Movies like School Diary (2018)
The best movies like School Diary (2018) are Kishkindha Kaandam (2024), Time Without Pity (1957) and Lucifer (2019). If School Diary hooked you with its action and drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedChief of Station (2024)6.3/10 from 280 votes
- NewestOscar Shaw (2026)Released 2026
- In MalayalamKishkindha Kaandam (2024)Also in Malayalam
Kishkindha Kaandam (2024)
Strange events unfold in a monkey-inhabited village, driving a newlywed couple and forest officials to embark on a mission to uncover the root of the unusual disturbances.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTime Without Pity (1957)
Alec Graham is sentenced to death for the murder of his girlfriend Jennie, with whom he spent a weekend at the English country home of the parents of his friend Brian Stanford. Alec’s father, David Graham, a not-so-successful writer and alcoholic who has neglected his son in the past, flies in from Canada to visit his son on death row. David then goes on a quest to try and clear his son’s name while battling “the bottle.”
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLucifer (2019)
In God's own country, the supreme leader of the ruling party dies, leaving a huge vacuum, not only in the electoral and leadership sphere of the party but also that of the state. In the inevitable succession squabble and the power struggle that ensues, the thin line that separates good and bad becomes irrecoverably blurred and out of this seemingly endless mayhem, emerge forces that are hitherto unheard of.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAnweshippin Kandethum (2024)
A team of four expert policemen go through extreme trials and tribulations to find the killer of a young woman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRekhachithram (2025)
Having recently served a suspension for gambling online while on duty, Circle Inspector Vivek Gopinath rejoins the police force and is looking to reclaim his lost honour. Awaiting him is a 40-year-old, unresolved murder mystery with a faceless victim.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Glass Key (1942)
A crooked politician finds himself being accused of murder by a gangster from whom he refused help during a re-election campaign.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAnjaam Pathiraa (2020)
A psychologist with a keen interest in criminology gets entangled in a tough serial killer case which the police find hard to crack.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAyyappanum Koshiyum (2020)
Ayyappan, a police officer, is an upright man who always strives to do the right thing. However, things change when a retired army havildar, Koshy, settles in his village and the two egos clash.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRorschach (2022)
When Luke Antony's wife goes missing, he sets off to search for her and stumbles upon the Balan family. However, terrorising events start occurring as Luke grows closer to them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEach Dawn I Die (1939)
A corrupt D.A. with governatorial ambitions is annoyed by an investigative reporter's criticism of his criminal activities and decides to frame the reporter for manslaughter in order to silence him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Blue Lamp (1950)
P.C. George Dixon is a long-serving traditional copper who is due to retire shortly. He takes a new recruit under his aegis and introduces him to the easy-going night beat. Dixon is a classic ordinary hero but also anachronistic, unprepared and unable to answer the violence of the 1950s.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOscar Shaw (2026)
After retiring from the police force, a relentless detective haunted by the tragic loss of his closest friend sets out on a perilous quest for vengeance, seeking redemption and fighting to restore justice to the streets he once swore to protect.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChief of Station (2024)
After learning that the death of his wife was not an accident, a former CIA Station Chief is forced back into the espionage underworld, teaming up with an adversary to unravel a conspiracy that challenges everything he thought he knew.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Mirror Crack'd (1980)
Jane Marple solves the mystery when a local woman is poisoned and a visiting movie star seems to have been the intended victim.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMurder in Three Acts (1986)
In Acapulco, Hercule Poirot attends a dinner party in which one of the guests clutches his throat and suddenly dies. The causes seem to be natural until another party with most of the same guests produces another corpse.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Bundle of Trouble: An Aurora Teagarden Mystery (2017)
Aurora Teagarden and her boyfriend Martin are thrilled when they get an unexpected visit from his niece and her new baby. Their excitement is short lived when his niece disappears and the baby is left behind. Once again, Aurora finds herself drawn into a deadly investigation as she risks it all to help Martin reunite with his family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSeeds of Yesterday (2015)
The Sheffield family reveal and go through some home truths as their middle child inherits the Foxworth mansion. The family's ghosts looming over, and more tragedies are in store as the curse lives on.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Young Savages (1961)
A district attorney investigates the racially charged case of three teenagers accused of the murder of a blind Puerto Rican boy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFramed for Murder: A Fixer Upper Mystery (2017)
In the small resort town of Lighthouse Cove, everyone knows that the best man for the job is a woman. And that woman is Shannon Hughes, owner of a construction company and an expert in Victorian home restoration and renovation. Through her renovations she will find clues to uncover the house’s secret past and in turn become an unlikely sleuth to help crack these unsolved mysteries
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Lady Vanishes (2013)
Young socialite Iris Carr befriends an older woman while traveling solo by train. When Iris wakes from a nap, the woman is gone and other passengers claim she never existed.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAbhimanyu (1991)
Abhimanyu movie is all about Hari (Mohanlal) who is a welder in a small factory, witnesses a gang-related murder and gets inadvertently involved with the underworld. The murder of a benevolent local boss complicates life in the slum where Hari lives, causing his slow transformation to a life of crime. Decent performances, in an otherwise weak script.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & drama
Maradona (2018)
Maradona, a young man, due to some dangerous situations, moves out of his hometown and reaches Bangalore to stay with his distant relatives. However, during his stay there, his situation worsens further.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & thriller
Adam Joan (2017)
Adam, a young man from Kerala, returns to Scotland upon learning that his mother has been murdered and his daughter, Ila, kidnapped. He then sets out to find the offenders and rescue Ila.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & thriller
Arhatha (1990)
Devaraj, a factory worker, faces many challenges when he joins a new job. Can he overcome them?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & drama
Aryan (1988)
Aryan movie is all about Devanarayan (Mohanlal) who is a Brahmin priest who is falsely accused of theft and forced to leave his village in Kerala. He moves to Bombay where he gets drawn into the underworld through an ageing don Kareem (Goga Kapoor). Some interesting comment initially on Brahmin priesthood in Kerala, but halfway through the film goes haywire.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & drama
Apothecary (2014)
Dr Vijay Nambiar (Suresh Gopi) is a famous neurosurgeon. His wife Dr Nalini Nambiar (Abhirami) is a gynecologist in the same hospital. They lead a contented and busy family life. 'Appothikkiri' plots the intriguing issues that affect their life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Kolumittayi (2016)
Unni and his friends move to the 6th grade after the new academic year begins. He loves his school life mainly because of his crush Riya and feels threatened by the newcomer in his class - Roney. Soon they lock horns and are in competition.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Kuttikalundu Sookshikkuka (2016)
Military officer Gautam Kesav (Anoop Menon) and businesswoman Shahida (Bhavana) lead a very happy married life with their two sons Neeraj (Sidharth Ajith) and Niranjan (Sanoop Santhosh). Gautam Kesav and Shahida belong to two different religious beliefs, but this no way affects their married life. Neeraj and Niranjan do a playful act for their parents, which accidently ends up in trouble which creates issues not only in their family, but also in the society. The resulting incidents are plotted in 'Kuttikalundu Sookshikkuka'.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Olappeeppi (2016)
Olappeeppi portrays the story of an ordinary Malayali family and the changes in the socio-economic scene in Kerala from 1970's to the 2000's . As the name suggests, its about colours of the past, taking us to that era along with a boy named Unni and his grandmother.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Ottakolam (2016)
Ottakolam is the exceptional tale of a man who makes a living by cremating the dead.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like School Diary?
The closest matches to School Diary are Kishkindha Kaandam (2024), Time Without Pity (1957) and Lucifer (2019). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after School Diary?
Start with Kishkindha Kaandam (2024), the closest match to School Diary.
What is the highest-rated movie like School Diary?
Chief of Station (2024), rated 6.3/10 by 280 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like School Diary?
Oscar Shaw (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Malayalam movies like School Diary?
Yes: Kishkindha Kaandam (2024), Lucifer (2019) and Anweshippin Kandethum (2024).
How are movies similar to School Diary chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside School Diary, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.