Movies like Red Balloon (2010)
The best movies like Red Balloon (2010) are When a Stranger Calls (1979), Barbarian (2022) and GirlHouse (2014). If Red Balloon hooked you with its horror, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedGhostland (2018)7.4/10 from 2,787 votes
- NewestNight of the Reaper (2025)Released 2025
When a Stranger Calls (1979)
A student babysitter has her evening disturbed when the phone rings. So begins a series of increasingly terrifying and threatening calls that lead to a shocking revelation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBarbarian (2022)
In town for a job interview, a young woman arrives at her Airbnb late at night only to find that it has been mistakenly double-booked and a strange man is already staying there. Against her better judgement, she decides to stay the night anyway.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGirlHouse (2014)
In an attempt to make some extra cash while away at College, Kylie moves into a house that streams content to an X-rated website. After a deranged fan hacks in to determine the house's location, she finds herself in a terrifying fight for her life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAbigail Haunting (2020)
After escaping the clutches of an abusive relationship, Katie reluctantly returns to the foster home she grew up in. Little does she know, her foster mother Marge is harboring a sinister secret dating back a decade. Now, Katie finds herself caught up in a horrifying family drama while confronting an angry spirit named Abigail.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNight of the Reaper (2025)
College student Deena visits home and is roped into babysitting. The local sheriff is mailed a piece of evidence and is led on a scavenger hunt to reveal the killer of another babysitter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBrahms: The Boy II (2020)
After a family moves into the Heelshire Mansion, their young son soon makes friends with a life-like doll called Brahms.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
SnoozefestMovies 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: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhen a Stranger Calls Back (1993)
Jill Johnson, now a crisis center counselor, reunites with retired detective John Clifford to hunt a killer stalking a coed.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisDC Showcase - Constantine: The House of Mystery (2022)
John Constantine wakes up in the eerie House of Mystery with no recollection of how he got there. Fortunately, Zatanna and his friends are all there. Unfortunately, they have a bad habit of turning into demons and ripping him to shreds, over and over again!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFor the Sake of Vicious (2021)
An overworked nurse returns home to find a maniac hiding out with a bruised and beaten hostage. When an unexpected wave of violent intruders descend upon her home, it becomes a fight for survival.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNo One Gets Out Alive (2021)
An immigrant in search of the American dream is forced to take a room in a boarding house and soon finds herself in a nightmare from which she can't escape.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisBagman (2024)
For centuries and across cultures, parents have warned their children of the legendary Bagman, who snatches innocent children and stuffs them into his vile, rotting bag—never to be seen again. Patrick McKee narrowly escaped such an encounter as a boy, which left him with lasting scars throughout his adulthood. Now, Patrick’s childhood tormentor has returned, threatening the safety of his wife Karina and son Jake.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFear the Night (2023)
During a bachelorette party in a secluded California farmhouse, masked intruders launch a brutal attack, forcing eight women to fight for survival. Led by Tess, a troubled military veteran, they unite to defend themselves throughout a harrowing night.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisShades of Desire (2023)
After her twin sister Aubrey goes missing, Jennifer uncovers the scandalous, secret double-life that Aubrey leads - and that has put both of them in danger.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFright (1971)
Young babysitter Amanda arrives at the Lloyd residence to spend the evening looking after their young son. Soon after the Lloyds leave, a series of frightening occurrences in the gloomy old house have Amanda's nerves on edge. The real terror begins, however, when the child's biological father appears after recently escaping from a nearby mental institution.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPlay Dead (2025)
A woman wakes up injured in a basement surrounded by corpses. To survive, she pretends to be dead while a grotesque ritual unfolds in the house above.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMother's Day (2010)
Crazed members of a sadistic family return to their childhood home to terrorize the new owners.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWake Up (2024)
A group of young activists set out to make an environmental statement by vandalizing a home superstore as it closes. But their plan goes terribly wrong when they become trapped inside and must face a deranged security guard with a gruesome passion for primitive hunting. As the night fills with violence and terror, the teenagers find themselves in a desperate fight for their lives.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Nun's Curse (2020)
A group of travelers are forced to seek shelter inside an abandoned jail where a notorious nun named Sister Monday had once been assigned and was suspected of murdering prisoners.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGhostland (2018)
A mother of two inherits a home from her aunt. On the first night in the new home she is confronted with murderous intruders and fights for her daughters’ lives. Sixteen years later the daughters reunite at the house, and that is when things get strange...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Worth the HypeMovies like thisInfection (2022)
A group of friends decide to stay overnight in an abandoned theatre... only to find it overrun with zombies!
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
The Moddey Dhoo (2025)
Past and present collide when a mythical beast is reawakened by a couple exploring a historic castle on the Isle of Man.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Message from Jerusalem (2011)
Made exclusively for the Hail to the King Tribute Show at Finder Creepers in Des Moines, Iowa. A surreal and non linear adaptation of the short story "Jerusalem's Lot". It was shown for exactly one month from January 22nd, 2011 to February 22nd, 2011.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
The Cult of Kiros (2025)
After being abruptly evicted from his apartment, Mateo returns to his hometown, seeking refuge in a local house-sitting job. But as the house’s silence settles in, he begins to sense a presence lurking beneath—something that has chosen Mateo for something much bigger than himself.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Refused (1980)
Frieda Liappa in this short film casts an alternative gaze on the notion of historicity. Loukia is a teenager currently staying at her cousin’s house in Athens. Unlike her cousin she is timid and quite stressed for the school exam. She studies history. Between the lines of her book the historical events sprung up in a multidimensional way. Liappa transverses the dimensions of the real the imaginary and the symbolic. She invites the viewer to consider the construction of the filmic as well as the historical text. She succeeds in making a film with an open end and to leave room for our own contingent constructions.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
The Traveler's Longing to Pray (2017)
A year has passed since the death of my mother and two of my sisters.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Jaret's 2022 Halloween Special (2022)
In October of 2022, two student filmmakers and a viral YouTube and Tik Tok sensation disappeared in the woods near Harrisville RI. This footage was found at the scene.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Flow (2017)
Two female soldiers in a divided United Kingdom settle a score.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Sleepless Night with Bamboo Wife (2015)
BAMBOO WIFE-Korean traditional bedding to avoid the heat. One hot summer night, a sinking novelist picks up a dumped bamboo wife. But from this point, his sleepless night lasts forever.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Flesh of God (2023)
The 17th century. Somewhere in the Mexican mountains, a Catholic friar who has fallen victim to a strange disease is carried by his native disciple to the home of an indigenous healer. The old woman will try to cure him by performing an ancient ritual that will have unexpected effects in the body and mind of the evangelist.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Like Red Balloon and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Red Balloon?
The closest matches to Red Balloon are When a Stranger Calls (1979), Barbarian (2022) and GirlHouse (2014). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Red Balloon?
Start with When a Stranger Calls (1979), the closest match to Red Balloon.
What is the highest-rated movie like Red Balloon?
Ghostland (2018), rated 7.4/10 by 2,787 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Red Balloon?
Night of the Reaper (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Red Balloon?
Yes: When a Stranger Calls (1979), Barbarian (2022) and GirlHouse (2014).
How are movies similar to Red Balloon chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Red Balloon, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.