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Movies like The Dead Don't Dream (1948)

The best movies like The Dead Don't Dream (1948) are Will Penny (1967), Cat Ballou (1965) and Tall in the Saddle (1944). If The Dead Don't Dream hooked you with its western, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. Will Penny (1967)

    Will Penny, an aging cowpoke, takes a job on a ranch which requires him to ride the line of the property looking for trespassers or, worse, squatters. He finds that his cabin in the high mountains has been appropriated by a woman whose guide to Oregon has deserted her and her son. Too ashamed to kick mother and child out just as the bitter winter of the mountains sets in, he agrees to share the cabin until the spring thaw. But it isn't just the snow that slowly thaws; the lonely man and woman soon forget their mutual hostility and start developing a deep love for one another.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western

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  2. Cat Ballou (1965)

    A woman seeking revenge for her murdered father hires a famous gunman, but he's very different from what she expects.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western

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  3. Tall in the Saddle (1944)

    When Rocklin arrives in a western town he finds that the rancher who hired him as a foreman has been murdered. He is out to solve the murder and thwart the scheming to take the ranch from its rightful owner.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western

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  4. Man Without a Star (1955)

    A wandering cowboy gets caught up in a range war.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western

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  5. The Last Sunset (1961)

    At a Mexican ranch, fugitive O'Malley and pursuing Sheriff Stribling agree to help rancher Breckenridge drive his herd into Texas where Stribling could legally arrest O'Malley, but Breckenridge's wife complicates things.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western

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  6. Run for Cover (1955)

    An ex-convict drifter and his flawed young partner are made sheriff and deputy of a Western town.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western

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  7. Ramrod (1947)

    A cattle-vs.-sheepman feud loses Connie Dickason her fiance, but gains her his ranch, which she determines to run alone in opposition to Frank Ivey, "boss" of the valley, whom her father Ben wanted her to marry. She hires recovering alcoholic Dave Nash as foreman and a crew of Ivey's enemies. Ivey fights back with violence and destruction, but Dave is determined to counter him legally... a feeling not shared by his associates. Connie's boast that, as a woman, she doesn't need guns proves justified, but plenty of gunplay results.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western

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  8. Comanche Station (1960)

    A white man trades with the Comanche for the release of a female stranger and the pair cross paths with three outlaws who have their eyes on the handsome reward for bringing her home and Comanche on the warpath.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western

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  9. The Westerner (1940)

    Drifter Cole Harden is accused of stealing a horse and faces hanging by self-appointed Judge Roy Bean, but Harden manages to talk his way out of it by claiming to be a friend of stage star Lillie Langtry, with whom the judge is obsessed, even though he has never met her. Tensions rise when Harden comes to the defense of a group of struggling homesteaders who Judge Bean is trying to drive away.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western

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  10. 3:10 to Yuma (1957)

    Dan Evans, a small time farmer, is hired to escort Ben Wade, a dangerous outlaw, to Yuma. As Evans and Wade wait for the 3:10 train to Yuma, Wade's gang is racing to free him.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western

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  11. Union Pacific (1939)

    One of the last bills signed by President Lincoln authorizes pushing the Union Pacific Railroad across the wilderness to California. But financial opportunist Asa Barrows hopes to profit from obstructing it. Chief troubleshooter Jeff Butler has his hands full fighting Barrows' agent, gambler Sid Campeau; Campeau's partner Dick Allen is Jeff's war buddy and rival suitor for engineer's daughter Molly Monahan. Who will survive the effort to push the railroad through at any cost?

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western

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  12. Chato's Land (1972)

    In 1870s New Mexico, a half-breed kills a bigoted sheriff in self-defense but the posse that eventually hunts him finds itself in dangerous territory.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western

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  13. Man in the Shadow (1957)

    In a modern cow town, the powerful ranch owner’s henchmen kill a ranch hand, prompting the sheriff to investigate despite facing strong opposition. He finds an unlikely ally in the rancher's overprotected daughter, but their quest for justice puts them both in danger.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western

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  14. My Darling Clementine (1946)

    Three brothers stop off for a night in the town of Tombstone. The next morning they find one of their brothers dead and their cattle stolen. They decide to take revenge on the culprits.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western

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  15. Silverado (1985)

    Four unwitting heroes cross paths on their journey to the sleepy town of Silverado. Little do they know the town where their family and friends reside has been taken over by a corrupt sheriff and a murderous posse. It's up to the sharp-shooting foursome to save the day, but first they have to break each other out of jail, and learn who their real friends are.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western

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  16. El Dorado (1966)

    Cole Thornton, a gunfighter for hire, joins forces with an old friend, Sheriff J.P. Harrah. Together with a fighter and a gambler, they help a rancher and his family fight a rival rancher that is trying to steal their water.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western

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  17. The Last Wagon (1956)

    When a handful of settlers survive an Apache attack on their wagon train they must put their lives into the hands of Comanche Todd, a white man who has lived with the Comanches most of his life and is wanted for the murder of three men.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western

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  18. True Grit (1969)

    The murder of her father sends a teenage tomboy on a mission of 'justice', which involves avenging her father's death. She recruits a tough old marshal, 'Rooster' Cogburn because he has 'true grit', and a reputation of getting the job done.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western

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  19. Scooby-Doo! Shaggy's Showdown (2017)

    When the Scooby gang visits a dude ranch, they discover that it and the nearby town have been haunted by a ghostly cowboy, Dapper Jack, who fires real fire from his fire irons. The mystery only deepens when it’s discovered that the ghost is also the long lost relative of Shaggy Rogers!

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western

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  20. Forty Guns (1957)

    An authoritarian rancher rules an Arizona county with her private posse of hired guns. When a new Marshal arrives to set things straight, the cattle queen finds herself falling for the avowedly non-violent lawman. Both have itchy-fingered brothers, a female gunman enters the picture, and things go desperately wrong.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western

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  21. The Salvation (2014)

    In 1870s America, a peaceful American settler kills his family's murderer which unleashes the fury of a notorious gang leader. His cowardly fellow townspeople then betray him, forcing him to hunt down the outlaws alone.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both western

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  22. Rio Bravo (1959)

    A small-town sheriff in the American West enlists the help of a disabled man, a drunk, and a young gunfighter in his efforts to hold in jail the brother of the local bad guy.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both western

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  23. Under the Tonto Rim (1928)

    Gold miner Edd Denmeade loves Lucy Watson, the sister of the official mining claim recorder. Denmeade suspects Watson of killing his father, who after a poker game was shot by a gambler "who shuffles with one hand." The real murderer, Sam Spralls, has convinced Watson that he killed Denmeade and threatens to expose him unless Watson assigns him all the gold claims. Spralls assembles a band of killers to jump the claims when Watson complies. Eventually, Denmeade learns the identity of the killer when he sees Spralls shuffle a deck of cards. He forms a vigilante party and rids the community of Spralls and his gang.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both western

  24. A Fistful of Dollars (1964)

    The Man With No Name enters the Mexican village of San Miguel in the midst of a power struggle among the three Rojo brothers and sheriff John Baxter. When a regiment of Mexican soldiers bearing gold intended to pay for new weapons is waylaid by the Rojo brothers, the stranger inserts himself into the middle of the long-simmering battle, selling false information to both sides for his own benefit.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both western

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  25. Raiders of Red Gap (1943)

    One man wants to control all the land in the state to graze all his cattle. His band of outlaws are raiding ranchers and homesteaders, trying to drive them out. Rocky and Fuzzy are brought in to help stop the raiders and keep the land for the small ranchers and homesteaders.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both western

  26. Silver Spurs (1943)

    Jerry Johnson inherits a 50,000 acre ranch. Lucky Miller wants to take over the ranch. Roy is trying to get a railroad spur right of way. Lucky has a woman come west to marry Jerry to get control of the ranch. After the wedding, Lucky has the owner killed. Roy’s gun is substituted for the murder weapon, so Roy is put in jail.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both western

  27. Cremaster 2 (1999)

    CREMASTER 2 is rendered as a gothic Western that introduces conflict into the system. On the biological level it corresponds to the phase of fetal development during which sexual division begins. In Matthew Barney's abstraction of this process, the system resists partition and tries to remain in the state of equilibrium imagined in Cremaster 1.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both western

  28. La venganza del Charro Negro (1942)

    Third in a series; flashbacks remind us of the beef El Charro had with Carlos from his home town. While they move toward a final showdown, Carlos and his new evil buddy Rodolfo kill a couple more people just for kicks.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both western

  29. Silver City Kid (1944)

    A landowner tries to drink his neighbor's molybdenum milkshake and winds up having him killed. It's up to Allan Lane to find out what happened and apprehend the culprits.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both western

  30. Trail of Kit Carson (1945)

    Bill Harmon receives a letter from his partner, Dave MacRoy informing him of a rich gold strike in their California mine. Arriving there, Bill learns from elderly miner John Benton that Dave is dead and that he sold the mine at a strangely low price the night before his supposed accidental death. Harmon suspects murder.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both western

Like The Dead Don't Dream and something else?

Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like The Dead Don't Dream?

The closest matches to The Dead Don't Dream are Will Penny (1967), Cat Ballou (1965) and Tall in the Saddle (1944). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after The Dead Don't Dream?

Start with Will Penny (1967), the closest match to The Dead Don't Dream.

What is the highest-rated movie like The Dead Don't Dream?

Rio Bravo (1959), rated 7.8/10 by 1,319 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like The Dead Don't Dream?

Scooby-Doo! Shaggy's Showdown (2017) is the most recent release on this list.

Are there English movies like The Dead Don't Dream?

Yes: Will Penny (1967), Cat Ballou (1965) and Tall in the Saddle (1944).

How are movies similar to The Dead Don't Dream chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Dead Don't Dream, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.

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