Movies like At First Light (2018)
The best movies like At First Light (2018) are The Signal (2014), Spectral (2016) and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003). If At First Light hooked you with its thriller and science fiction, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Dark Knight (2008)8.5/10 from 37,295 votes
- NewestThe Cursed Village (2025)Released 2025
The Signal (2014)
On a road trip, Nic and two friends are drawn to an isolated area by a computer genius. When everything suddenly goes dark, Nic regains consciousness – only to find himself in a waking nightmare.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSpectral (2016)
A special-ops team is dispatched to fight supernatural beings that have taken over a European city.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTerminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)
It's been 10 years since John Connor saved Earth from Judgment Day, and he's now living under the radar, steering clear of using anything Skynet can trace. That is, until he encounters T-X, a robotic assassin ordered to finish what T-1000 started. Good thing Connor's former nemesis, the Terminator, is back to aid the now-adult Connor … just like he promised.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisProject Power (2020)
An ex-soldier, a teen and a cop collide in New Orleans as they hunt for the source behind a dangerous new pill that grants users temporary superpowers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDark Skies (2013)
From the producers of Paranormal Activity, Insidious, and Sinister comes Dark Skies: a supernatural thriller that follows a young family living in the suburbs. As husband and wife Daniel and Lacey Barret witness an escalating series of disturbing events involving their family, their safe and peaceful home quickly unravels. When it becomes clear that the Barret family is being targeted by an unimaginably terrifying and deadly force, Daniel and Lacey take matters in their own hands to solve the mystery of what is after their family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like this57 Seconds (2023)
When a tech blogger lands an interview with a tech guru and stops an attack on him, he finds a mysterious ring that takes him back 57 seconds into the past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSlash/Back (2022)
In a remote Arctic community, a group of Inuit girls fight off an alien invasion, all while trying to make it to the coolest party in town.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOdd Thomas (2013)
In a California desert town, a short-order cook with clairvoyant abilities encounters a mysterious man with a link to dark, threatening forces.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFreaks of Nature (2015)
In the town of Dillford, humans, vampires and zombies were all living in peace - until the alien apocalypse arrived. Now three teenagers-one human, one vampire, and one zombie-have to team up to figure out how to get rid of the visitors.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCode 8 Part II (2024)
In a world where superpowered people are heavily policed by robots, an ex-con teams up with a drug lord he despises to protect a teen from a corrupt cop.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMona Lisa and the Blood Moon (2022)
A young woman with psychokinetic powers breaks out of a Louisiana asylum and makes her way to New Orleans, where she falls into the city’s netherworld of misfits and miscreants.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPsycho Goreman (2020)
Siblings Mimi and Luke unwittingly resurrect an ancient alien overlord. Using a magical amulet, they force the monster to obey their childish whims, and accidentally attract a rogues’ gallery of intergalactic assassins to small-town suburbia.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStake Land (2010)
Martin was a normal teenage boy before the country collapsed in an empty pit of economic and political disaster. A vampire epidemic has swept across what is left of the nation's abandoned towns and cities, and it's up to Mister, a death dealing, rogue vampire hunter, to get Martin safely north to Canada, the continent's New Eden.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSamaritan (2022)
Thirteen year old Sam Cleary suspects that his mysteriously reclusive neighbor Mr. Smith is actually the legendary vigilante Samaritan, who was reported dead 25 years ago. With crime on the rise and the city on the brink of chaos, Sam makes it his mission to coax his neighbor out of hiding to save the city from ruin.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCode 8 (2019)
In Lincoln City, some inhabitants have extraordinary abilities. Most live below the poverty line, under the close surveillance of a heavily militarized police force. Connor, a construction worker with powers, involves with a criminal gang to help his ailing mother. (Based on the short film “Code 8,” 2016.)
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMargaux (2022)
As a group of seniors celebrate their final college days at a smart house, the house's highly advanced AI system, Margaux, begins to take on a deadly presence of her own. A carefree weekend of partying turns into a dystopian nightmare as they realize Margaux's plans to eliminate her tenants one way or another. Time begins to run out as the group desperately tries to survive and outsmart the smart home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Girl with All the Gifts (2016)
In the future, a strange fungus has changed nearly everyone into thoughtless, flesh-eating monsters. When a scientist and a teacher find a girl who seems to be immune to the fungus, they all begin a journey to save humanity.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLogan (2017)
In the near future, a weary Logan cares for an ailing Professor X in a hideout on the Mexican border. But Logan's attempts to hide from the world and his legacy are upended when a young mutant arrives, pursued by dark forces.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMy Science Project (1985)
His high school teacher issues an ultimatum: turn in a science project or flunk. So Mike Harlan scavenges a military base's junk pile for a suitable gizmo. He finds one... and unwittingly unleashes the awesome power and energy of the unknown. Twisted dimensions. Time warps. A fantastic realm where the past, present, and future collide in a whirling vortex of startling adventure and superlative special effects.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHow I Live Now (2013)
An American girl, sent to the English countryside to stay with relatives, finds love and purpose while fighting for her survival as war envelops the world around her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Dark Side of the Moon (1990)
It is the year 2022. A mysterious systems failure causes the crew of a spaceship to be stranded on the dark side of the moon, while rapidly running out of fuel and oxygen. They are surprised to discover a NASA space shuttle floating in space, and board it in the hope of salvaging some supplies. One by one, the crew is possessed and killed, and it is up to Paxton Warner to find the links between the dark side of the moon, the Bermuda Triangle, and the Devil himself.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller & science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisMimic 2 (2001)
Detective Klaski investigates the death and mutilation of three men and soon crosses paths with Remy, an entomologist. Soon, he discovers that she is being stalked by a giant shape-shifting insect who is bent on taking over New York.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisKamen Rider V3 vs. Destron Mutants (1973)
A physicist named Tetsuo Okita discovers a new mineral called "Satanium," which is more powerful than uranium and emits destructive effects to anyone exposed to it. However, Destron abducts Okita in hopes of finding the source of Satanium and collecting more of it to expedite their run for global domination. Kamen Rider V3 must act fast in rescuing Professor Okita and preventing Destron from collecting more of the deadly mineral.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
The Cursed Village (2025)
Chu Qi and his friend Xu Yiming set out to find his missing sister, Shi San, in Fengming Village. Along the way, they uncover deep-rooted superstitions and oppressive traditions. Determined to bring change, they fight to free the village from its harmful beliefs, delivering a powerful message of breaking superstition.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
A History of Violence (2005)
An average family is thrust into the spotlight after the father commits a seemingly self-defense murder at his diner.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Dark Knight (2008)
Batman raises the stakes in his war on crime. With the help of Lt. Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to dismantle the remaining criminal organizations that plague the streets. The partnership proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a reign of chaos unleashed by a rising criminal mastermind known to the terrified citizens of Gotham as the Joker.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisSignal 100 (2020)
A group of high school students are forced into a game where they are hypnotized to commit suicide on an unknown command. Where no one is safe from a sudden death, how can they avoid their fates?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Kamen Rider Wizard in Magic Land (2013)
A rainbow-colored tornado takes Haruto and Koyomi to an alternate reality called "Magic Land". There, its residents never developed science. Instead they put extensive research on magic. As a result, anyone has an ability to use magic, and some of them can even transform into a Kamen Rider Mage. When Haruto arrives, he meets a young orphan called Shiina. As Haruto explores Magic Land, he finds the Emerald Palace and meets Emperor Maya. He also meets Prime Minister Orma, who is known as Kamen Rider Sorcerer, who does not appear what he may seem to be...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
Insomnia (2002)
Two Los Angeles homicide detectives are dispatched to a northern town where the sun doesn't set to investigate the methodical murder of a local teen.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Hole (2001)
Four teenagers at a British private school secretly uncover and explore the depths of a sealed underground hole created decades ago as a possible bomb shelter.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like At First Light?
The closest matches to At First Light are The Signal (2014), Spectral (2016) and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after At First Light?
Start with The Signal (2014), the closest match to At First Light.
What is the highest-rated movie like At First Light?
The Dark Knight (2008), rated 8.5/10 by 37,295 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like At First Light?
The Cursed Village (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like At First Light?
Yes: The Signal (2014), Spectral (2016) and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003).
How are movies similar to At First Light chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside At First Light, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.