Movies like The Men of Zanzibar (1922)
The best movies like The Men of Zanzibar (1922) are Brand Upon the Brain! (2007), Remember (2015) and The Caveman's Valentine (2001). If The Men of Zanzibar hooked you with its drama and mystery, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
The Men of Zanzibar
Quick picks
- Highest ratedRemember (2015)7.3/10 from 786 votes
- NewestGehenna (2025)Released 2025
Brand Upon the Brain! (2007)
After returning home to his long-estranged mother upon a request from her deathbed, a man raised by his parents in an orphanage has to confront the childhood memories that have long haunted him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRemember (2015)
With the aid of a fellow Auschwitz survivor and a hand-written letter, an elderly man with dementia goes in search of the person responsible for the death of his family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Caveman's Valentine (2001)
Romulus, a misunderstood musician turned recluse hiding from personal demons in a New York City cave, finds the frozen body of a young drifter in a tree. The authorities, including his police officer daughter, claim the death is accidental. Romulus is convinced the man was murdered by a prominent art photographer but how can he prove he's right when everyone thinks he's insane?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & mystery
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Deep End of the Ocean (1999)
A three-year-old boy disappears during his mother's high school reunion. Nine years later, by chance, he turns up in the town in which the family has just relocated.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisInseparable (2012)
A troubled engineer faces pressure at work and problems at home with his moody wife. American expat Chuck, rescues him from the brink of despair and becomes an unlikely mentor.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFramed for Murder: A Fixer Upper Mystery (2017)
In the small resort town of Lighthouse Cove, everyone knows that the best man for the job is a woman. And that woman is Shannon Hughes, owner of a construction company and an expert in Victorian home restoration and renovation. Through her renovations she will find clues to uncover the house’s secret past and in turn become an unlikely sleuth to help crack these unsolved mysteries
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTriage (2009)
The wife of a photojournalist sets out to discover why he came home from a recent assignment without his colleague.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMiss Marple: The Murder at the Vicarage (1986)
Faced with two false confessions and numerous suspects after a despised civil magistrate is found shot in the local vicarage, Detective Inspector Slack reluctantly accepts help from Miss Marple.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGarage Sale Mystery: A Case Of Murder (2017)
Jenn buys an old reel-to-reel recorder at a garage sale only to find that it includes the sound of a man pleading for his life. When the former owner of the recorder, a retired therapist, is found murdered in a patient’s apartment, Jenn’s investigation leads to other patients whose love lives are more entangled than she was first led to believe.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGarage Sale Mystery: Guilty Until Proven Innocent (2016)
When Jenn's old pal Sandra becomes the prime suspect in a murder case, it'll be up to her to discover who done it before time runs out.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisElephant Song (2015)
A psychiatrist is drawn into a complex mind game when he questions a disturbed patient about the disappearance of a colleague.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFedora (1978)
Down-on-his-luck Hollywood producer Barry 'Dutch' Detweiler attempts to lure Fedora, a famous but reclusive film actress, out of retirement, only to discover the horrifying truth behind her success.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Bone to Pick: An Aurora Teagarden Mystery (2015)
A librarian with a sharp mind for murder, Aurora Teagarden is known around her small town as a master sleuth. When her friend Jane unexpectedly dies and leaves Aurora everything in her will, she also leaves a troubling murder mystery haunting her neighborhood. It is up to Aurora to piece together the clues—including a skull, its missing skeleton and a suspicious group of neighbors—and solve the murder before she becomes the unlikely killer’s next victim.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPast Malice: An Emma Fielding Mystery (2018)
Archaeologist Emma Fielding is hired to consult on the acquisition of a castle-like estate that local legend states is cursed. But she finds herself in the middle of a murder case after discovering the body of the archaeologist she was hired to shadow in a secret chamber in the bowels of the huge building. Assisted by her friend, FBI special agent Jim Conner, Fielding must sift through clues and a long list of suspects, each of whom has their own reason for wanting the man dead, to determine who is the killer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMiss Marple: They Do It with Mirrors (1992)
At the insistence of Ruth Van Rydock, an old schoolfriend who is convinced that there is something wrong, Miss Marple agrees to visit 'Stonygates', the country house of Ruth's sister.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Commuter (2018)
A businessman, on his daily commute home, gets unwittingly caught up in a criminal conspiracy that threatens not only his life but the lives of those around him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHailey Dean Mysteries: Deadly Estate (2017)
When Hailey helps her friend Pam sell her recently deceased parent’s estate, she becomes suspicious when Pam suddenly leaves town without notice. To make matters worse, Pam's boyfriend is the sudden victim of an accident and the man Hailey's dating, Assistant Medical Examiner Dr. Jonas McClellan, falls critically ill. Now Hailey must determine: Are all these events a coincidence?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMan with No Past (2025)
Waking up in an unfamiliar city, a man with no memory must confront the mysteries of his own identity. However, his desperate search to uncover the past pits him against a powerful enemy, leading to a showdown that ultimately reveals the truth.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Truth About Emanuel (2013)
A troubled young woman becomes obsessed with her mysterious new neighbor, who bears a striking resemblance to the girl's dead mother.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTalhotBlond (2012)
Thomas Montgomery, a married father of two young daughters, gets seduced by the world of online gambling and chat rooms where a virtual romance and sexual obsession ultimately leads to the murder of an innocent man.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHer Choice (1912)
Mrs. Letitia Summers, owner and principal of an exclusive boarding school, decides to give her two nieces an education while deciding which will be her heir unbeknownst to them. She writes each a letter, stating that a lady of means has provided for their education at Mrs. Summers' seminary. Edith and May are both delighted with the news, but while Edith leaves with her modest belongings May immediately demands a lot of new things to satisfy her vanity and desire to make a great impression. May attracts considerable attention upon her arrival but Edith, in her modest wardrobe, is received with disparaging remarks. Both do well in their studies but on graduation day Mrs. Summers calls the two girls into her private office and tells them that she is their aunt, and she has chosen Edith as her heir in recognition of her kindness and thoughtfulness towards others, particularly towards her poor mother.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Gehenna (2025)
In this recently found and restored banned underground classic from 1984, four girls go into a bathroom to hide in the middle of a war and, after an impulsive act by one of them, they find themselves trapped there. As panic gives way to despair, tragedy approaches.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
In the Furnace Fire (1912)
John meets Mary and is invited to her home where he falls in love with her sister, Kate. They begin dating and John introduces her to his coworker Frank Johnson. Johnson lies, claiming John is a thief, causing Kate to leave John for Frank. John quits his job and leaves town, while Johnson marries Kate, but they are unhappy. Mary hires a detective who uncovers that Johnson is the real thief leading to his arrest while Mary informs John of his vindication. John returns, finds Kate denouncing Mary, and publicly rejects Kate by embracing Mary, revealing his true feelings for her.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Hindoo's Curse (1912)
Adventurers Guy Randall and Jack Lowell flee English Army headquarters in India after being caught cheating. They follow their servant, Sukim, to a Hindu festival where they rob the temple's offering count and Randall steals a sacred jewel, despite Sukim's warning of a curse. The priests vow vengeance. Randall escapes to England, becomes a wealthy landowner, and forces an engaged Grace, daughter of impoverished Lord Leverton, to marry him. On his wedding night, the tracking Hindu avengers murder Randall, leaving Grace a widow free to marry her true love, Greyson.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
A Game of Cards (1913)
A drama about a devoted daughter, Delia, and her mother, who has never stopped hoping for the return of her husband who disappeared years ago.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Sisters All (1913)
Garment manufacturer Sergius cuts his workers' wages, prompting a protest led by two Russian sisters, Olga and Vera. Sergius's affluent daughters, Hattie and Helen, decide to support the workers' cause, moving into the sisters' tenement and joining the workforce, much to their father's dismay. In a dramatic turn, the daughters bring their work to the factory and confront Sergius. They make a final appeal to him in his office, where he eventually relents and agrees to meet the workers' demands. Following this victory, Hattie and Helen decide to return home to their father, and the good news is shared with all the factory girls, ending the story on a note of general rejoicing.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Life's Yesterdays (1915)
Dalton, a promising young doctor, becomes infatuated with a dancer named La Stella who introduces him to drugs, and he becomes a morphine addict. His addiction leads to the death of a child due to a fatal medical error while he is under the influence, ultimately ruining his career.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Esterbrook Case (1915)
Paul Sturgess is engaged to Grace Van Austin. At a party at their Newport home, Grace flirts with Howard Esterbrook leading to a fight between the two men. Later that night, a servant witnesses Paul, with a revolver entering Esterbrook's room. The servant follows, sees a hand emerging from a window curtain, stab Esterbrook then vanish mysteriously. Paul is arrested based on circumstantial evidence. Six months later, a woman known as "The Woman of Mystery" is shot during a raid while trying to assist the police. Moved by hearing about Paul's denied pardon and impending execution, the "Woman of Mystery" reveals information to the detective leading the raid. This revelation leads to a call to the Sing Sing Warden just in time to halt Paul's electrocution.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Battle of Gettysburg (1913)
A young woman's sweetheart fights for the Union Army, while her brother fights for the Confederates.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Scarlet Letter (1917)
The film tells the story of a noble but poor woman who arrives at Boston in the 17th century. There she marries an old but quite rich doctor but does not become happy.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Men of Zanzibar?
The closest matches to The Men of Zanzibar are Brand Upon the Brain! (2007), Remember (2015) and The Caveman's Valentine (2001). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Men of Zanzibar?
Start with Brand Upon the Brain! (2007), the closest match to The Men of Zanzibar.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Men of Zanzibar?
Remember (2015), rated 7.3/10 by 786 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Men of Zanzibar?
Gehenna (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Men of Zanzibar?
Yes: Brand Upon the Brain! (2007), Remember (2015) and The Caveman's Valentine (2001).
How are movies similar to The Men of Zanzibar chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Men of Zanzibar, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.