Movies like The Shallows (2016)
The best movies like The Shallows (2016) are Bird Box (2018), Dead Calm (1989) and Sea Fever (2020). If The Shallows hooked you with its horror and drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedJaws (1975)7.7/10 from 12,018 votes
- NewestThe Devil's Mouth (2026)Released 2026
Bird Box (2018)
Five years after an ominous unseen presence drives most of society to suicide, a survivor and her two children make a desperate bid to reach safety.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · 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: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSea Fever (2020)
The crew of a West of Ireland trawler—marooned at sea—struggle for their lives against a growing parasite in their water supply.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies 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: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJaws (1975)
When the seaside community of Amity finds itself under attack by a dangerous great white shark, the town's chief of police, a young marine biologist, and a grizzled shark hunter embark on a desperate quest to kill the beast before it strikes again.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies 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: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDead Sea (2024)
Stranded in the open sea after a fatal accident, a young woman and her two friends are rescued by a fishing vessel's captain, unaware that the ship harbors a chilling secret.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · 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: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
SnoozefestMovies 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: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThrash (2026)
When a catastrophic hurricane slams a coastal town, stranded residents must survive rapidly rising waters swarming with ravenous sharks.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & horror
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 thisNo Way Up (2024)
Characters from different backgrounds are thrown together when the plane they're travelling on crashes into the Pacific Ocean. A nightmare fight for survival ensues with the air supply running out and dangers creeping in from all sides.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Devil's Mouth (2026)
A group of college friends' Thailand adventure turns deadly when they become trapped in submerged caves with a dangerous predator. As oxygen runs low, past conflicts emerge in their desperate fight for survival.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBeast of War (2025)
When their boat sinks while crossing the Timor Sea during World War II, a troop of young Australian soldiers must find a way to survive the harsh seas on a quickly shrinking raft. Hundreds of miles from anywhere, they must confront interpersonal conflicts, enemy attacks, and the advances of one very large, very hungry great white shark.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & horror
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: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisOld (2021)
A group of families on a tropical holiday discover that the secluded beach where they are staying is somehow causing them to age rapidly – reducing their entire lives into a single day.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDeliverance (1972)
Intent on seeing the Cahulawassee River before it's turned into one huge lake, outdoor fanatic Lewis Medlock takes his friends on a river-rafting trip they'll never forget into the dangerous American back-country.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGrindhouse (2007)
Grindhouse combines Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror, a horror comedy about a group of survivors who battle zombie-like creatures, and Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof, an action thriller about a murderous stuntman who kills young women with modified vehicles. It is presented as a double feature with fictitious exploitation trailers preceding each segment.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & horror
Worth the HypeMovies 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: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies 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: Similar story and style · both horror & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisAliens vs Predator: Requiem (2007)
After a horrifying PredAlien crash-lands near a small Colorado town, killing everyone it encounters and producing countless Alien offspring, a lone Predator arrives to "clean up" the infestation.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller & horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe State I Am In (2001)
Clara and Hans are left-wing terrorists who have been sought by police for almost fifteen years. Their increasingly rebellious daughter Jeanne begins to pose a threat to their security when she falls in love with a boy she meets on the beach.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKing Kong (1933)
Adventurous filmmaker Carl Denham sets out to produce a motion picture unlike anything the world has seen before. Alongside his leading lady Ann Darrow and his first mate Jack Driscoll, they arrive on an island and discover a legendary creature said to be neither beast nor man. Denham captures the monster to be displayed on Broadway as King Kong, the eighth wonder of the world.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKing Kong (2005)
In 1933 New York, an overly ambitious movie producer coerces his cast and hired ship crew to travel to mysterious Skull Island, where they encounter Kong, a giant ape who is immediately smitten with the leading lady.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCherry on Top (2024)
A girl with a bunny head tries to scape from her hunted reality when she discovers a group of colorful and hungry girls to be a part of...but things are not as sweet as it seems
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Predator (1987)
A team of elite commandos on a secret mission in a Central American jungle come to find themselves hunted by an extraterrestrial warrior.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWar of the Worlds (2005)
Ray Ferrier is a divorced dockworker and less-than-perfect father. Soon after his ex-wife and her new husband drop off his teenage son and young daughter for a rare weekend visit, a strange and powerful lightning storm touches down.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPredator 2 (1990)
A police chief in the war-torn streets of Los Angeles discovers that an extraterrestrial creature is hunting down residents - and that he is the next target.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAu-delà des liens : le jour ou nous sommes morts (2026)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Like The Shallows and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Shallows?
The closest matches to The Shallows are Bird Box (2018), Dead Calm (1989) and Sea Fever (2020). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Shallows?
Start with Bird Box (2018), the closest match to The Shallows.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Shallows?
Jaws (1975), rated 7.7/10 by 12,018 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Shallows?
The Devil's Mouth (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Shallows?
Yes: Bird Box (2018), Dead Calm (1989) and Sea Fever (2020).
How are movies similar to The Shallows chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Shallows, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.