Movies like Pulse (2001)
The best movies like Pulse (2001) are Nightmare Detective (2007), Polaroid (2019) and Haunter (2013). If Pulse hooked you with its horror and thriller, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedTwelve Monkeys (1995)7.6/10 from 9,536 votes
- NewestIron Lung (2026)Released 2026
- In JapaneseNightmare Detective (2007)Also in Japanese
Nightmare Detective (2007)
When a number of suicide victims slash themselves in their sleep, detective Keiko Kirishima is called to investigate.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPolaroid (2019)
High school loner Bird Fitcher has no idea what dark secrets are tied to the mysterious Polaroid vintage camera she stumbles upon, but it doesn't take long to discover that those who have their picture taken meet a tragic end. Bird and her friends must survive one more night as they race to solve the mystery of the haunted Polaroid before it kills them all.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHaunter (2013)
A teenager is stuck in a time loop that is not quite the same each time. She must uncover the truth but her actions have consequences for herself and others.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDark Water (2002)
A woman in the midst of an unpleasant divorce moves to an eerie apartment building with her young daughter. The ceiling of their apartment has a dark and active leak.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOpen Grave (2013)
A man awakes -- without memory -- in a pit full of bodies and must figure out if the people who rescued him are the killers, or if he is the murderer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Awakening (2011)
In post–War England, a writer and sometime-ghost hunter investigates a reported haunting at a boys boarding school.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNoroi: The Curse (2005)
A documentary filmmaker explores seemingly unrelated paranormal incidents connected by the legend of an ancient demon.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Grudge (2004)
An American nurse living and working in Tokyo is exposed to a mysterious supernatural curse, one that locks a person in a powerful rage before claiming their life and spreading to another victim.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Legend of Hell House (1973)
A team consisting of a physicist, his wife, a young female psychic, and the only survivor of the previous visit are sent to the notorious Hell House to prove or disprove survival after death. Previous visitors have either been killed or gone mad, and it is up to the team to survive a full week in isolation, and solve the mystery of the Hell House.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisVideodrome (1983)
As the president of a trashy TV channel, Max Renn is desperate for new programming to attract viewers. When he happens upon "Videodrome," a TV show dedicated to gratuitous torture and punishment, Max sees a potential hit and broadcasts the show on his channel. However, after his girlfriend auditions for the show and never returns, Max investigates the truth behind Videodrome and discovers that the graphic violence may not be as fake as he thought.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisIron Lung (2026)
In a post-apocalyptic future where an event known as "The Quiet Rapture" caused all known stars and habitable planets in the universe to disappear, a convict is sent to search an ocean of blood discovered on a desolate moon, using a small submarine nicknamed the "Iron Lung".
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLights Out (2016)
Rebecca must unlock the terror behind her little brother's experiences that once tested her sanity, bringing her face to face with a supernatural spirit attached to their mother.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisParanormal Activity (2009)
After a young, middle-class couple moves into what seems like a typical suburban house, they become increasingly disturbed by a presence that may or may not be demonic, but is certainly the most active in the middle of the night.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHide and Seek (2005)
David Callaway tries to piece together his life in the wake of his wife's suicide and has been left to raise his nine-year-old daughter, Emily on his own. David is at first amused to discover that Emily has created an imaginary friend named 'Charlie', but it isn't long before 'Charlie' develops a sinister and violent side, and as David struggles with his daughter's growing emotional problems, he comes to the frightening realisation that 'Charlie' isn't just a figment of Emily's imagination.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDaniel Isn't Real (2019)
A troubled college freshman resurrects his imaginary friend to help him cope with a violent trauma.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJu-on: The Grudge 2 (2003)
When the cast and crew of a paranormal TV reality program decide to shoot in the house of the original Saeki hauntings, a series of strange events unfold at the location.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTwelve Monkeys (1995)
In the year 2035, convict James Cole reluctantly volunteers to be sent back in time to discover the origin of a deadly virus that wiped out nearly all of the earth's population and forced the survivors into underground communities. But when Cole is mistakenly sent to 1990 instead of 1996, he's arrested and locked up in a mental hospital. There he meets psychiatrist Dr. Kathryn Railly and the son of a famous virus expert who may hold the key to the Army of the 12 Monkeys; thought to be responsible for unleashing the killer disease.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisUntil Dawn (2025)
One year after her sister Melanie mysteriously disappeared, Clover and her friends head into the remote valley where she vanished in search of answers. Exploring an abandoned visitor center, they find themselves stalked by a masked killer and horrifically murdered one by one...only to wake up and find themselves back at the beginning of the same evening.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCaveat (2021)
A lone drifter suffering from partial memory loss accepts a job to look after a psychologically troubled woman in an abandoned house on an isolated island.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisI Still See You (2018)
Ten years after an apocalyptic event left the world haunted by ghosts, Veronica 'Ronnie' Calder receives a threatening message from beyond the grave. Joining forces with a mysterious classmate, Kirk, Ronnie descends into a shadow world that blurs the bounds of the living and the dead—and begins a desperate race against time to stop a cunning killer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSoul Reaper (2024)
A teenager with the ability to enter other people's dreams. When he witnesses a dark spirit taking people's lives in their dreams, he quickly realizes that it's related to the mysterious deaths that are happening in the real world.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & thriller
Unfriended (2014)
While video chatting one night, six high school friends receive a Skype message from a classmate who killed herself exactly one year ago. At first they think it's a prank, but when the girl starts revealing the friends' darkest secrets, they realize they are dealing with something out of this world, something that wants them dead.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & mystery
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Midnight Swim (2015)
Spirit Lake is unusually deep. No diver has ever managed to find the bottom. When Dr. Amelia Brooks disappears during a deep-water dive, her three daughters travel home. They find themselves unable to let go and become drawn into the mysteries of the lake.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery & horror
SnoozefestMovies like this7th Revelation (2020)
A slow slide into insanity as a group of distance workers discover their work-from-home mandate is part of dark and deceptive conspiracy meant to dwindle the numbers of middle class workers.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller & mystery
Pretham Undu Sookshikkuka (2017)
A haunted mansion amidst Kingini Nagar Housing Colony is converted into a police station. Ghosts in the mansion get provoked by the intrusion of the police. To overcome the horrible night duties, cops take the help of Babu, an outlaw yet sincere guy. Will Babu and his gang be able to solve the mystery behind the haunted mansion?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller & horror
Bug (2007)
In Oklahoma, Agnes, a lonely waitress living in an isolated and dilapidated roadside motel, meets Peter, a quiet and mysterious man with whom she establishes a peculiar relationship.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Door (2017)
A mysterious abandoned factory began the first day of shooting. When carrying the heroine Zhu Sha, deputy director, "the forefront of the film" program host a dream bus and other people arrived at the factory, shooting the venue was empty, landlord let everyone in the factory standby, he went out to during supper we buy, wait, deputy director bizarre but died in the bathroom
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller & horror
Riding the Bullet (2004)
In 1969, while studying at the University of Maine, artist Alan Parker becomes obsessed with death. Believing he is losing his girlfriend, he tries to commit suicide on his birthday but his friends manage to stop him. He receives news that his mother has had a stroke and decides to hitchhike to visit her at the hospital.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisFollowers (2017)
A couple who document their whole life on social media decide to go on a camping trip and share their every move with their followers. What they don't know is that someone is going to prove how easy it is to stalk someone in the digital age. Arriving at the camp site, their followers are close by and are ready to go to extreme and deadly lengths to prove their point.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Like Pulse and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Pulse?
The closest matches to Pulse are Nightmare Detective (2007), Polaroid (2019) and Haunter (2013). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Pulse?
Start with Nightmare Detective (2007), the closest match to Pulse.
What is the highest-rated movie like Pulse?
Twelve Monkeys (1995), rated 7.6/10 by 9,536 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Pulse?
Iron Lung (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Japanese movies like Pulse?
Yes: Nightmare Detective (2007), Dark Water (2002) and Noroi: The Curse (2005).
How are movies similar to Pulse chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Pulse, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.