Movies like Venom (1981)
The best movies like Venom (1981) are Dead Air (2009), Passenger 57 (1992) and Link (1986). If Venom 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 ratedDie Hard (1988)7.8/10 from 12,848 votes
- NewestDeep Water (2026)Released 2026
Dead Air (2009)
Logan Burnhardt is the ego-king of the airwaves, but his unflappable persona is put to the test when a terrorist bio-attack unleashes a plague of flesh-ripping maniacs on Los Angeles.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisPassenger 57 (1992)
Airline security specialist John Cutter, finally returning to the job after his wife's death, finds himself stuck on a flight being hijacked by notorious terrorist Charles Rane. Unfortunately for the terrorists, they're also stuck with him.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLink (1986)
Young graduate student Jane Chase becomes the new assistant to an eccentric zoology professor at the remote home he shares with two brilliant chimpanzees and an elderly orangutan butler named Link. But when one of the chimps is found dead and the professor mysteriously disappears, Link becomes dangerously aggressive towards Jane. Now, the time for “monkey business” is over and the true terror is about to begin.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDead Calm (1989)
An Australian couple takes a sailing trip in the Pacific to get over the recent loss of their son. While on the open sea, they come across a sinking ship with one survivor who is not at all what he seems.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSerpent (2017)
A romantic escape into nature turns into the ultimate moment of reckoning when a husband and wife are trapped in a tent with a deadly snake. Unable to escape and with certain death looming, the tent becomes a heated confessional to a cataclysmic truth. Betrayed, the couple finds themselves spiraling into a dark and dangerous space of which only one can survive.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisPrimate (2026)
College student Lucy and her friends spend their vacation at her family's home in Hawaii, which includes her pet chimpanzee, Ben. However, when Ben contracts rabies after being bitten by a rabid animal, the group must fight for their lives in order to avoid the now-violent chimp.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like this47 Meters Down (2017)
Two sisters on Mexican vacation are trapped in a shark observation cage at the bottom of the ocean, with oxygen running low and great whites circling nearby, they have less than an hour of air left to figure out how to get to the surface.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisRazorback (1984)
In the Australian outback a vicious wild boar kills and causes havoc to a small community.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisRansom (1996)
When a rich man's son is kidnapped, he cooperates with the police at first but then tries a unique tactic against the criminals.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRogue (2007)
When a group of tourists stumble into the remote Australian river territory of an enormous crocodile, the deadly creature traps them on a tiny mud island with the tide quickly rising and darkness descending. As the hungry predator closes in, they must fight for survival against all odds.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDeep Water (2026)
A group of international passengers on a flight from Los Angeles to Shanghai is forced to make an emergency landing in shark-infested waters. The terrified group is forced to work together and overcome their differences if they hope to escape their sinking plane and the frenzy of sharks drawn to the wreckage.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisP2 (2007)
A businesswoman finds herself locked with a unhinged security guard in a parking garage after getting stuck working late on Christmas Eve.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOrca (1977)
After witnessing the killing of his mate and offspring at the hands of a reckless Irish captain, a vengeful killer whale rampages through the fisherman's Newfoundland harbor. Under pressure from the villagers, the captain, a female marine biologist, and an Indigenous tribalist venture after the great beast, who will meet them on its own turf.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Frozen (2012)
After a harrowing snowmobile accident, a young couple is stranded in the woods and must survive while waiting for help to arrive. Events take a turn for the worse after the disappearance of Emma's boyfriend, leaving her on her own not only to battle the elements, but also to elude a mysterious hunter who is tracking her through the forest.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisJaws 2 (1978)
Police chief Brody must protect the citizens of Amity after a second monstrous shark begins terrorizing the waters.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCujo (1983)
A friendly St. Bernard named "Cujo" contracts rabies and conducts a reign of terror on a small American town.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDie Hard (1988)
High above the city of L.A. a team of terrorists has seized a building, taken hostages, and declared war. One man has manages to escape... An off-duty cop hiding somewhere inside. He's alone, tired... and the only chance anyone has got.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOpen Water (2004)
Two divers are left out at sea without a boat. There’s nothing but water for miles, unless they look at what’s underneath them...
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisDangerous Animals (2025)
A savvy and free-spirited surfer is abducted by a shark-obsessed serial killer. Held captive on his boat, she must figure out how to escape before he carries out a ritualistic feeding to the sharks below.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Nest (1988)
Horrifying shocker as a biological experiment goes haywire when meat-eating mutant roaches invade an island community, terrorizing a peaceful New England fishing village and hideously butchering its citizens.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisGreat White (2021)
A sea plane is destroyed in a freak accident, five people find themselves drifting on a raft. At the mercy of the tide and with no hope of rescue, the helpless situation takes a horrifying turn when they are terrorized by a ravenous great white.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisOpen Water 2: Adrift (2006)
A weekend cruise on a luxurious party yacht goes horribly wrong for a group of old high-school friends when they get stuck in the water many miles from shore and a happy reunion turns into a fight for survival.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Hitcher (1986)
On a stormy night, young Jim, who transports a luxury car from Chicago to California to deliver it to its owner, feeling tired and sleepy, picks up a mysterious hitchhiker, who has appeared out of nowhere, thinking that a good conversation will help him not to fall asleep. He will have enough time to deeply regret such an unmeditated decision.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAnaconda (1997)
A 'National Geographic' film crew is taken hostage by an insane hunter, who takes them along on his quest to capture the world's largest — and deadliest — snake.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisIt's Alive III: Island of the Alive (1987)
The mutant babies have been placed by court order on a deserted island. Appalled by the cynicism and exploitation by the legal system and the media, the man responsible leads an expedition to the island to free them.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisWhisper (2007)
Sinister things begin happening to kidnappers who are holding a young boy for ransom in a remote cabin.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisInto the Deep (2025)
Divers searching for sunken treasure witness the murder of drug dealers by modern-day pirates, but a killer great white is determined not to let any of them escape its waters.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisBloodline Killer (2024)
Moira Cole endeavors to rebuild her shattered life after her family's murder at the hands of her deranged and obsessed cousin.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Last Breath (2024)
A group of old college friends reunite on a Caribbean scuba diving trip exploring the wreckage of a WWII battleship and find themselves trapped inside the underwater labyrinth of rusted metal surrounded by great white sharks.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCreep (2004)
Trapped in a London subway station, a woman who's being pursued by a potential attacker heads into the unknown labyrinth of tunnels beneath the city's streets
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Venom?
The closest matches to Venom are Dead Air (2009), Passenger 57 (1992) and Link (1986). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Venom?
People who watched Venom most often go on to Dead Air (2009), Passenger 57 (1992) and Link (1986).
What is the highest-rated movie like Venom?
Die Hard (1988), rated 7.8/10 by 12,848 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Venom?
Deep Water (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Venom?
Yes: Dead Air (2009), Passenger 57 (1992) and Link (1986).
How are movies similar to Venom chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Venom, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.