Movies like Essence of Terror (1998)
The best movies like Essence of Terror (1998) are Limitless (2011), Powder (1995) and Every Day (2018). If Essence of Terror hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Essence of Terror
Quick picks
- Highest ratedTrainspotting (1996)8.0/10 from 10,834 votes
- NewestZip Wire (2026)Released 2026
Limitless (2011)
The life of an unsuccessful writer is transformed by a top-secret 'smart drug' that allows him to use 100% of his brain and become a perfect version of himself. His enhanced abilities soon attract shadowy forces that threaten his new life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPowder (1995)
Harassed by classmates who won't accept his shocking appearance, a shy young man known as "Powder" struggles to fit in. But the cruel taunts stop when Powder displays a mysterious power that allows him to do incredible things. This phenomenon changes the lives of all those around him in ways they never could have imagined.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEvery Day (2018)
16-year old Rhiannon falls in love with a mysterious spirit named “A” that inhabits a different body every day. Feeling an unmatched connection, Rhiannon and “A” work each day to find each other, not knowing what the next day will bring.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Scanner Darkly (2006)
An undercover cop in a not-too-distant future becomes involved with a dangerous new drug and begins to lose his own identity as a result.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Angry Black Girl and Her Monster (2023)
Vicaria is a brilliant teenager who believes death is a disease that can be cured. After the brutal and sudden murder of her brother, she embarks on a dangerous journey to bring him back to life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Cider House Rules (1999)
Homer is an orphan who was never adopted, becoming the favorite of orphanage director Dr. Larch. Dr. Larch imparts his full medical knowledge on Homer, who becomes a skilled, albeit unlicensed, physician. But Homer yearns for a self-chosen life outside the orphanage. What will Homer learn about life and love in the cider house? What of the destiny that Dr. Larch has planned for him?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKick-Ass (2010)
Dave Lizewski is an unnoticed high school student and comic book fan who one day decides to become a super-hero, even though he has no powers, training or meaningful reason to do so.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNight of the Juggler (1980)
When a twisted psychotic kidnaps a young girl, mistaking her for the daughter of a wealthy developer, her father, a hardened ex-cop, doggedly hunts them through New York's seamy streets.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSide Street (1950)
A struggling young father-to-be gives in to temptation and impulsively steals an envelope of money from the office of a corrupt attorney. Instead of a few hundred dollars, it contains $30,000. When he decides to return the money, things go wrong - and that is only the beginning of his troubles.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisZip Wire (2026)
When her ground-breaking pharmaceutical discovery is stolen and partner murdered, researcher Amy must face her fear of heights to escape nefarious attackers, with the only path to salvation being a treacherous aerial runway. To outsmart the mysterious hostiles, she has to summon every ounce of courage to protect the world-changing scientific discovery — and herself — before it's too late.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTrainspotting (1996)
Heroin addict Mark Renton stumbles through bad ideas and sobriety attempts with his unreliable friends --Sick Boy, Begbie, Spud and Tommy. He also has an underage girlfriend, Diane, along for the ride. After cleaning up and moving from Edinburgh to London, Mark finds he can't escape the life he left behind as Begbie and Sick Boy come knocking.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisAll the Money in the World (2017)
The story of the kidnapping of 16-year-old John Paul Getty III and the desperate attempt by his devoted mother to convince his billionaire grandfather Jean Paul Getty to pay the ransom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies 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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Knight's War (2025)
A fearless knight braves a deadly realm to save the Chosen One’s soul. Facing witches, demons, and brutal foes, he discovers her return could ignite chaos and doom humanity.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGringo (2018)
An American businessman with a stake in a pharmaceutical company that's about to go public finds his life is thrown into turmoil by an incident in Mexico.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Invisible (2007)
After an attack leaves him in limbo -- invisible to the living and also near death -- a teenager discovers the only person who might be able help him is his attacker.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEli (2019)
A boy named Eli with a rare autoimmune disorder is confined to a special experimental clinic for his treatment. He soon begins experiencing supernatural forces, turning the supposedly safe facility into a haunted prison for him and his fellow patients.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJericho Ridge (2024)
North Washington county sheriff Tabby finds herself alone in the sheriff’s office one night while her colleagues are out on patrol, but she soon finds out they’ve been set up by a murderous drug cartel while she herself comes under siege at the office, where she must battle desperately to save herself and her son.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Marine 6: Close Quarters (2018)
Jake Carter and another former Marine, Luke Trapper, join forces to rescue a young kidnapped girl from a gang of international criminals.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisUnthinkable (2010)
The government gets wind of a plot to destroy America involving a trio of nuclear weapons for which the whereabouts are unknown. It's up to a seasoned interrogator and an FBI agent to find out exactly where the nukes are.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Essence of Terror?
The closest matches to Essence of Terror are Limitless (2011), Powder (1995) and Every Day (2018). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Essence of Terror?
Start with Limitless (2011), the closest match to Essence of Terror.
What is the highest-rated movie like Essence of Terror?
Trainspotting (1996), rated 8.0/10 by 10,834 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Essence of Terror?
Zip Wire (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Essence of Terror?
Yes: Limitless (2011), Powder (1995) and Every Day (2018).
How are movies similar to Essence of Terror chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Essence of Terror, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.