Movies like Return to Horror High (1987)
The best movies like Return to Horror High (1987) are Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006), Happy Death Day 2U (2019) and Freaky (2020). If Return to Horror High hooked you with its horror and comedy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedScream (1996)7.4/10 from 8,405 votes
- NewestIt Ends (2026)Released 2026
Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)
The next great psycho horror slasher has given a documentary crew exclusive access to his life as he plans his reign of terror over the sleepy town of Glen Echo, all the while deconstructing the conventions and archetypes of the horror genre for them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHappy Death Day 2U (2019)
Collegian Tree Gelbman wakes up in horror to learn that she's stuck in a parallel universe. Her boyfriend Carter is now with someone else, and her friends and fellow students seem to be completely different versions of themselves. When Tree discovers that Carter's roommate has been altering time, she finds herself once again the target of a masked killer. When the psychopath starts to go after her inner circle, Tree soon realizes that she must die over and over again to save everyone.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFreaky (2020)
A mystical, ancient dagger causes a notorious serial killer to magically switch bodies with a 17-year-old girl.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHappy Death Day (2017)
Caught in a bizarre and terrifying time warp, college student Tree finds herself repeatedly reliving the day of her murder, ultimately realizing that she must identify the killer and the reason for her death before her chances of survival run out.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTotally Killer (2023)
When the infamous "Sweet Sixteen Killer" returns 35 years after his first murder spree to claim another victim, 17-year-old Jamie accidentally travels back in time to 1987, determined to stop the killer before he can start.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisF (2010)
A group of teachers must defend themselves from a gang of murderous kids when their school comes under siege after hours.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisUrban Legend (1998)
A college campus is plagued by a vicious serial killer murdering students in ways that correspond to various urban legends.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisScream 3 (2000)
As bodies begin dropping around the Hollywood set of STAB 3, the third film based on the gruesome Woodsboro killings, Sidney and other survivors are once again terrorized by another Ghostface killer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHalloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)
Two decades after surviving a massacre on October 31, 1978, former baby sitter Laurie Strode finds herself hunted by persistent knife-wielder Michael Myers. Laurie now lives in Northern California under an assumed name, where she works as the headmistress of a private school. But it's not far enough to escape Myers, who soon discovers her whereabouts. As Halloween descends upon Laurie's peaceful community, a feeling of dread weighs upon her -- with good reason.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJeepers Creepers (2001)
On a desolate country highway, two homeward-bound teens are nearly run off the road by a maniac in a beat-up truck, and later spot him shoving what appears to be a body down a sewer pipe.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMaXXXine (2024)
In 1980s Hollywood, adult film star and aspiring actress Maxine Minx finally gets her big break. But as a mysterious killer stalks the starlets of Hollywood, a trail of blood threatens to reveal her sinister past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Town that Dreaded Sundown (2014)
A masked maniac terrorizes the same small community where a murderer known as the Phantom Killer struck decades earlier.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisApril Fool's Day (1986)
On April Fool's Day weekend, a group of college friends gather together at a secluded island mansion to celebrate their final year of school, where they soon become prey for an unseen murderer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisScream (1996)
A year after the murder of her mother, a teenage girl is terrorized by a masked killer who targets her and her friends by using scary movies as part of a deadly game.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWes Craven's New Nightmare (1994)
A demonic force has chosen Freddy Krueger as its portal to the real world. Can Heather Langenkamp play the part of Nancy one last time and trap the evil trying to enter our world?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhistle (2026)
When a misfit group of unwitting high school students stumbles upon a cursed Aztec Death Whistle, they discover that blowing it unleashes a terrifying sound that summons their future deaths to hunt them down.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisClown in a Cornfield (2025)
Quinn and her father have just moved to the quiet town of Kettle Springs hoping for a fresh start. Instead, she discovers a fractured community that has fallen on hard times after the treasured Baypen Corn Syrup Factory burned down. As the locals bicker amongst themselves and tensions boil over, a sinister, grinning figure emerges from the cornfields to cleanse the town of its burdens, one bloody victim at a time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisScream VI (2023)
Following the latest Ghostface killings, the four survivors leave Woodsboro behind and start a fresh chapter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJason Lives - Friday the 13th Part VI (1986)
Tommy Jarvis, tormented by the fear that maybe Jason isn't really dead, unwittingly resurrects the mass murderer for another bloody rampage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIt Ends (2026)
A group of recent grads head out on a late night drive for grub, hoping to enjoy one final hangout before their paths diverge. Instead, they accidentally turn onto a never-ending, two-lane hellscape surrounded by untold horrors and cosmic forces beyond their understanding. Cramped together inside a Jeep Cherokee and with the miles stretching infinitely ahead, they face a choice: embrace their new existence or fight to escape it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisSeed of Chucky (2004)
This time around, Chucky and his homicidal honey, Tiffany, are brought back to life by their orphan offspring, Glen. Then the horror goes Hollywood as Chucky unleashes his own brand of murderous mayhem!
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisLeprechaun (1993)
A demonic leprechaun terrorizes a group of young people whom he believes stole his gold.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisChild's Play 2 (1990)
Chucky is reconstructed by a toy factory to dispel the negative publicity surrounding the doll, and tracks young Andy Barclay to a foster home where the chase begins again.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChild's Play 3 (1991)
Eight years after seemingly destroying the killer doll, teen Andy Barclay is placed in a military school, and the spirit of Chucky returns to renew his quest and seek vengeance after being recreated from a mass of melted plastic.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisHunting Terror (2020)
When a young girl is murdered in Lakewood Park a group of journalists by the names of Alex, Josh and Luke venture into the woods to find evidence and take their journalism experience to new heights. However, as things in Lakewood Park become more and more sinister, the trio of investigators begin to believe they are getting more than they bargained for in this bloody broad daylight nightmare.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Freeway (1996)
Following the arrest of her mother, Ramona, young Vanessa Lutz decides to go in search of her estranged grandmother. On the way, she is given a ride by school counselor Bob Wolverton. During the journey, Lutz begins to realize that Bob is the notorious I-5 Killer and manages to escape by shooting him several times. Wounded but still very much alive, Bob pursues Lutz across the state in this modern retelling of Little Red Riding Hood.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Cinderella Story (2004)
Routinely exploited by her wicked stepmother, the downtrodden Samantha Montgomery is excited about the prospect of meeting her Internet beau at the school's Halloween dance.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Howling (1981)
After a bizarre and near fatal encounter with a serial killer, a newswoman is sent to a rehabilitation center whose inhabitants may not be what they seem.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Jolly Monkey (2025)
40 years ago, families disappeared near the isolated Jolly Monkey motel. Today, the family of the owners return to discuss what to do with the place. One by one they are killed by a someone dressed as the motel's mascot and need to escape.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Enter Room 6: The Making of The Man in Room 6 (2022)
A look behind the scenes at the several-year journey of making Trevor and Carrie Juenger's horror fantasy epic The Man in Room 6.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Return to Horror High?
The closest matches to Return to Horror High are Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006), Happy Death Day 2U (2019) and Freaky (2020). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Return to Horror High?
Start with Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006), the closest match to Return to Horror High.
What is the highest-rated movie like Return to Horror High?
Scream (1996), rated 7.4/10 by 8,405 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Return to Horror High?
It Ends (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Return to Horror High?
Yes: Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006), Happy Death Day 2U (2019) and Freaky (2020).
How are movies similar to Return to Horror High chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Return to Horror High, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.