Movies like The Return (1973)
The best movies like The Return (1973) are Bad Sister (2015), Miss Marple: 4.50 from Paddington (1987) and The Spider's Stratagem (1970). If The Return hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedA Man Called Otto (2022)7.7/10 from 3,861 votes
- NewestWhalefall (2026)Released 2026
- In ItalianThe Spider's Stratagem (1970)Also in Italian
Bad Sister (2015)
As a top student at St. Adeline's Catholic Boarding School, Zoe senses that something is not quite right about the school's new nun-- a sense proven to be true when it is revealed the "good' nun is an imposter with a fatal attraction to Zoe's brother.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMiss Marple: 4.50 from Paddington (1987)
Travelling on the 4.50 from Paddington, Mrs McGillicuddy witnesses a murder on a passing train - but where is the body?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Spider's Stratagem (1970)
A young man returns to his countryside hometown to investigate the unclear circumstances behind the death of his father, ostensibly killed by Fascists in 1936, before his birth. As he unravels a web of lies that seems to encompass the whole town, he finds himself entangled in the same web.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSimple Men (1992)
Two diametrically opposite brothers set off on a journey to reunite with their estranged father but when their motorcycle breaks down while passing through a small town, they become entangled in local life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhalefall (2026)
Following the death of his father, Jay Gardiner goes diving off the central Coast of California in search of his remains, but is swallowed by a massive sperm whale. While trapped inside its belly with only one hour of oxygen left, Jay comes to realize that the hard-earned lessons his father imparted may be the key to his escape.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTraffik (2018)
A couple off for a romantic weekend in the mountains are accosted by a biker gang. Alone in the mountains, Brea and John must defend themselves against the gang, who will stop at nothing to protect their secrets.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSorry, Wrong Number (1948)
Leona Stevenson is confined to bed and uses her telephone to keep in contact with the outside world. One day she overhears a murder plot on the telephone and is desperate to find out who is the intended victim.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Narrow Margin (1952)
A tough cop meets his match when he has to guard a gangster's widow on a train journey from Chicago to Los Angeles.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisStealing Home (1988)
Billy Wyatt, a former high school and minor-league baseball player, receives a telephone call from his mother revealing that his former child-sitter, and later in his teens, his first love, Katie Chandler, has died. Wyatt returns home to deal with this tragedy, reminiscing over his childhood growing up with his father, Katie, and best friend Alan Appleby.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Cycle (2026)
A daughter unravels her father's dark past after his body, missing for 36 years, is found at a horrific crime scene.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror (1942)
England, at the start of World War Two. Mysterious wireless broadcasts, apparently from Nazi Germany are heard over the BBC. They warn of acts of terror in England, just before they take place. Baffled, the Defense Committee call in Sherlock Holmes.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisInheritance (2025)
When Maya learns her father Sam was once a spy, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an international conspiracy. As she seeks answers, Maya herself becomes a target and must quickly learn the skills of her father.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisFluke (1995)
Workaholic Thomas Johnson dies in an auto accident and reincarnates as a dog. Remembering some of his previous being, he returns to his wife and son to protect them from the man who caused his accident. But, as time goes by, his memories return, and Thomas realizes he wasn't such a good husband and father.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMurder at the Gallop (1963)
Miss Marple and Mr. Stringer are witnesses to the death by heart attack of elderly, rich Mr. Enderby. Yet they have their doubts about what happened. The police don't believe them, thus leading Miss Marple to yet again investigate by herself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Wrinkle in Time (2003)
Meg and Charles Wallace are aided by Calvin and three interesting women in the search for their father who disappeared during a government experiment. Their travels take them around the universe to a place unlike any other.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRemember (2015)
With the aid of a fellow Auschwitz survivor and a hand-written letter, an elderly man with dementia goes in search of the person responsible for the death of his family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDad (1989)
A busy executive learns during a meeting that his mother may be dying and rushes home to her side. He ends up being his father's caretaker and becomes closer to him than ever before. Estranged from his own son, the executive comes to realize what has been missing in his own life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSafe Haven (2013)
A young woman with a mysterious past lands in Southport, North Carolina where her bond with a widower forces her to confront the dark secret that haunts her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Assault (2014)
After a cheerleader is sexually assaulted by the high school football team, she must overcome her shame and use the evidence gathered from the subsequent social media firestorm to piece together the night that she can't remember in her fight for justice. Based on the true story of the Steubenville, Ohio rape case.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Man Called Otto (2022)
When a lively young family moves in next door, grumpy widower Otto Anderson meets his match in a quick-witted, pregnant woman named Marisol, leading to an unlikely friendship that turns his world upside down.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Return?
The closest matches to The Return are Bad Sister (2015), Miss Marple: 4.50 from Paddington (1987) and The Spider's Stratagem (1970). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Return?
Start with Bad Sister (2015), the closest match to The Return.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Return?
A Man Called Otto (2022), rated 7.7/10 by 3,861 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Return?
Whalefall (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Italian movies like The Return?
Yes: The Spider's Stratagem (1970).
How are movies similar to The Return chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Return, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.