Movies like The Painting (2020)
The best movies like The Painting (2020) are Monkey’s Magic Merry Go Round (2026), Rent-A-Pal (2020) and The Shed (2019). If The Painting hooked you with its horror, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedPeeping Tom (1960)7.4/10 from 952 votes
- NewestMonkey’s Magic Merry Go Round (2026)Released 2026
Monkey’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 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
Popcorn FlickMovies 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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPeeping Tom (1960)
Loner Mark Lewis works at a film studio during the day and, at night, takes racy photographs of women. Also he's making a documentary on fear, which involves recording the reactions of victims as he murders them. He befriends Helen, the daughter of the family living in the apartment below his, and he tells her vaguely about the movie he is making.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Worth the HypeMovies 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 thisManiac (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
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Wailer (2006)
On their way to Mexico, six students are stranded in a small town where years before a tragedy took place.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNightmare (1964)
A young woman is plagued by nightmares of her asylum-patient mother. Upon returning to her family home, the nightmares become real when she sees a strange woman pacing the halls.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Old Mill (1937)
Night in an old mill is dramatically depicted in this Oscar-winning short in which the frightened occupants, including birds, timid mice, owls, and other creatures try to stay safe and dry as a storm approaches. As the thunderstorm worsens, the mill wheel begins to turn and the whole mill threatens to blow apart until at last the storm subsides.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCranston Academy: Monster Zone (2020)
An intelligent 15-year-old high school student is unexpectedly transferred to a boarding school where he opens a portal of monsters from another dimension.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNight of the Demon (1957)
American professor John Holden arrives in London for a conference on parapsychology only to discover that the colleague he was supposed to meet was killed in a freak accident the day before. It turns out that the deceased had been investigating a cult lead by Dr. Julian Karswell. Though a skeptic, Holden is suspicious of the devil-worshiping Karswell. Following a trail of mysterious manuscripts, Holden enters a world that makes him question his faith in science.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMostly Ghostly 3: One Night in Doom House (2016)
Just one enchanted jewel stands between earth and an army of evil spirits led by the devious ghoul, Phears. With the help of his new girlfriend and ghost pals, Max Doyle races to find the crystal and save the world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
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 horror
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMonster (2005)
A mother battles with her son's fear of a monster lurking in the closet, but soon discovers a sinister presence all around her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisUnseen (2023)
Sam receives a call from Emily, a near blind woman who is running from her murderous ex in the woods. Can she survive using Sam as her eyes via video call?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDead of Night (1945)
An architect, visiting an English country house, realizes the other guests are familiar from his recurring nightmare. When they share their tales of the supernatural, he is filled with a growing dread.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGrip of the Strangler (1958)
A researcher investigating a notorious serial killer who was hanged 20 years earlier seemingly becomes possessed by the long dead strangler.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisI'm Ready (2023)
Eummo a young woman struggles against her insecurities minutes before going out on a date. In a constant battle between her and her insecurities, one will prevail.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Dead Mail (2024)
An ominous help note finds its way to a 1980s post office, connecting a dead letter investigator to a kidnapped keyboard technician.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisRed Dragon (2002)
Former FBI Agent Will Graham, who was once almost killed by the savage Hannibal 'The Cannibal' Lecter, now has no choice but to face him again, as it seems Lecter is the only one who can help Graham track down a new serial killer.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Strangers (2008)
After a 4 a.m. knock at the door and haunting voices, Kristen McKay and James Hoyt’s remote getaway becomes a psychological night of terror as three masked strangers invade. Now they must go far beyond what they thought themselves capable of if they hope to survive.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIt Follows (2015)
A young woman is followed by an unknown supernatural force after a sexual encounter.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBLOOM (2021)
A professional origamist hits a creative block in her work and becomes dangerously desperate to bring life back to her art.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Echoes Of Ivory (2024)
Deep in the frigid valleys of northern rural Canada, two survivors atop a desolate peak run thin on supplies and hope. The only remaining from their group, they wait naively for help to come. Fighting long days of paranoia and an unidentifiable entity lurking in the darkness of night, their situation grows bleaker by the minute. What follows are the last 24 hours spent on their mountaintop campsite.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Sounds Like (2006)
Deeply affected by a personal tragedy, an office drone comes to realize his sense of hearing has taken on extraordinary capabilities that could drive him insane.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Itch (2021)
A psychological horror about a novice nun who develops a severe skin condition which continues to worsen along with her mental state as she struggles with her feelings for another nun.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Seeker (2025)
A new tenant seeking a fresh start faces an unseen threat, pushing her toward a sinister fate as the apartment's secrets are slowly revealed.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Painting?
The closest matches to The Painting are Monkey’s Magic Merry Go Round (2026), Rent-A-Pal (2020) and The Shed (2019). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Painting?
Start with Monkey’s Magic Merry Go Round (2026), the closest match to The Painting.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Painting?
Peeping Tom (1960), rated 7.4/10 by 952 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Painting?
Monkey’s Magic Merry Go Round (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Painting?
Yes: Monkey’s Magic Merry Go Round (2026), Rent-A-Pal (2020) and The Shed (2019).
How are movies similar to The Painting chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Painting, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.