in search of a magical power, where she and her guide, the drifter Boyce, must outwit and outfight both man and demon.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisYou Should Have Left (2020)
In an effort to repair their relationship, a couple books a vacation in the countryside for themselves and their daughter. What starts as a perfect retreat begins to fall apart as one loses their grip on reality, and a sinister force tries to tear them apart.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Domestics (2018)
A young husband and wife must fight to return home in a post-apocalyptic mid-western landscape ravaged by gangs.
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
Redwood Diaries (2026)
When strange entries begin appearing in her diary written in handwriting that isn't hers, new student Evie Quinn is pulled into a chilling mystery as the messages reveal secrets, predict impossible events, and point toward a truth someone has desperately tried to bury.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
The Golem (2025)
A gothic Jewish fairytale. In 1840s Poland, Beulah cares for her leprous mother-in-law while seeking a divorce. With nowhere else to turn, she builds a Golem in order to protect herself.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Clawface (2024)
A group of friends, a duo of quirky park rangers, a frisky couple and a pirate DJ unknowingly set off a series of bloody murders when they enter the woods of local legend, Clawface: a hulking madman who was left for dead after a bear attack in his youth. Inspired by slasher films of the 1980s.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
The Witch of Endor (2026)
King Saul makes a desperate attempt to save his life by enlisting the Witch of Endor to call up the spirit of the Prophet Samuel for guidance.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Ivan (2026)
Abigail is thrilled when her estranged father reappears, gifting her a cutting-edge AI device named Ivan. However, she soon discovers his sinister plan to use Ivan to control her and her mother, leading to devastating consequences.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Dreadful Longest Night (2025)
A group of friends decides to escape their daily grind with a weekend retreat to a remote, secluded cabin. What begins as a relaxing getaway quickly turns into a chilling ordeal when they realize that something sinister is lurking in the shadows.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
And Now the Screaming Starts! (1973)
In the late 18th century, two newlyweds move into the stately mansion of the Fengriffen family. The young bride is victim of terrifying visions and apparitions, threatening her very sanity. A London psychiatrist comes to her help and uncovers the terrible secret that haunts the estate.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisWon’t Be Long Now (2024)
A new father's life is upended by an entity which seems to relentlessly stalk his family.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Arbor Day: The Root of Evil (2026)
Every Arbor Day, a New Jersey campground closes while locals whisper about disappearances and eerie sightings. A curious visitor hears five chilling tales revealing the deadly force stalking the woods.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Punishing?
The closest matches to The Punishing are The Ritual (2017), Play Dead (2025) and The Boogeyman (2023). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Punishing?
Start with The Ritual (2017), the closest match to The Punishing.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Punishing?
Obsession (2026), rated 8.2/10 by 6,574 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Punishing?
Redwood Diaries (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Punishing?
Yes: The Ritual (2017), Play Dead (2025) and The Boogeyman (2023).
How are movies similar to The Punishing chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Punishing, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.