Movies like Turn Back Now
The best movies like Turn Back Now are K-12 (2019), The Last Voyage of the Demeter (2023) and Mermaid Down (2019). If Turn Back Now hooked you with its fantasy and horror, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedMichael Jackson's Thriller (1983)8.2/10 from 814 votes
- NewestIURIMA – A Tale of Three Fishermen (2025)Released 2025
K-12 (2019)
Cry Baby, a strong and sensitive girl, is sent off to a disturbing sleepaway school that’s hidden underneath a grandiose façade. Luckily, she has a sweet and unapologetic best friend who sticks up for her when she gets bullied by the other students whose brains are under control by the Principal and his wicked staff. With the help of the magical friends they meet along the way, as well as an Angelic Spirit Guide, they are able to gain the strength they need to fight off the school’s belligerent patriarchal conditioning.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & horror
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Last Voyage of the Demeter (2023)
The crew of the merchant ship Demeter attempts to survive the ocean voyage from Carpathia to London as they are stalked each night by a merciless presence onboard the ship.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMermaid Down (2019)
A mermaid is ripped from the ocean by a fishing crew only to be tortured and to have her tail cut off. A seemingly helpful stranger intervenes, but then locks her away in an institution for mentally disturbed young women, where no one believes she is a mermaid. With no way out, she is forced to count on her survival instincts, and fight for her life at all costs.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Nutcracker (1993)
On Christmas Eve, a little girl named Marie falls asleep and dreams herself into a fantastic world in which her toys become larger than life. She meets up with the Nutcracker Prince who takes her on a journey to his kingdom and defends her from the Mouse King.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & music
SnoozefestMovies like thisGhosts (1997)
In the town of Normal Valley, an eccentric magician named Maestro entertains the local children every day in his spooky mansion. One stormy night, the town's mayor leads a group of angry citizens to the mansion in an attempt to run Maestro out of town.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & horror
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisDolls (1987)
A precocious girl, her nasty parents, two punk-rock losers and a weak-kneed salesman inadvertently become the guests of two ghoulish senior citizens in their dark, haunted mansion.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMichael Jackson's Thriller (1983)
A night at the movies turns terrifying when Michael and his date are attacked by zombies.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & music
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisDon't Be Afraid of the Dark (2010)
A young girl sent to live with her father and his new girlfriend discovers creatures in her new home who want to claim her as one of their own.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisDestino (2003)
Short film to a song of love lost and rediscovered, a woman sees and undergoes surreal transformations. Her lover's face melts off, she dons a dress from the shadow of a bell and becomes a dandelion, ants crawl out of a hand and become Frenchmen riding bicycles. Not to mention the turtles with faces on their backs that collide to form a ballerina, or the bizarre baseball game.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome (1954)
Lord Shiva wakes. A convocation of magicians in the guise of figures from mythology; a masquerade party at which Pan is the prize. The wine of Hecate is poured: Pan's cup is poisoned by Shiva. Kali blesses the assembly as a bacchic rite ensues.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPuss in Boots (1988)
Following the death of their miller father, his eldest son inherits the mill, the middle one a donkey, and the youngest a cat. While initially disappointed, the lad soon learns not only that the cat can talk but is quite resourceful.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTom Thumb (1958)
A boy, no bigger than a thumb, manages to outwit two thieves determined to make a fortune from him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCarnival of Souls (1962)
Mary Henry ends up the sole survivor of a fatal car accident through mysterious circumstances. Trying to put the incident behind her, she moves to Utah and takes a job as a church organist. But her fresh start is interrupted by visions of a fiendish man. As the visions begin to occur more frequently, Mary finds herself drawn to the deserted carnival on the outskirts of town. The strangely alluring carnival may hold the secret to her tragic past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPossibly in Michigan (1983)
A musical horror story about two young women who are stalked through a shopping mall by a cannibal. He follows them home, and here the victims become the aggressors.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisUnder the Sea: A Descendants Story (2018)
Mal emerges from the shadows of a mystical forest onto a dark coastline where she crosses paths with Dizzy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies 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 & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSouthbound (2015)
On a desolate stretch of desert highway, weary travelers — two men on the run from their past, a band on their way to the next gig, a man struggling to get home, a brother in search of his long-lost sister and a family on vacation — are forced to confront their worst fears and darkest secrets in these interwoven tales of terror and remorse on the open road.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisStrange Magic (2015)
A love potion works its devious charms on fairies, elves and the swamp-dwelling Bog King as they all try to possess the potion for themselves.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies 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 fantasy & horror
SnoozefestMovies like this1st Bite (2006)
Set on a tropical island in Thailand, the strange plight of a beleaguered chef who, while romancing a mysterious woman, discovers the diabolical Zen of cooking. Following a near death escape, he returns to Montreal and falls hard for the woman of his life who unfortunately craves only his cooking but not his loving. Worse still, strange things surfacing around him indicate that his journey to the Far East has deep, divine implications. The stage is set for him to take the 1st bite of true love and end the cycle of suffering for all involved.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy & horror
The Isle (2019)
1846 and another ship crashes on the rocks of an almost deserted island in Scotland. Three sailors survive the wreck and make it to shore where the few locals take them in as they wait for the mainland boat to come for them. But the sailors' survival story has only just started as they uncover the strange past of the once vibrant island.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy & horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004)
There's trouble brewing in Bikini Bottom. Someone has stolen King Neptune's crown, and it looks like Mr. Krab, SpongeBob's boss, is the culprit. Though he's just been passed over for the promotion of his dreams, SpongeBob stands by his boss, and along with his best pal Patrick, sets out on a treacherous mission to Shell City to reclaim the crown and save Mr. Krab's life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Tower (TBA)
A mysterious mermaid trapped and forgotten for years in the water tower of a small Southern town.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
Pan (2015)
Living a bleak existence at a London orphanage, 12-year-old Peter finds himself whisked away to the fantastical world of Neverland. Adventure awaits as he meets new friend James Hook and the warrior Tiger Lily. They must band together to save Neverland from the ruthless pirate Blackbeard. Along the way, the rebellious and mischievous boy discovers his true destiny, becoming the hero forever known as Peter Pan.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisScales (2017)
Siren has lived her life thinking she's an ordinary girl, in an ordinary town. On her 12th birthday, she learns that she's far from ordinary.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
Peter Pan (1953)
Leaving the safety of their nursery behind, Wendy, Michael and John follow Peter Pan to a magical world where childhood lasts forever. But while in Neverland, the kids must face Captain Hook and foil his attempts to get rid of Peter for good.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBlue My Mind (2017)
15-year-old Mia faces an overwhelming transformation which puts her entire existence into question. Her body is changing radically, and despite desperate attempts to halt the process, Mia is soon forced to accept that nature is far more powerful than she is.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Mermaid for Christmas (2019)
Filled with warmth, humor, whimsy, and just a touch of magic, A Mermaid for Christmas combines classic Christmas themes with an escapist fantasy element that only a mermaid can provide!
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
IURIMA – A Tale of Three Fishermen (2025)
Three starving fishermen encounter something unexpected on a remote island in the 1890's. A visual mystery story with horror elements.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Turn Back Now?
The closest matches to Turn Back Now are K-12 (2019), The Last Voyage of the Demeter (2023) and Mermaid Down (2019). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Turn Back Now?
Start with K-12 (2019), the closest match to Turn Back Now.
What is the highest-rated movie like Turn Back Now?
Michael Jackson's Thriller (1983), rated 8.2/10 by 814 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Turn Back Now?
IURIMA – A Tale of Three Fishermen (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Turn Back Now?
Yes: K-12 (2019), The Last Voyage of the Demeter (2023) and Mermaid Down (2019).
How are movies similar to Turn Back Now chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Turn Back Now, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.