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Movies like Out of the Darkness (1985)

The best movies like Out of the Darkness (1985) are Annabelle Hooper and the Ghosts of Nantucket (2016), Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (2019) and The Christmas Note (2015). If Out of the Darkness hooked you with its family and mystery, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. Annabelle Hooper and the Ghosts of Nantucket (2016)

    Vacationing on historic Nantucket Island, a teenage mystery writer and her friends must outwit two scheming thieves to solve the secret behind a legendary ghost story.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & family

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  2. Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (2019)

    Nancy Drew, a smart high schooler with a penchant for keen observation and deduction, stumbles upon the haunting of a local home. A bit of an outsider struggling to fit into her new surroundings, Nancy and her pals set out to solve the mystery, make new friends, and establish their place in the community

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & mystery

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  3. The Christmas Note (2015)

    Having just moved back to her hometown without her serviceman husband but with her young son, Gretchen Daniels finds her life in disarray as Christmas approaches. But she discovers new purpose when she helps to deliver a message to her neighbor, Melissa, which makes her an ally in the quest to find the neighbor's sibling she never knew she had. The women become bonded not only by the search, but by the understanding that being there for each other means they're no longer alone. This friendship becomes the greatest Christmas gift of their lives. Based on a bestselling novel by Donna VanLiere.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & mystery

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  4. Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo! (2022)

    Mystery Inc. has cracked the case to top all cases! They’ve tracked down Coco Diablo, the head of a notorious costume crime syndicate. With Coco and her kitty in prison, Mystery Inc. thinks that they can finally enjoy a break. Wrong! Suddenly, menacing doppelgänger ghosts of the Scooby crew and favorite classic foes show up in Coolsville to threaten Halloween. Now it’s up to the meddling kids to unmask the latest scoundrel and save Halloween!

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & family

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  5. Happy Halloween, Scooby-Doo! (2020)

    Scooby-Doo and the gang team up with their pals, Bill Nye The Science Guy and Elvira Mistress of the Dark, to solve this mystery of gigantic proportions and save Crystal Cove!

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & mystery

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  6. Garage Sale Mystery: All That Glitters (2014)

    When her friend Martin turns up murdered just hours after auctioning off an abandoned storage unit full of unique items to Jennifer, she is immediately pulled on the case as a key eyewitness. Working with Detective Lynwood, Jennifer helps single out a disgruntled customer as the prime suspect, while she and her business partner, Danielle, sift through boxes from the auction.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & family

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  7. The Ritual Killer (2023)

    Unable to process the death of his daughter, Detective Boyd embarks on a hunt for a serial killer who murders according to a brutal tribal ritual: Muti. The only person who can help Boyd is Professor Mackles, an anthropologist who hides an unspeakable secret. The line between sanity and madness thins as Boyd goes deeper into the killer’s world.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery

  8. Night 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 mystery

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  9. Flicka (2006)

    Katy McLaughlin desires to work on her family's mountainside horse ranch, although her father insists she finish boarding school. Katy finds a mustang in the hills near her ranch. The headstrong 16 year old then sets her mind to tame a mustang and prove to her father she can run the ranch. But when tragedy happens, it will take all the love and strength the family can muster to restore hope.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family

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  10. The Canterville Ghost (1996)

    When a teenaged girl moves to England, with her brothers and parents into the ancient Canterville Hall, she's not at all happy. Especially as there's a ghost and a mysterious re-appearing bloodstain on the hearth. She campaigns to go back home, and her dad, believing the ghost's pranks are Ginny's, is ready to send her back. But then Ginny actually meets the elusive 17th-century Sir Simon de Canterville (not to mention the cute teenaged duke next door), and she sets her hand to the task of freeing Sir Simon from his curse.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family

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  11. The Dogs (2025)

    After fleeing his psychotic father, a young teen and his mom seek refuge in a remote farmhouse, only to face a pack of ferocious dogs and the sinister spirits that haunt the property.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery

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  12. Monster High: Frights, Camera, Action! (2014)

    When Draculaura is led to believe she's the rightful heir to the vampire throne, she and her best ghoulfriends are whisked away to Transylvania for a royal coronation to die for. But they soon discover the hunt for the queen is not over yet. The Ghouls must locate an ancient artifact known as the Vampire's Heart in order to discover the identity of the true Vampire Queen. It's a fangtastic adventure that will lead them from the Tower of Londoom, to a haunted river boat in New Goreleans and finally to the glamorous boo-vie lots of Hauntlywood. Could this be the moment when Draculara finally receives her vampire powers and discovers screams really can come true?

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family

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  13. Christmas Cottage (2008)

    Inspired by the picturesque paintings of Thomas Kinkade, The Christmas Cottage tells the semi-autobiographical tale of how a young boy is propelled to launch a career as an artist after he learns that his mother is in danger of losing the family home.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family

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  14. Raging Grace (2023)

    An undocumented Filipina immigrant lands a job as a careworker for a seemingly terminal old man, securing a better life for her and her daughter. But a dark discovery threatens to destroy everything she’s strived for and holds dear.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery

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  15. Anastasia: Once Upon a Time (2020)

    Anastasia Romanov escapes through a portal when her family is threatened by Vladimir Lenin, and she finds herself in the year 1988, befriended by a young American girl.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family

  16. Children of the Damned (1964)

    Six children are found spread through out the world that not only have enormous intelligence, but identical intelligence and have a strange bond to each other.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery

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  17. The Caveman's Valentine (2001)

    Romulus, a misunderstood musician turned recluse hiding from personal demons in a New York City cave, finds the frozen body of a young drifter in a tree. The authorities, including his police officer daughter, claim the death is accidental. Romulus is convinced the man was murdered by a prominent art photographer but how can he prove he's right when everyone thinks he's insane?

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery

  18. Momo (2025)

    Momo is a young orphan girl who lives in the ruins of an old Roman amphitheater and becomes friends with everybody in the neighborhood. But when a powerful international corporation starts stealing everybody’s time, nobody has any time left for her, let alone their friends or families. Momo, together with Master Hora, the custodian of time, are the only ones who can go up against the time thieves before all is lost forever.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family

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  19. Blindness (2008)

    When a sudden plague of blindness devastates a city, a small group of the afflicted band together to triumphantly overcome the horrific conditions of their imposed quarantine.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery

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  20. See 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 family

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  21. Sahara (2005)

    Seasoned adventurer and treasure hunter Dirk Pitt, a former Navy SEAL, sets out for the African desert with his wisecracking buddy Al in search of a confederate ironclad battleship rumored to have vanished long ago, the main draw being the treasure supposedly hidden within the lost vessel. When the daring duo come across Dr. Eva Rojas, a beautiful scientist who is juggling an escape from a warlord and a mission to stop the spread of a powerful plague, their desert expedition begins to heat up.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery

  22. Le Corbeau (2025)

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery

  23. The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey (1988)

    Cumberland, 1348. The plague is spreading in medieval England. The remote village of little Griffin is also threatened. But the 9-year-old boy has a recurring dream that holds the key to a tiny hope of survival: a lake with a coffin floating on it. A white church with an iron cross. A falling glove. A falling silhouette. A torch tumble through a dark shaft into infinity. With his brother he recognizes in it a prophecy to escape the Black Death. So they embark with a few men on a journey to a distant cathedral, where they want to set up an iron cross as an offering to God. Her path leads them through a deep and dark mine shaft into an unknown land and completely outlandish time - into the present-day New Zealand of the 1980s.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery

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  24. Terror-Creatures from the Grave (1965)

    An attorney arrives at a castle to settle the estate of its recently deceased owner. The owner's wife and daughter reveal that he was someone who was able to summon the souls of ancient plague victims and, in fact, his spirit was roaming the castle at that very moment. Soon occupants of the castle begin to die off in gruesome, violent ways.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery

  25. Strange Illusion (1945)

    An adolescent believes that his widowed mother's suitor may have murdered his father.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery

  26. The House (2011)

    The Korean Academy of Film Arts has produced an animation for 3 consecutive years through a collaborative project. Considering the severe reality of Korean animation in that it lacks an industrial infrastructure, "The House" demonstrates the possibilities of Korean animation and the efficiency of collective production. While comparing apartments in the downtown core to the shabby environment of a marginalized district, "The House" portrays the collapse of the spirits dwelling at the house. As such the adventure of Ga-young and the spirits in the house becomes a criticism of modern society: enlightenment via animation. Although this animation may not have the most delicate or original style, the 5 animators that worked on this film unleashed their imaginations, ultimately showcasing the power of a collective process and a pleasure of the collective imagination.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family

  27. Morte Nera (2021)

    Florence, 1631. The black plague rages, the streets are deserted, healthy citizens are confined. Alvise, a plague doctor, discreetly paces the city in search of infected bodies to conduct his experiments, in the hope of finding a cure. One day, during an autopsy, a strange creature springs from one of the corpses...

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery

  28. The Story of the Voyages (1983)

    In this fantasy with dragons and flying machines, 10-year-old Marta is determined to find her brother who was kidnapped at Christmastime by a fake Saint Nick because the little boy is blessed with the ability to locate gold. A kindly, wise philosopher-type by the name of Orlando joins Marta in her search, and together they survive a gigantic sleeping dragon and imprisonment in a tower with no clear means of escape. They overcome that hurdle, but later on, Orlando succumbs to the evils of The Plague (an all-consuming woman!) and Marta continues on her search alone. Eventually, she does find her brother -- but that only introduces problems she had never considered.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family

  29. The Phantom Express (1932)

    Railroad foes cause terror on the tracks with the illusion of a ghost train.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery

  30. The Riddle of Jaan Niemand (2018)

    After ten years of war, plague and famine, the land is swept clean of people. The few remaining souls are scattered about, living in misery and lacking hope. An anxious silence hangs over the land. On one particularly starry night, two peasants find a stranger on the seashore.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery

Like Out of the Darkness and something else?

Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like Out of the Darkness?

The closest matches to Out of the Darkness are Annabelle Hooper and the Ghosts of Nantucket (2016), Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (2019) and The Christmas Note (2015). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after Out of the Darkness?

Start with Annabelle Hooper and the Ghosts of Nantucket (2016), the closest match to Out of the Darkness.

What is the highest-rated movie like Out of the Darkness?

Happy Halloween, Scooby-Doo! (2020), rated 7.7/10 by 268 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like Out of the Darkness?

Le Corbeau (2025) is the most recent release on this list.

Are there English movies like Out of the Darkness?

Yes: Annabelle Hooper and the Ghosts of Nantucket (2016), Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (2019) and The Christmas Note (2015).

How are movies similar to Out of the Darkness chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Out of the Darkness, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.

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