Movies like Helter Skelter (2004)
The best movies like Helter Skelter (2004) are Helter Skelter (1976), The Case of the Hillside Stranglers (1989) and The Stranger Beside Me (2003). If Helter Skelter hooked you with its action and crime, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedZodiac (2007)7.5/10 from 12,123 votes
- NewestEd Kemper (2025)Released 2025
Helter Skelter (1976)
The investigation of two horrific mass murders leads to the capture and trial of the psychotic pseudo-hippie Charles Manson and his "family".
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Case of the Hillside Stranglers (1989)
The chilling true story of the "two of a kind" killing cousins, Angelo Buono and Kenneth Bianchi, better known as the Hillside Stranglers.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & crime
The Stranger Beside Me (2003)
While working at a Seattle clinic for women in the 1970s, Ann Rule becomes friends with Ted Bundy. Based on a book by Ann Rule.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & crime
Zodiac (2007)
Police conduct a manhunt for the Zodiac Killer, a serial killer who terrorized the San Francisco Bay Area during the late 1960s and early 1970s, taunting police with letters, bloodstained clothing, and ciphers mailed to newspapers.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Jeffrey Dahmer Files (2013)
An experimental documentary film that uses archival footage, interviews, and fictionalised scenarios to tell the story of the people around Jeffrey Dahmer during the summer of his arrest in 1991.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Secret Life (1993)
Based on the life of notorious serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, who murdered 17 men and ate many of them before he was caught in 1991.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & drama
The Deliberate Stranger (1986)
Based on a true story, this film depicts the life of Ted Bundy, the serial killer. In 1974, after having murdered several young women, he leaves Seattle for Utah, where he is a law student and where other girls disappear. It takes the cooperation of a number of police forces to work efficiently on this case. Soon, but not soon enough, the police eliminate endless possibilities and close in on him. Bundy is tried in the media and his good-boy attitude brings him sympathy but also the hatred of many.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & crime
Infamous (2006)
While researching his book In Cold Blood, writer Truman Capote develops a close relationship with convicted murderers Dick Hickock and Perry Smith.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Green River Killer: Mind of a Monster (2020)
Beginning in the early 1980s, Washington state was gripped with fear as the bodies of young women began appearing along the banks of the Green River. As the number of victims grew, investigators created a taskforce and enlisted the help of the FBI, but it took almost 20 years to finally catch their man. Through startling and chilling tapes and video archive of Gary Ridgway’s police interviews, The Green River Killer: Mind of a Monster reveals, in Ridgway’s own disturbing words, insight into his evil: from how his troubling behavior as a child morphed into his morbid motivation to murder as many women as possible.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime
The Zodiac (2005)
An elusive serial killer known as the Zodiac terrorizes the San Francisco Bay in the late 1960s, while detectives aim to stop him before he claims more victims. Based on a true story.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisMonster (2003)
In 1989, prostitute Aileen Wuornos befriends and enters a relationship with a young woman named Selby. Determined to straighten out her life, Aileen's limited education lands her back on the corner. She's raped by a trick, who she kills. A string of murder and robbery follows that ultimately leads Aileen to becoming America's first female serial killer.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBoston Strangler (2023)
Reporters Loretta McLaughlin and Jean Cole bravely pursue the story of the Boston Strangler at great personal risk, putting their own lives on the line in their quest to uncover the truth.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDahmer (2002)
On February 15, 1992 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Jeffrey Dahmer, one of the world's most infamous serial killers, was convicted of 15 counts of murder and sentenced to 937 years in federal prison. This movie is based on events from his life.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisTed Bundy (2002)
Seattle, 1974. Ted Bundy gives into his violent passions and embarks on a cross country killing spree, leaving a trail of raped, tortured, murdered, dismembered, and defiled corpses in his wake…
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisExtremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019)
A chronicle of the crimes of Ted Bundy, from the perspective of his longtime girlfriend, Elizabeth Kloepfer, who refused to believe the truth about him for years.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEd Kemper (2025)
The horrifying true story of Ed Kemper, a cunning and sadistic serial killer shaped by childhood abuse, whose charm masked his grotesque obsession with murder, mutilation, and the ultimate act of revenge on his mother.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime
My Friend Dahmer (2017)
Jeffrey Dahmer struggles with a difficult family life as a young boy. During his teenage years he slowly transforms, edging closer to the serial killer he was to become.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTo Catch a Killer (1992)
"To Catch a Killer" tells the true gruesome story of John Wayne Gacy - a good friend and helpful neighbour, a great child entertainer, a respectful businessman, and a violent serial killer who raped and murdered over 30 young boys.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMr. Brooks (2007)
A psychological thriller about a man who is sometimes controlled by his murder-and-mayhem-loving alter ego.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTed Bundy: American Boogeyman (2021)
Set in a gritty and decadent 1970s America, American Boogeyman follows the elusive and charming killer and the manhunt that brought him to justice involving the detective and the FBI rookie who coined the phrase ‘serial killer’.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Killing of America (1981)
A documentary of the decline of America, composed of archival material and exclusive footage, carnage, madness, and mayhem with an unapologetic sincerity on the factual depiction of violence in the industrialized nation of the United States. Featuring a juxtaposition of detailed accounts of terrible acts, brutal behavior, and interviews from experts and convicted killers alike.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCitizen X (1995)
Based on the true story of a Russian serial killer who, over many years, claimed victim to over 50 people. His victims were mostly under the age of 17. In what was then a communists state, the police investigations were hampered by bureaucracy, incompetence and those in power. The story is told from the viewpoint of the detective in charge of the case.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCharlie Says (2019)
Three young women were sentenced to death in the infamous Manson murder case, but when the death penalty was lifted, their sentence became life imprisonment. One young graduate student was sent in to teach them – and through her we witness their transformations as they face the reality of their horrific crimes.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisGacy (2003)
Based on a true story of serial killer a model citizen, loving father and husband and serial killer John Wayne Gacy, a man with over 30 dead men and boys entombed in the crawl space underneath his house which he shared with his family.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisMenendez: Blood Brothers (2017)
Lyle and Eric Menendez were nice, educated boys from Beverly Hills, which makes the murder of their parents even more inexplicable. Never-before-seen details emerge in this investigation into their lives.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & crime
The Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson (2020)
In 1994 Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman were brutally murdered in her Los Angeles home by whom most believe to be O.J Simpson. But what role did Glen Rogers, also known as the Casanova Killer play in their death?
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisManson's Lost Girls (2016)
Linda Kasabian falls prey to the hypnotic charms of Charles Manson and his self-proclaimed "family" during the drug-fueled summer of 1969.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & drama
Dead Man's Folly (1986)
During a murder hunt game at a country house, to which Hercule Poirot is invited as an "expert", a real murder occurs.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMiss Marple: The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side (1992)
A town busybody is poisoned at a busy reception in the home of famous film star Marina Gregg. The poisoned drink seemed intended for Marina, but Miss Marple is not so sure. She sets out to discover the true identity of the killer before he or she can strike again.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBlood Work (2002)
Still recovering from a heart transplant, a retired FBI profiler returns to service when his own blood analysis offers clues to the identity of a serial killer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & action
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Helter Skelter?
The closest matches to Helter Skelter are Helter Skelter (1976), The Case of the Hillside Stranglers (1989) and The Stranger Beside Me (2003). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Helter Skelter?
People who watched Helter Skelter most often go on to Helter Skelter (1976), The Case of the Hillside Stranglers (1989) and The Stranger Beside Me (2003).
What is the highest-rated movie like Helter Skelter?
Zodiac (2007), rated 7.5/10 by 12,123 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Helter Skelter?
Ed Kemper (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Helter Skelter?
Yes: Helter Skelter (1976), The Case of the Hillside Stranglers (1989) and The Stranger Beside Me (2003).
How are movies similar to Helter Skelter chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Helter Skelter, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.