Movies like Merry-Go-Round (2017)
The best movies like Merry-Go-Round (2017) are Rabbits (2002), Under the Silver Lake (2018) and Mr. K (2025). If Merry-Go-Round hooked you with its mystery, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedDonnie Darko (2001)7.8/10 from 13,950 votes
- NewestIt Ends (2026)Released 2026
Rabbits (2002)
A story of a group of humanoid rabbits and their depressive, daily life. The plot includes Suzie ironing, Jane sitting on a couch, Jack walking in and out of the apartment, and the occasional solo singing number by Suzie or Jane. At one point the rabbits also make contact with their “leader”.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisUnder the Silver Lake (2018)
Young and disenchanted Sam meets a mysterious and beautiful woman who's swimming in his building's pool one night. When she suddenly vanishes the next morning, Sam embarks on a surreal quest across Los Angeles to decode the secret behind her disappearance, leading him into the murkiest depths of mystery, scandal and conspiracy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMr. K (2025)
Mr. K, a traveling magician, finds himself in a Kafkaesque nightmare when he can’t find the exit of his hotel. His attempts to get out only pull him deeper, entangling him further with the hotel and its curious inhabitants.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLights Out (2016)
Rebecca must unlock the terror behind her little brother's experiences that once tested her sanity, bringing her face to face with a supernatural spirit attached to their mother.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDaniel Isn't Real (2019)
A troubled college freshman resurrects his imaginary friend to help him cope with a violent trauma.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDressed to Kill (1980)
After witnessing a mysterious woman brutally slay a homemaker, prostitute Liz Blake finds herself trapped in a dangerous situation. While the police thinks she is the murderer, the real killer is intent on silencing her only witness.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisParanormal Activity (2009)
After a young, middle-class couple moves into what seems like a typical suburban house, they become increasingly disturbed by a presence that may or may not be demonic, but is certainly the most active in the middle of the night.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWatcher (2022)
As a serial killer stalks the city, Julia — a young actress who just moved to town with her husband — notices a mysterious stranger watching her from across the street.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBlue Velvet (1986)
The discovery of a severed human ear found in a field leads a young man on an investigation related to a beautiful, mysterious nightclub singer and a group of psychopathic criminals who have kidnapped her child.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDonnie Darko (2001)
After narrowly escaping a bizarre accident, a troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a large bunny rabbit that manipulates him to commit a series of crimes.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHell House LLC (2015)
Five years after an unexplained malfunction causes the death of 15 tour-goers and staff on the opening night of a Halloween haunted house tour, a documentary crew travels back to the scene of the tragedy to find out what really happened.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGlengarry Glen Ross (1992)
An examination of the machinations behind the scenes at a real estate office. Unscrupulous salesmen try to hawk dubious real estate to suckers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Worth the HypeMovies 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 mystery
SnoozefestMovies like thisI'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020)
Nothing is as it seems when a woman experiencing misgivings about her new boyfriend joins him on a road trip to meet his parents at their remote farm.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Limits of Control (2009)
A mysterious stranger works outside the law and keeps his objectives hidden, trusting no one. While his demeanor is paradoxically focused and dreamlike all at once, he embarks on a journey that not only takes him across Spain, but also through his own consciousness.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Stone Tape (1972)
A research team from an electronics company move into an old Victorian house to start work on finding a new recording medium. When team member Jill Greeley witnesses a ghost, team director Peter Brock decides not only to analyse the apparition, which he believes is a psychic impression trapped in a stone wall (dubbed a "stone tape"), but to exorcise it too - with terrifying results...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTime Lapse (2014)
Three friends discover a mysterious machine that takes pictures 24 hours into the future and conspire to use it for personal gain, until disturbing and dangerous images begin to develop.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Vigil (2020)
A man providing overnight watch to a deceased member of his former Orthodox Jewish community finds himself opposite a malevolent entity.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
SnoozefestMovies like thisNight of the Hunted (2023)
When an unsuspecting woman stops at a remote gas station in the dead of night, she's made the plaything of a sociopath sniper with a secret vendetta. To survive, she must not only dodge his bullets and fight for her life, but also figure out who wants her dead and why.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Haunted (1991)
When the Smurl family moves into a duplex, they find out it's haunted. When the Catholic Church is no help, they reach out to famous demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
SnoozefestMovies like thisCLEAN (TBA)
"Have you ever answered the wrong call—only to change a life? When a middle-aged sanitation worker picks up a ringing helpline phone, she becomes an unexpected lifeline to a young woman in despair, revealing the quiet power of empathy from society’s most overlooked."
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery
Private Screening (2019)
Please have a seat, the movie is about to start...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery
Apocalypsis (2018)
Set in a parallel universe entering a black hole, a woman reading the book of Revelation has visions of regeneration during Anthropocene.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery
Frantic (1988)
The wife of an American doctor suddenly vanishes in Paris. To find her, he navigates a puzzling web of language, locale, laissez-faire cops, triplicate-form filling bureaucrats and a defiant, mysterious waif who knows more than she tells.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Curve of Forgotten Things (2011)
A magical girl, who exists outside of space and time, inhabits an odd, timeless landscape that is both old and modern, and spends her days playing and collecting objects from history, things that she loves.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery
Deus ex Machina (2017)
A young, unbelieving couple is being pursued by a terrifying monster. They try to hide in a church, where they meet a priest who seems friendly at first glance, but it soon becomes clear that the priest has less than honorable plans for them. They are trapped.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery
STOP (2022)
A simple reunion between two old friends at a bus stop is not what it seems.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery
The Haunting of Helen's Bridge (TBA)
Mary is the heir apparent to a substantial estate. She has not only inherited this affliction but also a family curse that speaks of an evil spirit haunting Helen's bridge.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery
Electric Eye (2021)
An experimental short film, shot during the COVID-19 pandemic, made by one person. Using recorded scenes and archival footage, the short presents an unorthodox narrative to explore the themes of self-identification, identity, gender expression and androgyny.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Merry-Go-Round?
The closest matches to Merry-Go-Round are Rabbits (2002), Under the Silver Lake (2018) and Mr. K (2025). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Merry-Go-Round?
Start with Rabbits (2002), the closest match to Merry-Go-Round.
What is the highest-rated movie like Merry-Go-Round?
Donnie Darko (2001), rated 7.8/10 by 13,950 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Merry-Go-Round?
It Ends (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to Merry-Go-Round chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Merry-Go-Round, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.