Movies like Motel California (2024)
The best movies like Motel California (2024) are The Old Dark House (1963), The Private Eyes (1980) and The Cat and the Canary (1927). If Motel California hooked you with its horror and comedy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Motel California
Quick picks
- Highest ratedScooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost (1999)7.4/10 from 519 votes
- NewestSpring is here. (2026)Released 2026
- In ItalianThe Sunday Woman (1975)Also in Italian
The Old Dark House (1963)
An American car salesman in London becomes mixed up in a series of fatal occurrences at a secluded mansion.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Private Eyes (1980)
The lord and lady of a capacious manor are killed, and the lord's ghost seems to have returned to knock off the staff one by one, causing Inspector Winship and Dr. Tart to investigate the wacky house and its inhabitants.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Cat and the Canary (1927)
A group of potential heirs gather in a forbidding old house to learn which of them will inherit a fortune. Later, they learn that a flesh-rending maniac is loose.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisR.L. Stine's Monsterville: The Cabinet of Souls (2015)
Teenage friends must resist the spell of an evil showman staging a house of horrors show in their small town.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Cheap Detective (1978)
A spoof of the entire 1940s detective genre. San Francisco private detective, Lou Pekinpaugh is accused of murdering his partner at the instigation of his mistress—his partner's wife.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother (1975)
After spending decades living in the shadow of his more famous and successful sibling, Consulting Detective Sigerson Holmes is called upon to help solve a crucial case that leads him on a hilarious trail of false identities, stolen documents, secret codes... and exposed backsides.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Sunday Woman (1975)
Police commissioner Santamaria is investigating the murder of the ambiguous architect Mr. Garrone. The investigations soon drive him into the Torino's high society. Santamaria suspect Anna Carla and at the same time falls in love for her. Lello is the lover of Massimo, Anna Carla’s gay friend. He is following another direction in order to find out the truth, and his results are confusing the Policeman. But another murder happens...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNight Watch (1973)
A woman recovering from a nervous breakdown tries to convince her husband and and the local London police that she has witnessed a murder in the abandoned house next door.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Laurel-Hardy Murder Case (1930)
The boys think their days of fishing to feed themselves have come to an end, when Stan's rich uncle Ebenezer dies leaving a large estate. But they soon learn that Ebenezer was murdered and all the relatives, including Stan, are suspects.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Shot in the Dark (1964)
Inspector Jacques Clouseau, smitten with the accused maid Maria Gambrelli, unwittingly turns a straightforward murder investigation into a comedic series of mishaps, testing the patience of his irritable boss Charles Dreyfus as casualties mount.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Pig Who Cried Werewolf (2011)
Of the famous Three Little Pigs, Heimlich is the one porker who finds a conspiracy around every corner. When The Big Bad Wolf moves in next door, Heimlich tries to warn his piggy pals Horst and Dieter that this may not bring a fairy-tale ending. Tired of hearing him 'cry wolf,' they ignore Heimlich's warnings until it's almost too late for them to live happily ever after. The chase is on!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMy Best Friend Is a Vampire (1987)
Shortly after high school student Jeremy Capello goes on a hot date, he finds he can't stand garlic or see his reflection in mirrors.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisScooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost (1999)
Scooby-Doo and the Mystery Gang visit Oakhaven, Massachusetts to seek strange goings on involving a famous horror novelist and his ancestor who is rumored to have been a witch.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Thursday Murder Club (2025)
A group of senior sleuths passionate about solving cold cases get plunged into a real-life murder mystery in this comic crime caper.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFrankenweenie (1984)
When young Victor's pet dog Sparky (who stars in Victor's homemade monster movies) is hit by a car, Victor decides to bring him back to life the only way he knows how. But when the bolt-necked "monster" wreaks havoc and terror in the hearts of Victor's neighbors, he has to convince them (and his parents) that despite his appearance, Sparky's still the good loyal friend he's always been.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWho's Afraid of Dracula? (1985)
Fracchia is desperate: he has to sell a house with at least five bathrooms within three days or his boss will fire him. Incredibly, he and his pal Filini manage to find the perfect house, a castle in Transylvania owned by some count Vlad... things get even worse when they meet the Count and his sister, who has a crush on Fracchia and decides to marry him!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEddie: The Sleepwalking Cannibal (2012)
A once-famous painter rediscovers inspiration when he befriends a sleepwalking cannibal.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Fearless Vampire Killers (1967)
A noted professor and his dim-witted apprentice fall prey to their inquiring vampires, while on the trail of the ominous damsel in distress.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRadioland Murders (1994)
A series of mysterious crimes threatens the existence of a new radio network.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & mystery
SnoozefestMovies like thisA Dog's Breakfast (2007)
If you've never been good at anything in your life, why would murder be any different? Patrick has always had a somewhat combative relationship with his little sister Marilyn, but when she brings home her new sci-fi soap star fiancé Ryan, it's all out war. When Patrick fails to drive a wedge between the happy couple, he reaches for sharper instruments.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNightcrawlers (2025)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & mystery
Galicia! (2026)
What if you went on a holiday... and the apocalypse happened?!
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & comedy
Spring is here. (2026)
An experimental short film that contrasts the beauty and intrinsic optimism of the coming of Spring with the grimy digital textures of lo-fi video. Backed by an atmospheric soundscape of distant birdsong, distorted static, and otherworldly sounds, the work explores evocative and contemplative themes of reminiscence, nostalgia and environmentalism.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & mystery
Derrière la porte (2026)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & horror
Avant Garden (2023)
A girl returns to a town of punks and burn-outs, seeking help to cure her vegetative, elderly friend.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & mystery
Frank & Mary (2019)
An elderly DIY enthusiast reanimates his recently deceased wife in the garden shed. A suburban twist on the classic Frankenstein tale.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & comedy
The Years We Spend Asleep (TBA)
In the wake of a confusing personal loss, a college photography student quietly unravels, finding new ways to connect with the world around her.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
I'm Trying to Impress You (2016)
Over the course of a long, booze-filled Halloween in Los Angeles, four romantic relationships unexpectedly affect the fate of the others. A dark romantic comedy, shot in beautiful black & white on a budget of just under $2,000, I'm Trying To Impress You takes a raw, cool and sometimes fantastical look at young romance in the 21st century.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Pinwydd (2025)
Anthropomorphic manifestations of the hyperobjects of animal husbandry, millitarisation, forestry plantations and capitalist markets become combating characters in this poetic film. Rooted in the realities of landlordism, climate collapse, and extractivism, the film draws on sci-fi tropes and the Mabinogion myth of Blodeuwedd to rupture the seeming inevitability of capitalism.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Finals (2024)
In this mockumentary, high school senior Matthew Reese documents the final day of the first semester.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Motel California?
The closest matches to Motel California are The Old Dark House (1963), The Private Eyes (1980) and The Cat and the Canary (1927). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Motel California?
Start with The Old Dark House (1963), the closest match to Motel California.
What is the highest-rated movie like Motel California?
Scooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost (1999), rated 7.4/10 by 519 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Motel California?
Spring is here. (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Italian movies like Motel California?
Yes: The Sunday Woman (1975), Who's Afraid of Dracula? (1985) and Nightcrawlers (2025).
How are movies similar to Motel California chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Motel California, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.