Movies like A Summer in Hell (1984)
The best movies like A Summer in Hell (1984) are Death of a Corrupt Man (1977), The Glass Key (1942) and Joy House (1964). If A Summer in Hell hooked you with its crime and thriller, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedRead My Lips (2001)7.0/10 from 399 votes
- NewestYour Lips Never Left Mine (2026)Released 2026
- In FrenchDeath of a Corrupt Man (1977)Also in French
Death of a Corrupt Man (1977)
In the middle of the night, deputy Philippe Dubaye wakes up his old friend Xavier Maréchal with disturbing news: he has just killed Serrano, a racketeer with extant political connections. Serrano kept proofs of Dubaye's involvement in corrupt dealings and was poised to use them against the deputy. Xavier readily agrees to cover up for his old pal Philippe, but he soon runs into difficulties. Nobody believes Dubaye's alibi. And everybody -- influential personalities, powerful businessmen, dubious go-betweens and the police -- wants to get hold of the documents that served to blackmail Dubaye; by all possible means...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Glass Key (1942)
A crooked politician finds himself being accused of murder by a gangster from whom he refused help during a re-election campaign.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJoy House (1964)
A small-time con man on the run from his girlfriend's gangster husband hides out in a strange, brooding mansion run by two mysterious women, where he finds himself trapped in deception between the two.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Body of My Enemy (1976)
A man accused of murder discovers a trail of corruption leading to the powerful family of his former love. Going underground, he seeks allies in a town where trust is scarce.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWithout Apparent Motive (1971)
A series of murders is committed in Nice on the French riviera. The commissaire Carella is in charge and tries to find a missing link between all these murders.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisRead My Lips (2001)
She is almost deaf and she lip-reads. He is an ex-convict. She wants to help him. He thinks no one can help except himself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDiabolically Yours (1967)
A wealthy amnesiac begins to suspect that his devoted wife is not really his wife and that he is not the man people keep telling him he is.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisGotcha! (1985)
A student on a trip to France is tricked into smuggling secrets across the Iron Curtain by a sexy spy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWinged Creatures (2009)
A psychotic man opens fire in a diner, murdering numerous people before killing himself. The survivors struggle in different ways following this horrendous event: a doctor doubts his own instincts and elects to use an experimental medical procedure on his wife, while a gambler believes he's on a lucky streak. A waitress begins engaging in promiscuous sex, and a young girl whose father is among the dead gains unexpected fame.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisGuardian Angels (1995)
A sleazy Paris nightclub owner and ex-detective flies to Hong Kong to rescue the young son of a friend murdered by the Chinese mob.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe 355 (2022)
A group of top female agents from American, British, Chinese, Colombian, and German government agencies are drawn together to try and stop an organization from acquiring a deadly weapon to send the world into chaos.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhat's the Matter with Helen? (1971)
Two middle-aged women move to Hollywood after their sons are convicted of a notorious murder and open a dance school for children eager to tap their way to stardom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Face Behind the Mask (1941)
A kindly, enthusiastic, newly-arrived American immigrant from Hungary is forced to turn to a life of crime after his face is badly disfigured in a hotel fire.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Two Faces of January (2014)
After he kills a detective, a con artist and his wife must trust a potentially dangerous stranger to help them get out of Greece.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisThings Change (1988)
Jerry, a misfit Mafia henchman, is assigned the low-level job of keeping an eye on Gino, a shoe repairman fingered by the Mob to confess to a murder he didn't commit. But Gino's mistaken for a Mafia boss, and the two are suddenly catapulted to the highest levels of mobster status. Only friendship will see them through this dangerous adventure alive!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSee Spot Run (2001)
A drug sniffing agent canine is a target for an assassin boss so the FBI calls Witness Protection to send him somewhere else. Meanwhile a single Mom puts her 6 year old boy James in the care of her irresponsible, mailman, neighbor, Gordon, when the babysitter bails on her. Meanwhile, an assassin mob boss hires 2 goons to kill Agent 11. But when 11 escapes from the van when they tried to kill him, he hides in Gordon's Mailtruck that James is in too. And guess what they name him. Spot.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMax and the Junkmen (1971)
A detective decides to go undercover and set up a group of robbers, but he may be getting too caught up in the task at hand.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNight Train to Lisbon (2013)
Raimund Gregorius, having saved a beautiful Portuguese woman from leaping to her death, stumbles upon a mesmerizing book by a Portuguese author, which compels him to suddenly abandon the boring life he has led for years and to embark on an enthralling adventure. In search of the author, Gregorius acts as detective, pulling together pieces of a puzzle that involves political and emotional intrigue and the highest possible stakes. His voyage is one that transcends time and space, delving into the realms of history, medicine and love, all in search of true meaning to his life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Dictator's Guns (1965)
An experienced skipper is hired to buy a boat from an American heiress in the Caribbean, but when the boat vanishes and bodies surface, he realizes he’s been framed for arms trafficking.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOverdrive (2017)
Master car thieves square off against French gangsters in the South of France with money, women and lives all on the line.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSummer of Sam (1999)
Spike Lee's take on the "Son of Sam" murders in New York City during the summer of 1977 centering on the residents of an Italian-American Northeast Bronx neighborhood who live in fear and distrust of one another.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJ'irai au paradis car l'enfer est ici (1997)
In this French gangster drama, a young hoodlum, new to his famed father's dubious profession, successfully completes his first hit but then finds himself trapped in between a brutal vendetta between rival gangs. To save himself, Francois joins forces with a motley gang of crooks, led by the emotionally unstable Rufin, and tries to wait the situation out while amusing himself with the affections of a nightclub chanteuse. Meanwhile, his colleagues are being killed off, one by one, leaving him to wonder whether or not his father will use his clout to save him.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & thriller
Smooth Talk (1985)
Connie, the fifteen-year-old black sheep of her family, finds her summertime idyll of beach trips, mall hangouts, and innocent flirtations shattered by an encounter with a mysterious stranger.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLove in Thoughts (2004)
A posthumous look at the last days of Guenther's life as he, his best friend, and his sister let loose on a four-day binge of alcohol, drugs, and sex.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFierce People (2006)
A massage therapist looking to overcome her addictions and reconnect with her son, whose father is an anthropologist in South America studying the Yanomani people, moves in with a wealthy ex-client in New Jersey.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisYour Lips Never Left Mine (2026)
A young woman is hired by a finance couple to tutor their son at their summer lake house, and finds herself increasingly enmeshed in the undisclosed darkness of their past.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Shark Attack in the Mediterranean (2004)
A prehistoric shark (named in the books "megalodon") lurks Mallorca, killing a couple of individuals. A professional diver begins the hunt.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Tower. A Bright Day. (2018)
A protective woman has raised her young niece in the countryside as her own daughter. When her sister suddenly returns, it triggers a sense that she may be back to reclaim her offspring or to implement even more ominous plans.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Summer Camp Nightmare (1987)
A group of campers revolt against their strict camp director and take over the camp for themselves.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
The Virgin of the Quarry Lake (2026)
On the eve of the 2001 outbreak, a young woman falls for her lifelong friend but turns to incantations and curses with her grandmother's help when a more experienced rival threatens their romance.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like A Summer in Hell?
The closest matches to A Summer in Hell are Death of a Corrupt Man (1977), The Glass Key (1942) and Joy House (1964). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after A Summer in Hell?
Start with Death of a Corrupt Man (1977), the closest match to A Summer in Hell.
What is the highest-rated movie like A Summer in Hell?
Read My Lips (2001), rated 7.0/10 by 399 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like A Summer in Hell?
Your Lips Never Left Mine (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there French movies like A Summer in Hell?
Yes: Death of a Corrupt Man (1977), Joy House (1964) and The Body of My Enemy (1976).
How are movies similar to A Summer in Hell chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside A Summer in Hell, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.