Movies like The Ape (1940)
The best movies like The Ape (1940) are Circle (2015), The Tingler (1959) and Blood of the Vampire (1958). If The Ape hooked you with its horror and mystery, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Invisible Man (1933)7.5/10 from 1,010 votes
- NewestCircle (2015)Released 2015
Circle (2015)
In a massive, mysterious chamber, fifty strangers awaken to find themselves trapped with no memory of how they got there. Organized in an inward-facing circle and unable to move, they quickly learn that every two minutes, one of them must die…executed by a strange device in the center of the room.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Tingler (1959)
A pathologist experiments with a deaf-mute woman who is unable to scream to prove that humans die of fright due to an organism he names The Tingler that lives within each person on the spinal cord and is suppressed only when people scream when scared.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBlood of the Vampire (1958)
A man and wife are terrorized by Mad Scientist Dr. Callistratus who was executed but has returned to life with a heart transplant. Along with his crippled assistant Carl, the 'anemic' Mad Scientist, believed to be a vampire, conducts blood deficiency research on the inmates of a prison hospital for the criminally insane to sustain his return to life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Man They Could Not Hang (1939)
Dr. Henryk Savaard is a scientist working on experiments to restore life to the dead. When he is unjustly hanged for murder, he is brought back to life by his trusted assistant. Re-animated he turns decidedly nasty and sets about murdering the jury that convicted him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTarantula (1955)
A rogue scientist near a small desert town arouses the suspicion of the town's doctor when his lab assistant is found dead from a case of acromegaly, which took only four days to develop. As the doctor investigates, aided by the scientist's new female assistant, they discover that something is devouring local cattle and humans in increasingly large quantities.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIsland of Lost Souls (1932)
An obsessed scientist conducts profane experiments in evolution, eventually establishing himself as the self-styled demigod to a race of mutated, half-human abominations.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Curse of Frankenstein (1957)
Baron Victor Frankenstein has discovered life's secret and unleashed a blood-curdling chain of events resulting from his creation: a cursed creature with a horrid face — and a tendency to kill.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Invisible Man (1933)
After experimenting on himself and becoming invisible, scientist Jack Griffin, now aggressive due to the drug's effects, seeks a way to reverse the experiment at any cost.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCreature from the Black Lagoon (1954)
When scientists exploring the Amazon River stumble on a “missing link” connecting humans and fish, they plan to capture it for later study. But the Creature has plans of his own, and has set his sights on the lead scientist's beautiful fiancée, Kay.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBride of Frankenstein (1935)
After recovering from injuries sustained in the mob attack upon himself and his creation, Dr. Henry Frankenstein falls under control of his former mentor, Dr. Pretorius, who insists the now-chastened doctor resume his experiments in creating new life. Meanwhile, the Monster remains on the run from those who wish to destroy him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGigantis, the Fire Monster (1959)
A prehistoric monster called Gigantis emerges alongside another creature named Angurus.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Secret of NIMH (1982)
A widowed field mouse must move her family -- including an ailing son -- to escape a farmer's plow. Aided by a crow and a pack of superintelligent, escaped lab rats, the brave mother struggles to transplant her home to firmer ground.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisIsland of Terror (1966)
When a small island community becomes overrun with creeping, blobbish, tentacled monsters that liquefy and digest the bones from living creatures, the community struggles to fight back.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Invisible Man Returns (1940)
The owner of a coal mining operation, falsely imprisoned for fratricide, takes a drug to make him invisible, despite its side effect: gradual madness.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDoctor Who: Planet of the Dead (2009)
A meeting in a London bus with jewel thief Lady Christina takes a turn for the worse for the Doctor when the bus takes a detour to a desert-like planet, where the deadly Swarm awaits.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFrankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943)
After being resurrected by grave robbers, Larry Talbot searches for Dr. Frankenstein in the hopes of being cured of his lycanthropy. The mad scientist may turn out to be dead, but his monster is just waiting to be found…
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGodzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956)
During an assignment, foreign correspondent Steve Martin spends a layover in Tokyo and is caught amid the rampage of an unstoppable prehistoric monster the Japanese call 'Godzilla'. The only hope for both Japan and the world lies on a secret weapon, which may prove more destructive than the monster itself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCarnival of Souls (1962)
Mary Henry ends up the sole survivor of a fatal car accident through mysterious circumstances. Trying to put the incident behind her, she moves to Utah and takes a job as a church organist. But her fresh start is interrupted by visions of a fiendish man. As the visions begin to occur more frequently, Mary finds herself drawn to the deserted carnival on the outskirts of town. The strangely alluring carnival may hold the secret to her tragic past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisX: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963)
A doctor uses special eye drops to give himself x-ray vision, but the new power has disastrous consequences.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Ghost of Frankenstein (1942)
Frankenstein's unscrupulous colleague, Dr. Bohmer, plans to transplant Ygor's brain so he can rule the world using the monster's body, but the plan goes sour when he turns malevolent and goes on a rampage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisGo and Get It (1920)
Wrestling legend Bull Montana plays a murderous gorilla with a human brain transplant who is tracked by a feisty newspaper reporter.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery & horror
Black Friday (1940)
University professor George Kingsley is struck by gangsters while crossing the street, leaving him with brain damage and one of the gangsters, Cannon, paralyzed. Kingsley's friend Dr. Sovac attends to both men, and when Cannon offers him a reward for aiding his recovery, Kovac transplants part of Cannon's brain into the dying Kingsley's skull, creating a dual personality.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSomething Wicked This Way Comes (1983)
In a small American town, a diabolical circus arrives, granting wishes for the townsfolk, but twisted as only the esteemed Mr. Dark can make them. Can two young boys overcome the worst the devil himself can deal out?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisReturn of the Ape Man (1944)
The discovery of a perfectly preserved caveman prompts a mad scientist to attempt a daring brain transplant.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & science fiction
Homicidal (1961)
A woman named Emily checks into a hotel and offers the bellboy $2000 to temporarily marry her. We soon find out Emily is the caretaker of a wheelchair-bound mute named Helga, who was the childhood guardian of a pair of siblings: Miriam Webster and her half-brother, Warren, who is about to inherit the estate of their late father. Who is the mysterious Emily and what are her intentions?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Black Cat (1941)
Greedy heirs wait in a mansion for a rich cat lover to die, only to learn her cats come first.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Bride (1985)
Doctor Frankenstein creates a mate for his monster, a woman called Eva, who promptly rejects the male creature. In turn, the doctor becomes obsessed with Eva, and tries to make her a perfect Victorian woman. Meanwhile, the male creature embarks on a journey of self-discovery, alongside a dwarf named Rinaldo.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction & horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Devil Commands (1941)
A story about a scientist who is obsessed with communicating with the dead.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & science fiction
The Man Who Changed His Mind (1936)
Dr. Laurence, a once-respectable scientist, begins to research the origin of the mind and the soul. The science community rejects him, and he risks losing everything for which he has worked. He begins to use his discoveries to save his research and further his own causes, thereby becoming ... a mad scientist, almost unstoppable.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & science fiction
Zombie Death House (1988)
A renegade federal agent uses a new drug to create an army of unbeatable warriors.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & science fiction
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Ape?
The closest matches to The Ape are Circle (2015), The Tingler (1959) and Blood of the Vampire (1958). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Ape?
Start with Circle (2015), the closest match to The Ape.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Ape?
The Invisible Man (1933), rated 7.5/10 by 1,010 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Ape?
Circle (2015) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Ape?
Yes: Circle (2015), The Tingler (1959) and Blood of the Vampire (1958).
How are movies similar to The Ape chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Ape, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.