Movies like Absurd (1981)
The best movies like Absurd (1981) are Nightmare at Shadow Woods (1987), Please Don't Feed the Children (2025) and Inferno (1980). If Absurd hooked you with its horror, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedHalloween (1978)7.6/10 from 6,518 votes
- NewestPsycho Killer (2026)Released 2026
- In ItalianInferno (1980)Also in Italian
Nightmare at Shadow Woods (1987)
Twins Todd and Terry seem like sweet boys -- that is, until one of them takes an axe to the face of a fellow patron at the local drive-in.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisPlease Don't Feed the Children (2025)
After a viral outbreak ravaged the country’s adult population, a group of orphans heads south in search of a new life, only to find themselves at the mercy of a deranged woman harboring a dangerous secret.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisInferno (1980)
A young man returns from Rome to his sister's satanic New York apartment house.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Children (2008)
A relaxing Christmas vacation turns into a terrifying fight for survival as the children begin to turn on their parents.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Exorcist III (1990)
On the fifteenth anniversary of the exorcism that claimed Father Damien Karras' life, Police Lieutenant Kinderman's world is once again shattered when a boy is found decapitated and savagely crucified.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisButcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker (1981)
Rejected by her lover, the only man left in Cheryl's life is the orphaned nephew she has raised as her own son. She'll stop at nothing to keep Billy with her. When her plans misfire, she is swept up into an insane frenzy that means death to anyone who comes between her and her obsession. But the investigating detective is convinced that Billy is the real killer - and determined to prove it. Madness and fanaticism work together to drag all concerned into a terrifying vortex of blood-letting that adds a nightmarish twist to the classic Oedipus story.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSilent Hill (2006)
Rose, a desperate mother, takes her adopted daughter, Sharon, to the town of Silent Hill in an attempt to cure her of her ailment. After a violent car crash, Sharon disappears, and Rose embarks on a horrific journey to get her back and begins to uncover the truth behind the apocalyptic disaster that burned the town 30 years earlier.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJeepers Creepers 2 (2003)
When their bus is crippled on the side of a deserted road, a team of high school athletes discover an opponent they cannot defeat – and may not survive.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPsycho Killer (2026)
Following the brutal murder of her husband, a Kansas highway patrol officer sets out on a journey to track down the perpetrator. As the hunt progresses, she comes to realize the man responsible is a sadistic serial killer, and the depth of his mental depravity and his sinister agenda is more twisted than anyone could have imagined.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPoltergeist (1982)
The Freelings' suburban home becomes the center of paranormal activity that opens a portal to the 'other side'. With help, they must cross over to get their daughter back.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Worth the HypeMovies 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 thisBlood on Satan's Claw (1971)
After a landsman in 18th century England discovers a corpse covered in fur buried in a field, the town becomes infected by "the devil's skin," leading the local children to engage in demonic rituals and criminal behavior.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCity of the Living Dead (1980)
A psychic seemingly dies of fright during a séance where she sees a vision of a Dunwich priest hanging himself in a church cemetery. New York City reporter Peter Bell investigates and learns that the priest's suicide has somehow opened a portal to Hell that must be sealed by All Saints Day, or else the dead will overtake humanity.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Church (1989)
In a Gothic cathedral built on the mass grave of a Teutonic purge, an ancient discovery by the new librarian will release an unholy maelstrom of madness, violence, and demonic vengeance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe House by the Cemetery (1981)
After a doctor kills his mistress and himself while researching the mysterious previous owner of his Boston home, his colleague, Dr. Norman Boyle, takes over his studies and moves his family into the Boston mansion. Soon after, Boyle's young son Bob becomes plagued by visions of a young girl, who warns him of the danger within the house.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMother's Day (2010)
Crazed members of a sadistic family return to their childhood home to terrorize the new owners.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThir13en Ghosts (2001)
Arthur and his two children inherit his uncle's estate: a glass house that serves as a prison to twelve ghosts. When the family, accompanied by a nanny and an attorney, enter the house they find themselves trapped inside an evil machine 'designed by the Devil and powered by the dead' to open the Eye of Hell. Aided by a ghost hunter and his rival, a ghost rights activist out to set the ghosts free, the group must do what they can to get out of the house alive.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Bay of Blood (1971)
An elderly heiress is killed by her husband who wants control of her fortunes. What ensues is an all-out murder spree as relatives and friends attempt to reduce the inheritance playing field, complicated by some teenagers who decide to camp out in a dilapidated building on the estate.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHalloween (1978)
Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween Night 1963, Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois to kill again.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
After picking up a traumatized young hitchhiker, five friends find themselves stalked and hunted by a chainsaw-wielding killer and his family of equally psychopathic killers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCarneirinhos (2022)
Mylene is overwhelmed by desperation and regret. She stares at old photographs and spilled pills. Death stares back.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Camp Killer (2016)
The sheriff of a town plagued by an unstoppable killer Meets up with his nemesis one last time as a pair of survivors complicate matters for the worse. Who will be left standing and what will remain of their sanity?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Hamlet (2025)
A theatre director intends to make a revolutionary version of Hamlet. It all starts with finding the right actors and putting their lives in danger.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Tarantula (1955)
A rogue scientist near a small desert town arouses the suspicion of the town's doctor when his lab assistant is found dead from a case of acromegaly, which took only four days to develop. As the doctor investigates, aided by the scientist's new female assistant, they discover that something is devouring local cattle and humans in increasingly large quantities.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBlood Widow (2014)
Laurie and Hugh are a successful young couple who have just closed on a weekend home away from the city. Unbeknownst to them, the neighboring property contains the crumbling remains of a boarding school that was shuttered in the wake of an unspeakable massacre. The sole survivor of that massacre still resides in the ruins of the school, hiding from the world and wanting only to be left alone. When Laurie and Hugh's friends explore the property, they have no idea that they disturbed an emotionally-broken killing machine: The Blood Widow.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisMary Reilly (1996)
A housemaid falls in love with Dr. Jekyll and his darkly mysterious counterpart, Mr. Hyde.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Good Son (1993)
A young boy stays with his aunt and uncle, and befriends his cousin who's the same age. But his cousin begins showing increasing signs of psychotic behavior.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMandy (2018)
The Shadow Mountains, 1983. Red and Mandy lead a loving and peaceful existence; but when their pine-scented haven is savagely destroyed, Red is catapulted into a phantasmagoric journey filled with bloody vengeance and laced with fire.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMidnighters (2018)
Midnight, New Year’s Eve: when all the hopes of new beginnings come to life – except for Lindsey and Jeff Pittman, whose strained marriage faces the ultimate test after they cover up a terrible crime and find themselves entangled in a Hitchcockian web of deceit and madness.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisPet Sematary (1989)
After the Creed family's cat is accidentally killed, a friendly neighbor advises its burial in a mysterious nearby cemetery.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Absurd?
The closest matches to Absurd are Nightmare at Shadow Woods (1987), Please Don't Feed the Children (2025) and Inferno (1980). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Absurd?
Start with Nightmare at Shadow Woods (1987), the closest match to Absurd.
What is the highest-rated movie like Absurd?
Halloween (1978), rated 7.6/10 by 6,518 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Absurd?
Psycho Killer (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Italian movies like Absurd?
Yes: Inferno (1980), City of the Living Dead (1980) and The Church (1989).
How are movies similar to Absurd chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Absurd, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.