Movies like When Black Birds Fly (2016)
The best movies like When Black Birds Fly (2016) are Mad God (2021), Cranston Academy: Monster Zone (2020) and Dead Space: Aftermath (2011). If When Black Birds Fly hooked you with its animation and horror, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedCoraline (2009)8.0/10 from 9,755 votes
- NewestSinners (2025)Released 2025
Mad God (2021)
A silent figure known as The Assassin travels through a nightmare underworld of tortured souls, ruined cities and wretched monstrosities forged from the primordial horrors of the unconscious mind of Phil Tippett, the world's preeminent stop-motion animator.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCranston Academy: Monster Zone (2020)
An intelligent 15-year-old high school student is unexpectedly transferred to a boarding school where he opens a portal of monsters from another dimension.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDead Space: Aftermath (2011)
The year is 2509 and not only has Earth lost contact with the Ishimura and Isaac Clarke, but now also the USG O'Bannon, the first responder ship sent to rescue them. Four crew members of the O'Bannon have survived. But what happened to the rest of the crew? What were they doing? What secrets are they keeping? All to be revealed...in the Aftermath! --- Dead Space: Aftermath is a fast paced, horrifying thrill ride told through the perspective of the four survivors by several renowned international directors. Dead Space: Aftermath is an animated film that bridges the storyline between the video games Dead Space and Dead Space 2.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBattle for Terra (2007)
A peaceful alien planet faces annihilation, as the homeless remainder of the human race sets its eyes on Terra. Mala, a rebellious Terrian teenager, will do everything she can to stop it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Spine of Night (2021)
When ancient dark magic falls into sinister hands and unleashes ages of suffering onto mankind, a group of heroes from different eras and cultures must band together in order to defeat it at all costs.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStrange World (2022)
A journey deep into an uncharted and treacherous land, where fantastical creatures await the legendary Clades—a family of explorers whose differences threaten to topple their latest, and by far most crucial, mission.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTitan A.E. (2000)
A young man finds out that he holds the key to restoring hope and ensuring survival for the human race, while an alien species called the Drej are bent on mankind's destruction.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWizards (1977)
After the death of his mother, evil mutant wizard Blackwolf discovers long-lost military technologies. Full of ego and ambition, Blackwolf claims his mother's throne, assembles an army, and sets out to brainwash and conquer Earth. Meanwhile, Blackwolf's gentle twin brother, the bearded sage Avatar, calls upon his own magical abilities to foil Blackwolf's plans for world domination — even if it means eliminating his own flesh and blood.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Venture Bros.: Radiant Is the Blood of the Baboon Heart (2023)
A nationwide manhunt for Hank Venture leads to untold dangers and unexpected revelations, while The Monarch is literally out for Dr Venture's blood. An imposing evil from the past reemerges to wreak havoc on the Ventures, The Guild, and even the Monarch marriage—it will take friends and foes alike to restore the Ventures' world to order… or end it once and for all.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDeathstroke: Knights & Dragons - The Movie (2020)
The assassin Deathstroke tries to save his family from the wrath of H.I.V.E. and the murderous Jackal.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCoraline (2009)
Wandering her rambling old house in her boring new town, 11-year-old Coraline discovers a hidden door to a strangely idealized version of her life. In order to stay in the fantasy, she must make a frighteningly real sacrifice.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & horror
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisNight of the Animated Dead (2021)
An animated retelling of ‘Night of the Living Dead’, in which a group of people in a rural farmhouse struggle to survive the threat of bloodthirsty zombies.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBatman: The Dark Knight Returns (2013)
Batman has not been seen for ten years. A new breed of criminal ravages Gotham City, forcing fifty-five-year-old Bruce Wayne back into the cape and cowl, but does he still have what it takes to fight crime in a new era?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Absolute CinemaMovies 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 animation & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Animatrix (2003)
Straight from the creators of the groundbreaking Matrix trilogy, this collection of short animated films from the world's leading anime directors fuses computer graphics and Japanese anime to provide the background of the Matrix universe and the conflict between man and machines. The shorts include Final Flight of the Osiris, The Second Renaissance, Kid's Story, Program, World Record, Beyond, A Detective Story and Matriculated.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisG.I. Joe: The Movie (1987)
G.I. Joe faces a new enemy as an ancient society of snake people known as Cobra-La try to forcefully take back the earth from those who drove them underground eons ago.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStar Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)
As the Clone Wars sweep through the galaxy, Anakin Skywalker and his new Padawan learner Ahsoka Tano plunge into a dangerous mission to rescue the kidnapped son of crime lord Jabba the Hutt.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFinal Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)
Led by a strange dream, scientist Aki Ross struggles to collect the eight spirits in the hope of creating a force powerful enough to protect the planet. With the aid of the Deep Eyes Squadron and her mentor, Dr. Sid, Aki must save the Earth from its darkest hate and unleash the spirits within.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBatman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2 (2013)
Batman has stopped the reign of terror that The Mutants had cast upon his city. Now an old foe wants a reunion and the government wants The Man of Steel to put a stop to Batman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & animation
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Transformers: The Movie (1986)
The Autobots must stop a colossal planet-consuming robot who goes after the Autobot Matrix of Leadership. At the same time, they must defend themselves against an all-out attack from the Decepticons.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEmpire of the Sharks (2018)
On a future earth where 98% of the surface is underwater, a Warlord who controls an army of sharks meets his match when he captures the daughter of a mysterious shark caller who must learn to marshal a supernatural ability if she is to free her people from the Warlord's dominion.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction & horror
A 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: Similar story and style · both animation & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNightwalkers (TBA)
Nightwalkers tells the story of a couple lost in South Texas who discover something that should have been left alone. Met coldly by the unwelcoming locals, they soon find themselves facing danger in an abandoned town.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & animation
Death Watch (1980)
In a future world where the disease has been finally defeated and everything can be sold, even the crude spectacle of death, the rare case of a dying woman becomes the morbid theme of a revolutionary reality show, broadcast through the curious eyes of a peculiar camera.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDracula, Prisoner of Frankenstein (1972)
Dracula kills another innocent victim and Dr. Seward decides it's time to wipe him off the face of the earth. Armed with a hammer and a wooden stake, he arrives at Castle Dracula and duly dispatches the vampire Count. Next day, however, Dr. Frankenstein arrives with his assistant, Morpho, and a large crate containing the monster. Using the blood of a pub singer who has been abducted by his creation, the doctor brings Dracula back to life and uses him for his own ends. The Count and a female vampire continue to terrorise the town, so Dr Seward once again sets out for Castle Dracula. Unfortunately, he is attacked by the Frankenstein monster and left for dead. Amira, a gypsy, rescues him and summons up a werewolf to do battle with the forces of evil...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Welcome to Squallitch (2024)
A short film about the serene and dream-like town of Squallitch, Greater London. Introduced by British filmmaker, Alan Brown; scrutinised by Guardian columnist, Randolph Lloyd Kopecky; later rebutted by Alan Brown and even later surrebutted by Randolph Lloyd Kopecky.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
The Rickety Man (2021)
A father discovers his children are grieving their mother's death in their own terrifying way, after having met a mysterious entity in the woods.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Sinners (2025)
Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCorpse Bride (2005)
In a 19th-century European village, a young man about to be married is whisked away to the underworld and wed to a mysterious corpse bride, while his real bride waits bereft in the land of the living.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFatal Influence: Like. Follow. Survive. (2022)
A social-media ambassador assembles a class of rising influencers. To gain followers they enter into a dangerous game of chance with a mysterious shadowy power, until all that remains is the content they were willing to do.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like When Black Birds Fly?
The closest matches to When Black Birds Fly are Mad God (2021), Cranston Academy: Monster Zone (2020) and Dead Space: Aftermath (2011). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after When Black Birds Fly?
Start with Mad God (2021), the closest match to When Black Birds Fly.
What is the highest-rated movie like When Black Birds Fly?
Coraline (2009), rated 8.0/10 by 9,755 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like When Black Birds Fly?
Sinners (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like When Black Birds Fly?
Yes: Mad God (2021), Cranston Academy: Monster Zone (2020) and Dead Space: Aftermath (2011).
How are movies similar to When Black Birds Fly chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside When Black Birds Fly, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.