Movies like Cult Killer (2006)
The best movies like Cult Killer (2006) are Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple (2006), Deliver Us from Evil (2006) and Tales of the Grim Sleeper (2014). If Cult Killer hooked you with its documentary and crime, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedMommy Dead and Dearest (2017)7.4/10 from 263 votes
- NewestMaternal Instinct (2026)Released 2026
Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple (2006)
Featuring never-before-seen footage, this documentary delivers a startling new look at the Peoples Temple, headed by preacher Jim Jones who, in 1978, led more than 900 members to Guyana, where he orchestrated a mass suicide via tainted punch.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDeliver Us from Evil (2006)
Documentary filmmaker Amy Berg investigates the life of 30-year pedophile Father Oliver O'Grady and exposes the corruption inside the Catholic Church that allowed him to abuse countless children. Victims' stories and a disturbing interview with O'Grady offer a view into the troubled mind of the spiritual leader who moved from parish to parish gaining trust ... all the while betraying so many.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTales of the Grim Sleeper (2014)
When Lonnie Franklin Jr. was arrested in South Central Los Angeles in 2010 as the suspected murderer of a string of young black women, police hailed it as the culmination of 20 years of investigations. Four years later documentary filmmaker Nick Broomfield took his camera to the alleged killer’s neighborhood for another view.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTed Bundy: Mind of a Monster (2019)
New exclusive access and never before heard testimony gives a unique insight into the mind of America's most notorious serial killer, Ted Bundy. Breathtaking archive from the time and the voice of Bundy himself, reveals the monster inside the man.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMaternal Instinct (2026)
Police pull over a woman who claims she just gave birth. But the baby — and the blood — aren't hers. Twisted lies unravel in this true-crime documentary.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Mystery of D.B. Cooper (2020)
This documentary brings to life the stories of four people believed by their family and friends to be “DB Cooper,” a man who hijacked a 727 flying out of Seattle and jumped from the plane over the wilds of Washington State with a parachute and $200,000, never to be heard from again.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator (2019)
The spectacular rise and scandalous fall of hot-yoga evangelist Bikram Choudhury is chronicled through archival footage and extensive insider interviews.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLouis Theroux: Twilight of the Porn Stars (2012)
In 1997, Louis Theroux made a documentary about the world of male porn performers in Los Angeles. 15 years later, he returns to find a business struggling with the deluge of free porn on the internet. Louis revisits some of the original programme's contributors as well as meeting the latest crop of porn performers dreaming of porn stardom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDirty John: The Dirty Truth (2019)
John Meehan created a terrifying trap of seduction, deceit and betrayal for countless victims. The illuminating revelations into his backstory showcase a series of events that flipped switches to create a monster wired for psychopathy. Goffard exposes John’s troubled background that built the foundation for his ominous fantasy world of lies and manipulation. In addition to hearing the Newell family’s terrifying tale, John’s first wife Tonia Bales and her daughters Emily and Abigail Meehan speak out, along with other women from his past who were caught in his web of lies.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Crash (2026)
A teen slams her car into a building, killing her boyfriend and his friend. What seems like a tragic accident becomes a murder case.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPredators (2025)
In the mid-aughts, Dateline NBC's To Catch a Predator drew millions of weekly viewers to watch sting operations: men planning to meet minors for sex would instead be confronted by polished host Chris Hansen, then by the police — all on hidden camera.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisVoyeur (2017)
Legendary journalist Gay Talese unmasks a motel owner who spied on his guests for decades. But his bombshell story soon becomes a scandal of its own.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & crime
SnoozefestMovies like this4 Little Girls (1997)
On September 15, 1963, a bomb destroyed a black church in Birmingham, Alabama, killing four young girls who were there for Sunday school. It was a crime that shocked the nation--and a defining moment in the history of the civil-rights movement. Spike Lee re-examines the full story of the bombing, including a revealing interview with former Alabama Governor George Wallace.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMarvel Studios: Assembling a Universe (2014)
A look at the story behind Marvel Studios and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, featuring interviews and behind-the-scenes footage from all of the Marvel films, the Marvel One-Shots and "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLong Shot (2017)
When Juan Catalan is arrested for a murder he insists he didn't commit, he builds his case for innocence around unexpected raw footage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMommy Dead and Dearest (2017)
Child abuse, mental illness, and forbidden love converge in this mystery involving a mother and daughter who were thought to be living a fairy tale life that turned out to be a living nightmare.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAileen: Queen of the Serial Killers (2025)
Aileen Wuornos remains a rarity: a female serial killer. From childhood abuse to death-row revelations, this documentary revisits her life and crimes.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Accountant of Auschwitz (2018)
Oskar Gröning, known as the "Accountant of Auschwitz," was charged with the murder of 300,000 Jews. When he took the stand in 2015, at the age of 94, his trial made headlines worldwide.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDavid Bowie: Five Years (2013)
Featuring a wealth of previously unseen archive, this film looks at how Bowie continually evolved: from Ziggy Stardust to the Soul Star of Young Americans, to the ‘Thin White Duke’. It explores his regeneration in Berlin with the critically acclaimed album Heroes, his triumph with Scary Monsters and his global success with Let’s Dance. With interviews with all his closest collaborators, David Bowie - Five Years presents a unique account of why Bowie has become an ‘icon of our times’.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOut of Thin Air (2017)
Set within the stark Icelandic landscape, OUT OF THIN AIR examines the 1976 police investigation into the disappearance of two men in the early 1970s.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisDisciples: The Cult of TB Joshua (2024)
BBC Africa Eye unravel a shocking journey into a maze of manipulation and terrifying atrocities, perpetrated by one of the most powerful religious figures of the 21st century. This investigation contains detailed first-person testimony and historical footage as it delves into the experiences of those who were wooed by the world-famous pastor into his religious cult, only to suffer devastating consequences. Twelve survivors go on record, speaking out together for the first time.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Even as Eve (1920)
Eileen O'Hara lives as a member of a cult in a remote retreat in the Adirondacks with her father, an embittered man since his wife's infidelity years earlier. Because his wife was untrue, O'Hara is determined that his daughter, Eileen, shall never marry. Peyster Sproul was the man who had the affair Mrs. O'Hara's infidelity, and when he shows up as president of the Sagamore Club and attempts to buy O'Hara's land, the two men come to blows.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
El Palmar de Troya (2020)
On March 30, 1968, four 12 and 13-year-old girls claimed that the Virgin Mary had appeared on the Alcaparrosa estate, one kilometer from the village of El Palmar de Troya, in the province of Seville. Weeks later, several neighbors affirmed that they had seen other appearances and in the summer of that same year an altar was built that would be the first stone of the Palmarian Christian church. In June 2018, Ginés, the last Pope of El Palmar de Troya, and his wife assaulted, with brawl included, the congregation’s facilities. Scandals, the shadow of sexual abuse, unlikely anecdotes and all kinds of accusations have marked the more than 50 years of this religious congregation to which some consider church and many others a great sect.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
The Dunwich Horror (2009)
In Louisiana, in the wicked Whateley House, Lavina delivers two babies whose fate is written. Ten years later, three scholars of the occult discover that one page of the “Necronomicon,” the unspeakable book, is missing and the Black Brotherhood has summoned the ancient gate keeper to free legions of evil gods and monsters from the dimension of chaos.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Backwoods (2009)
A group of friends embark on a camping trip for a ten-year high school reunion. Their celebration soon turns into a battle for survival when they realize that the locals, who are not what they seem, are hunting them down.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
SnoozefestMovies like thisAliens from Spaceship Earth (1977)
While the aliens in this film may seem to be quite human, one must realize that we're dealing with close encounters of the fourth kind. An inner space journey triggered by the drug culture and rebellion of the 1960s, and the non-violent search for self that continues among people in today's culture. Could this be due to some influence from a higher spiritual consciousness? The world's alien leaders are well represented in this film: Baba Muktananda, Swami Satchidananda, A. C. Bhaktivedanta, Guru Maharaj Ji, Yoga Bhahan, Sri Sathya, Sai Baba, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Father Yod, Baba Ram Das, and well-known personalities who present their views on seeking their own terrestrial individuality.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Highlander: The Source (2007)
The world is falling into chaos. As he roams a crumbling city, Duncan MacLeod, the Highlander, remembers happier times before the love of his life left... Hopeless and alone, MacLeod finds his way to a band of immortal companions, including his mysterious friend Methos, and a mortal, Watcher Joe Dawson. Together this small group sets out on a quest to find the origin of the first Immortal.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Community (2014)
The fuzzy boundaries between sanity and insanity in an isolated Christian group come to light when one of its members dies in strange circumstances. Since then, a harsh judicial process jeopardizes their fate as a group. A story about faith and social prejudices.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Jesus Camp (2006)
A documentary on kids who attend a summer camp hoping to become the next Billy Graham.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisJoin Us (2007)
At the Mountain Rock Church in South Carolina, Pastor Raimund Melz leads a small Christian cult that justifies brutal actions like child abuse with the words of the Old Testament. Documentarian Ondi Timoner focuses on one family in particular, who left the church with plans to file charges against Melz before eventually checking into a one-of-a-kind cult treatment center. Timoner's film follows their journey as they receive psychological help and then return home to confront their former pastor.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Cult Killer?
The closest matches to Cult Killer are Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple (2006), Deliver Us from Evil (2006) and Tales of the Grim Sleeper (2014). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Cult Killer?
Start with Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple (2006), the closest match to Cult Killer.
What is the highest-rated movie like Cult Killer?
Mommy Dead and Dearest (2017), rated 7.4/10 by 263 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Cult Killer?
Maternal Instinct (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Cult Killer?
Yes: Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple (2006), Deliver Us from Evil (2006) and Tales of the Grim Sleeper (2014).
How are movies similar to Cult Killer chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Cult Killer, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.