Movies like The Actor (2026)
The best movies like The Actor (2026) are Maniac (1963), What's the Matter with Helen? (1971) and Z (2019). If The Actor hooked you with its thriller and horror, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedZ (2019)6.5/10 from 365 votes
- NewestMonkey’s Magic Merry Go Round (2026)Released 2026
Maniac (1963)
When a stranger enters a quiet, country town and is seduced by a sensuous married woman he unwittingly finds himself at the centre of a storm of sexual guilt and murder.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhat's the Matter with Helen? (1971)
Two middle-aged women move to Hollywood after their sons are convicted of a notorious murder and open a dance school for children eager to tap their way to stardom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisZ (2019)
A family find themselves terrorized by their eight-year-old son's imaginary friend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRace with the Devil (1975)
Two couples vacationing together in an R.V. from Texas to Colorado are terrorized after they witness a murder during a Satanic ritual.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Dark Mirror (1946)
A sister and her disturbed twin are implicated in a murder and a police detective must figure out which one's the killer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & horror
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Shed (2019)
The story of Stan, an orphaned teenager stuck living with his abusive grandfather and tasked with routinely protecting his best friend from high school bullies. When Stan discovers a murderous creature has taken refuge inside the tool shed in his backyard, he tries to secretly battle the demon alone until his bullied friend discovers the creature and has a far more sinister plan in mind.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRent-A-Pal (2020)
Set in 1990, a lonely bachelor named David searches for an escape from the day-to-day drudgery of caring for his aging mother. While seeking a partner through a video dating service, he discovers a strange VHS tape called Rent-A-Pal. Hosted by the charming and charismatic Andy, the tape offers him much-needed company, compassion, and friendship. But Andy's friendship comes at a cost, and David desperately struggles to afford the price of admission.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Glass Key (1942)
A crooked politician finds himself being accused of murder by a gangster from whom he refused help during a re-election campaign.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMonkey’s Magic Merry Go Round (2026)
After a mysterious bout of amnesia, a beloved children’s television host struggles to piece together his fractured memories, only to find his once-cheerful puppet co-stars behaving with sinister intent. As reality unravels, the line between performance and nightmare begins to blur.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe MacKintosh Man (1973)
A member of British Intelligence assumes a fictitious criminal identity and allows himself to be caught, imprisoned, and freed in order to infiltrate a spy organization and expose a traitor; only, someone finds him out and exposes him to the gang...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNo Name on the Bullet (1959)
When hired killer John Gant rides into Lordsburg, the town's folk become paranoid as each leading citizen has enemies capable of using the services of a professional killer for personal revenge.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBlack Widow (1987)
Federal agent Alexandra Barnes believes that Catherine Petersen is a serial killer who marries rich men and then murders them for their money. But since Catherine is seemingly a master of disguise and has multiple identities, Alexandra can't prove anything with conventional detective work. With no other option, she goes undercover, pursuing the same man as Catherine, and hoping that Catherine will slip up and reveal her true identity.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChief of Station (2024)
After learning that the death of his wife was not an accident, a former CIA Station Chief is forced back into the espionage underworld, teaming up with an adversary to unravel a conspiracy that challenges everything he thought he knew.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Man Who Cheated Himself (1950)
A veteran homicide detective who has witnessed his socialite girlfriend kill her husband sees his inexperienced brother assigned to the case.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNightfall (1956)
An innocent man turns fugitive as he reconstructs events that implicate him for a murder and robbery he did not commit.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Invisible (2007)
After an attack leaves him in limbo -- invisible to the living and also near death -- a teenager discovers the only person who might be able help him is his attacker.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1912)
Dr. Henry Jekyll experiments with scientific means of revealing the hidden, dark side of man and releases a murderer from within himself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Jester (2016)
The Jester is the titular main antagonist of the horror/thriller analogy short films of the same name. He is an enigmatic and malevolent being who enjoys inducing suffering to individuals he comes across who don't appreciate his own tricks or break the rules of Halloween.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHorrors of the Black Museum (1959)
A writer of murder mysteries finds himself caught up in a string of murders in London.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Lady Vanishes (2013)
Young socialite Iris Carr befriends an older woman while traveling solo by train. When Iris wakes from a nap, the woman is gone and other passengers claim she never existed.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKhawarij (TBA)
A man and his wife attempt to escape from an extremist Islamic cult known as the Khawarij, led by his own father, the village chief. They are haunted by demons conjured by black magic practitioners among the villagers.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & thriller
Solitaire (1996)
Two detectives are staking out a beach house looking for a mob boss. When the criminal shows up, the true identities of everyone involved and their secrets will ignite betrayal, lust and sex without limits.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran (2018)
A look at India's second confidential nuclear test series at Pokhran lead by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, during the time of PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee's tenure.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBoys On Film 16: Possession (2017)
Golden boys, teen lust, self-conscious dolls, chance encounters, a vengeful creature, holiday romance, hidden sexuality — Boys On Film celebrates it's (not so) sweet sixteen with an astonishing selection of the latest international gay short films. Volume 16: Possession features ten complete films: Kai Stänicke's "Golden" with Christian Tesch and Maximilian Gehrlinger; Christopher Manning's "Jamie" starring Sebastian Christophers and Raphael Verrion; Kai Stänicke's "B." starring Susanne Bormann and Andreas Jähnert; Blake Mawson's "PYOTR495" starring Alex Ozerov; Charlie Francis's "When A Man Loves A Woman" starring Tommy Jay Brennan, Jemima Spence, and Diane Brooks Webster; Anthony Schatteman's "Follow Me" starring Ezra Fieremans and Maarten Ketels; Jake Graf's "Chance" starring 'ABS' and Clifford Hume; Andrew Keenan-Bolger's "Sign" starring John McGinty and Preston Sadleir; Oliver Mason's "Away With Me" starring Chris Polick and Lee Knight; and "We Could Be Parents" by Björn Elgerd.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Death at Dawn (1960)
The prestigious composer Virgilio Delise, suspected of being involved in the death of his stepfather, unexpectedly runs away. Doria, an ambitious insurance detective, will stop at nothing to prove his guilt.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Bandipotu (2015)
When Jahnavi approaches Vishwanath, a con man, with an idea to humiliate three people, who wrecked her father's life, he joins hands with her without any second thoughts. The rest of the film is about how Vishwanath succeeds in his mission.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
The Silent Woman (1989)
French thriller written by Jean-Claude Carriere.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Dark Web: Unsearchable Horror Darkness Videos (2019)
A dark world that cannot be searched with a browser - that is the "dark web". The Internet that has become indispensable in modern society. However, did you know that there is a dark world that ordinary people cannot search or view? In this work, we will monitor the "dark web" and gather information, and deliver the "dark web" that cannot be seen by the world to the viewers.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
The Good Sister (2014)
The Good Sister follows a couple who is working to put their crumbling marriage back together, when the wife receives a letter informing her that she has a long-lost twin sister. First thinking that the new family member will bring the couple closer together, the husband then begins an affair with the sister and discovers that she is treacherous and dangerous.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
The Investigation (2002)
Tells the true story of a bungled and obstructed police manhunt for a serial killer who could and should have been imprisoned after his first crime. Two young RCMP officers, each separately investigating a rape and murder, captured the culprit, but because of legal red tape, jurisdictional chaos and incompetence, the suspect was allowed to continue his rampage until he was finally arrested and imprisoned - several murders later.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Like The Actor and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Actor?
The closest matches to The Actor are Maniac (1963), What's the Matter with Helen? (1971) and Z (2019). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Actor?
Start with Maniac (1963), the closest match to The Actor.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Actor?
Z (2019), rated 6.5/10 by 365 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Actor?
Monkey’s Magic Merry Go Round (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Actor?
Yes: Maniac (1963), What's the Matter with Helen? (1971) and Z (2019).
How are movies similar to The Actor chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Actor, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.