Movies like Very Close Encounters of the Fourth Kind (1978)
The best movies like Very Close Encounters of the Fourth Kind (1978) are The Primevals (2023), Hard to Die (1990) and The Return (1980). If Very Close Encounters of the Fourth Kind hooked you with its science fiction and comedy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedSouth Park (Not Suitable for Children) (2023)7.5/10 from 242 votes
- NewestTropical SOV: Bizarre Sci-fi Samba (2026)Released 2026
- In ItalianCity of Women (1980)Also in Italian
The Primevals (2023)
Deep in the Himalayas, a group of sherpas kills a gigantic humanoid creature. Convinced that it is the legendary Yeti, Dr. Claire Collier organizes an expedition with her former student Matt Connor and hunter Rondo Montana, among others, to search for more specimens. But what awaits them is something that none of them could have imagined. A colorful fusion of real image and stop-motion that is reminiscent of fantastic films from the 1980s.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHard to Die (1990)
While doing the inventory for a lingerie outlet in a high rise office building, five attractive women are terrorized by a series of bizarre killings. They suspect that the strange janitor, who witnessed another series of killings six months previously, is at the bottom of the whole thing. Little do they know the real horror that they face in the end.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Return (1980)
Two young children and an adult in a small town have an encounter with an alien spaceship. 25 years later the children are reunited as adults in the same town which is now beset by strange cattle mutilations. Matters become worse when the cattle mutilations are joined by human murders and mutilations.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisStrawberry Mansion (2021)
In the not-too-distant future, an all-seeing surveillance state conducts “dream audits” to collect taxes on the unconscious lives of the populace. Mild-mannered government agent James Preble travels to a remote farmhouse to audit the dreams of Arabella “Bella” Isadora, an eccentric, aging artist. Entering Bella’s vast VHS archive, which contains a lifetime of dreams, Preble stumbles upon a secret that offers him a chance at love—and hope for escape.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAccident Man (2018)
Mike Fallon, the Accident Man, is a stone cold killer. When a loved one is murdered by his own crew, Fallon is forced to avenge the one person who actually meant something to him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDark Angel (1990)
Jack Caine is a Houston vice cop who's forgotten the rule book. His self-appointed mission is to stop the drugs trade and the number one supplier Victor Manning. While involved in an undercover operation to entrap Victor Manning, his partner is killed, and a sinister newcomer enters the scene...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSouth Park (Not Suitable for Children) (2023)
After it's discovered that a teacher at South Park Elementary has an OnlyFans page, Randy is compelled to take a closer look at the seedy underbelly of the world of online influencers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHeavy Metal (1981)
The embodiment of ultimate evil, a glowing orb terrorizes a young girl with bizarre stories of dark fantasy, eroticism and horror.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRicky Gervais: Mortality (2025)
Ricky Gervais tackles life, death and the state of the world in a brutally honest special that spares no topic, even his own mortality.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBalls Up (2026)
Two marketing executives go "balls out" and pitch a bold full‑coverage condom sponsorship with the World Cup. After their drunken celebration in Brazil sparks a global scandal, they must outrun furious fans, criminals, and power-hungry officials to salvage their careers and make it home alive.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisWho Is Cletis Tout? (2001)
With a hitman’s gun aimed at him, Finch tells the story of how he broke out of jail, fell in love, and took the identity of a man wanted by the Mafia.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisShane Gillis: Beautiful Dogs (2023)
In a rowdy stand-up set, Shane Gillis riffs on his girlfriend's Navy SEAL ex, touring George Washington's house and being bullied by an Australian Goth.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHollow Man (2000)
Cocky researcher Sebastian Caine is working on a project to make living creatures invisible. Determined to achieve the ultimate breakthrough, Caine pushes his team to move to the next phase — using himself as the subject. The test is a success, but when the process can't be reversed and Caine seems doomed to future without flesh, he starts to turn increasingly dangerous.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Horse's Mouth (1958)
Gulley Jimson is a boorish aging artist recently released from prison. A swindler in search of his next art project, he hunkers down in the penthouse of would-be patrons the Beeders while they go on an extended vacation; he paints a mural on their wall, pawns their valuables and, along with the sculptor Abel, inadvertently smashes a large hole in their floor. Jimson's next project is an even larger wall in an abandoned church.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRicky Gervais: Armageddon (2023)
Ricky Gervais dishes out controversial takes on political correctness and oversensitivity in a taboo-busting comedy special about the end of humanity.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisStretch (2014)
A hard-luck limo driver struggling to go straight and pay off a debt to his bookie takes on a job with a crazed passenger whose sought-after ledger implicates some seriously dangerous criminals.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRepo Men (2010)
In the future, medical technology has advanced to the point where people can buy artificial organs to extend their lives. But if they default on payments, an organization known as the Union sends agents to repossess the organs. Remy is one of the best agents in the business, but when he becomes the recipient of an artificial heart, he finds himself in the same dire straits as his many victims.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPretty Persuasion (2005)
A 15-year-old girl incites chaos among her friends and a media frenzy when she accuses her drama teacher of sexual harassment.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisCity of Women (1980)
The charismatic Snaporaz encounters an alluring woman on a train and pursues her through a forest. He ends up at a hotel populated by women gathered for a feminist conference, where he is an unwanted presence. Snaporaz soon discovers he’s entered a phantasmagoric world where women have taken power.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisP.O. Box Tinto Brass (1995)
A successful erotic film producer from Rome regularly receives letters from female fans seeking his advice on how to spice up their sex lives. Thanks to his years of experience in both the film business and the sex industry, he has all sorts of tips at the ready and, in an emergency, is happy to make a house call himself to demonstrate his qualities in person.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMuppets from Space (1999)
When Gonzo's breakfast cereal tells him that he's the descendant of aliens from another planet, his attempts at extraterrestrial communication get him kidnapped by a secret government agency, prompting the Muppets to spring into action to rescue their friend.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBeer Money (2001)
Three guys find a space alien in the woods and attempt to sell it to a tabloid TV show, with disastrous results.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction & comedy
The Brother from Another Planet (1984)
A mute alien with the appearance of a black human is chased by outer-space bounty hunters through the streets of Harlem.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe ChubbChubbs! (2002)
A janitor at an alien night-club gets his wish to be a singer.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTropical SOV: Bizarre Sci-fi Samba (2026)
Once again, 23 Brazilian filmmakers come together for the second Tropical SOV anthology, now exploring sci-fi in humorous stories involving aliens and their space invasions, mad scientists, time travel, dystopias, and a myriad of end-of-the-world scenarios.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction & comedy
Sphere (1998)
A spacecraft is discovered at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, presumed to be at least 300 years old and of alien origin. A crack team of scientists and experts is assembled and taken to the ocean floor to investigate. However, the ship is not as it seems and when a giant perfect sphere is discovered in the cargo bay, things begin to fall apart.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMy Dinner with Chuck (2019)
Mallory, is sitting alone at a table in a fancy restaurant, waiting for her date to arrive. Ben, finally shows up rudely talking on his phone and Mallory begins to wish she stayed home. Ben is rude and arrogant and talks down to Mallory, just as the date couldn't get worse Lacey and Darlene show up, Lacey an old friend of Ben's. The night takes a turn when the King Crab that was ordered for her begins to talk to her, his name is Chuck and after living on this planet for thousands of years he sees his life is about to end so he proposes an offer to Mallory. If Mallory allows Chuck to use her body as a new host he will promise her a new life, a better life. She agrees and a whole new journey begins.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Election (1999)
A high school teacher meets his match in an over-achieving student politician.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Prince & Me (2004)
A fairy tale love-story about pre-med student Paige who falls in love with a Danish Prince "Eddie" who refused to follow the traditions of his parents and has come to the US to quench his thirst for rebellion. Paige and Edward come from two different worlds, but there is an undeniable attraction between them.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMy Sassy Girl (2001)
A young man’s world is turned upside down when a female force of nature takes his life by storm in this outrageous and uplifting ode to true love.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Very Close Encounters of the Fourth Kind?
The closest matches to Very Close Encounters of the Fourth Kind are The Primevals (2023), Hard to Die (1990) and The Return (1980). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Very Close Encounters of the Fourth Kind?
Start with The Primevals (2023), the closest match to Very Close Encounters of the Fourth Kind.
What is the highest-rated movie like Very Close Encounters of the Fourth Kind?
South Park (Not Suitable for Children) (2023), rated 7.5/10 by 242 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Very Close Encounters of the Fourth Kind?
Tropical SOV: Bizarre Sci-fi Samba (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Italian movies like Very Close Encounters of the Fourth Kind?
Yes: City of Women (1980) and P.O. Box Tinto Brass (1995).
How are movies similar to Very Close Encounters of the Fourth Kind chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Very Close Encounters of the Fourth Kind, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.