Movies like School Bus (2016)
The best movies like School Bus (2016) are While the City Sleeps (1956), The Red House (1947) and Spadikam (1995). If School Bus hooked you with its drama and thriller, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedIt's a Wonderful Life (1946)8.3/10 from 5,158 votes
- NewestKnot (2025)Released 2025
- In MalayalamSpadikam (1995)Also in Malayalam
While the City Sleeps (1956)
Newspaper men compete against each other to find a serial killer dubbed "The Lipstick Killer".
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Red House (1947)
An old man and his sister are concealing a terrible secret from their adopted teen daughter, concerning a hidden abandoned farmhouse, located deep in the woods.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSpadikam (1995)
Chacko Master, a school headmaster, is never happy with his son, Thomas, and always degrades him. Having had enough of his ill treatment, Thomas runs away from home only to return as a gangster after long.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDeath of a Salesman (1985)
Willy Loman, an aging, failing salesman, struggles to accept reality and his failure to achieve the American Dream.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIt Always Rains on Sunday (1947)
During a rainy Sunday afternoon, an escaped prisoner tries to hide out at the home of his ex-fiance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRorschach (2022)
When Luke Antony's wife goes missing, he sets off to search for her and stumbles upon the Balan family. However, terrorising events start occurring as Luke grows closer to them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Boy Who Could Fly (1986)
Milly and Louis, and their recently-widowed mom, Charlene, move to a new neighborhood. Once there, they all deal with a variety of personal problems, but Milly finds a friend in Eric, her autistic next door neighbor. Eric has a fascination with flight, and as the story progresses, he exerts an enthralling force of change on all those around him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIt's a Wonderful Life (1946)
George Bailey has spent his entire life giving to the people of Bedford Falls. All that prevents rich skinflint Mr. Potter from taking over the entire town is George's modest building and loan company. But on Christmas Eve the business's $8,000 is lost and George's troubles begin.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisBambi (1942)
Bambi's tale unfolds from season to season as the young prince of the forest learns about life, love, and friends.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFar from Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog (1995)
Teenager Angus adopts a stray dog and names him Yellow. Several days later, while travelling along the coast of British Columbia with Angus's father, John, the boy and dog become stranded when turbulent waters capsize their boat. Angus's parents relentlessly badger rescue teams. Angus, schooled by his father in wilderness survival skills, and assisted by the intelligent Yellow Dog, tries to attract rescuers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMy Name Is Julia Ross (1945)
Julia Ross secures employment with a wealthy widow and goes to live at her house. Two days later, she awakens in a different house in different clothes and with a new identity.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisExecutive Suite (1954)
When the head of a large manufacturing firm dies suddenly from a stroke, his vice-presidents vie to see who will replace him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBambi II (2006)
Return to the forest and join Bambi as he reunites with his father, The Great Prince, who must now raise the young fawn on his own. But in the adventure of a lifetime, the proud parent discovers there is much he can learn from his spirited young son.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCahill: United States Marshal (1973)
J.D. Cahill is the toughest U.S. Marshal they've got, just the sound of his name makes bad guys stop in their tracks, so when his two young boy's want to get his attention they decide to rob a bank. They end up getting more than they bargained for.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Yearling (1946)
Jody convinces his parents to allow him to adopt a young deer, but what will happen if the deer misbehaves?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTwitches Too (2007)
Reunited witch twins Camryn and Alex adjust to their new life as supernatural beings while at the same time trying to maintain a normal existence in this sequel to the magical Disney Channel original movie Twitches. But they soon find themselves going head to head with the forces of darkness that threaten to destroy their world. Luckily, their birth mother, the powerful Miranda, is on hand to help out.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDog Gone (2023)
When his beloved dog goes missing, a young man embarks on an incredible search with his parents to find him and give him life-saving medication.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Greening of Whitney Brown (2011)
Whitney, a spoiled pre-teen from Philadelphia, is forced to move to the country when her parents feel the squeeze of economic hard times. A fish out of water, far from her comfort zone, she befriends an amazing horse, and undertakes a misguided journey back to her old life, only to discover that her family is her home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisBigger Than Life (1956)
A friendly, successful suburban teacher and father grows dangerously addicted to cortisone, resulting in his transformation into a household despot.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAll That Money Can Buy (1941)
Farmer Jabez Stone, about to lose his land, agrees to sell his soul to the devil, known as Mr. Scratch, who gives Jabez seven years to enjoy the fruits of his sale before he collects. Over that time, Jabez pays off his debts and helps many neighboring farmers, then becomes an advocate for the upstanding Sen. Daniel Webster. When Jabez's contract with Mr. Scratch concludes, he desperately turns to Webster to represent him in a trial for his soul.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like this1 by Two (2014)
Hari and Ravi are identical twins who share a very delicate and special emotional bond. When Hari dies in an accident, Ravi goes into a strange state of psychosis. Yousuf, a cop tries to uncover the mystery involved in the case.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Knot (2025)
Glória manages to get a divorce and moves away, taking her daughters and the desire to start over. As she tries to turn the new house into a home and her body into a place of belonging, she faces, on the factory floor, a delicate competition for a supervisor position between colleagues and her best friend. Courage takes shape as anguish seeps into the flesh.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Sundowners (1960)
In the Australian Outback, the Carmody family--Paddy, Ida, and their teenage son Sean--are sheep drovers, always on the move. Ida and Sean want to settle down and buy a farm. Paddy wants to keep moving. A sheep-shearing contest, the birth of a child, drinking, gambling, and a racehorse will all have a part in the final decision.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLonely are the Brave (1962)
A fiercely independent cowboy arranges to have himself locked up in jail in order to then escape with an old friend who has been sentenced to the penitentiary.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBiter (TBA)
After a fight with his mom, a dysfunctional 16-year-old with a habit of biting is taken to an abusive, remote therapy program in the woods for troubled teens, where he is forced to confront his aggressive instincts to grow and find some semblance of inner peace.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Loop (2017)
Some time ago, Mima had a car accident and a man died. She has almost managed to forget about it when someone starts sending her birthday cards perfumed with a man's fragrance.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Gipsy Queen (2019)
Disowned by her Romani community for having a child out of wedlock, a former boxing prodigy returns to the ring to build a new life for her children.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Harry and Tonto (1974)
Harry Coombes is a retired teacher in his 70s who has lived in the Upper West Side of New York City all his life. When his building is torn down to make way for a parking garage, Harry and his beloved cat Tonto begin a journey across the United States — visiting his children, seeing a world he never seemed to have the time to see before, making new friends, and saying goodbye to old friends.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisYou Are Here (2020)
Two brothers plan to spend quality time together on a weekend hike, but when things go wrong they are forced to confront a rift in their relationship.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Umrika (2015)
When a young village boy discovers that his brother, long believed to be in America, has actually gone missing, he begins to invent letters on his behalf to save their mother from heartbreak, all the while searching for him.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like School Bus?
The closest matches to School Bus are While the City Sleeps (1956), The Red House (1947) and Spadikam (1995). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after School Bus?
Start with While the City Sleeps (1956), the closest match to School Bus.
What is the highest-rated movie like School Bus?
It's a Wonderful Life (1946), rated 8.3/10 by 5,158 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like School Bus?
Knot (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Malayalam movies like School Bus?
Yes: Spadikam (1995), Rorschach (2022) and 1 by Two (2014).
How are movies similar to School Bus chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside School Bus, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.