Movies like The Deliberate Stranger (1986)
The best movies like The Deliberate Stranger (1986) are Confessions of a Serial Killer (1985), Gacy (2003) and The Stranger Beside Me (2003). If The Deliberate Stranger hooked you with its drama and crime, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedZodiac (2007)7.5/10 from 12,114 votes
- NewestThe Investigation of Lucy Letby (2026)Released 2026
Confessions of a Serial Killer (1985)
After being arrested, a Texas man begins confessing to the brutal murder of over 200 women. He recounts his random selection of victims and his traveling companions, his friend and friend's sister. But the police can't be sure whether to believe him or not until he locates a body and shows them some polaroids. Based on the true story of Henry Lee Lucas.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & horror
Gacy (2003)
Based on a true story of serial killer a model citizen, loving father and husband and serial killer John Wayne Gacy, a man with over 30 dead men and boys entombed in the crawl space underneath his house which he shared with his family.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Stranger Beside Me (2003)
While working at a Seattle clinic for women in the 1970s, Ann Rule becomes friends with Ted Bundy. Based on a book by Ann Rule.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & drama
Ted Bundy: American Boogeyman (2021)
Set in a gritty and decadent 1970s America, American Boogeyman follows the elusive and charming killer and the manhunt that brought him to justice involving the detective and the FBI rookie who coined the phrase ‘serial killer’.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDahmer (2002)
On February 15, 1992 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Jeffrey Dahmer, one of the world's most infamous serial killers, was convicted of 15 counts of murder and sentenced to 937 years in federal prison. This movie is based on events from his life.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Green River Killer: Mind of a Monster (2020)
Beginning in the early 1980s, Washington state was gripped with fear as the bodies of young women began appearing along the banks of the Green River. As the number of victims grew, investigators created a taskforce and enlisted the help of the FBI, but it took almost 20 years to finally catch their man. Through startling and chilling tapes and video archive of Gary Ridgway’s police interviews, The Green River Killer: Mind of a Monster reveals, in Ridgway’s own disturbing words, insight into his evil: from how his troubling behavior as a child morphed into his morbid motivation to murder as many women as possible.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime
The Secret Life (1993)
Based on the life of notorious serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, who murdered 17 men and ate many of them before he was caught in 1991.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & drama
The Zodiac (2005)
An elusive serial killer known as the Zodiac terrorizes the San Francisco Bay in the late 1960s, while detectives aim to stop him before he claims more victims. Based on a true story.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisHenry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)
Arriving in Chicago, Henry moves in with ex-con acquaintance Otis and starts schooling him in the ways of the serial killer.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTo Catch a Killer (1992)
"To Catch a Killer" tells the true gruesome story of John Wayne Gacy - a good friend and helpful neighbour, a great child entertainer, a respectful businessman, and a violent serial killer who raped and murdered over 30 young boys.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Gray Man (2007)
In the late 1920s, Albert Fish, a seemingly benevolent father and grandfather who reared his family by himself after his wife deserted them, turns out to be a serial child molester and murderer. Based on a true story.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & drama
Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019)
A chronicle of the crimes of Ted Bundy, from the perspective of his longtime girlfriend, Elizabeth Kloepfer, who refused to believe the truth about him for years.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Boston Strangler (1968)
Boston is being terrorized by a series of seemingly random murders of women. Based on the true story, the film follows the investigators path through several leads before introducing the Strangler as a character. It is seen almost exclusively from the point of view of the investigators who have very few clues to build a case upon.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEd Kemper (2025)
The horrifying true story of Ed Kemper, a cunning and sadistic serial killer shaped by childhood abuse, whose charm masked his grotesque obsession with murder, mutilation, and the ultimate act of revenge on his mother.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror & crime
Tenderness of the Wolves (1973)
A German serial killer preys on boys and young men during the so-called years of crisis between the wars. Based on the true story of Fritz Haarmann, aka the Butcher of Hanover and the Vampire of Hanover.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror & crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisFreeway Killer (2009)
For years he terrorized California motorists as he rode the endless highways searching for his next victim. The discarded bodies turned up beaten, sexually assaulted and horribly mutilated. Deceptively charming and intelligent, the scheming murderer easily avoided police at first. But as police closed in and the killer’s pattern grew more erratic, the only question was how many more will die?
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror & thriller
The Investigation of Lucy Letby (2026)
An engaging and thought-provoking look at Lucy Letby, the former nurse serving life in prison after being convicted of the murders of seven infants and the attempted murders of seven others.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCopycat (1995)
An agoraphobic psychologist and a female detective must work together to take down a serial killer who copies serial killers from the past.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWoman of the Hour (2024)
An aspiring actress crosses paths with a prolific serial killer in '70s LA when they're cast on an episode of "The Dating Game."
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisZodiac (2007)
Police conduct a manhunt for the Zodiac Killer, a serial killer who terrorized the San Francisco Bay Area during the late 1960s and early 1970s, taunting police with letters, bloodstained clothing, and ciphers mailed to newspapers.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSearching for a Serial Killer: The Regina Smith Story (2024)
A single mother determined to provide a safer world for her daughter, Regina joins the Dallas Police Department. As a rookie, Regina and her partner Eddie stumble upon the first victim of what would be many murders of female prostitutes by the notorious serial killer, whom the media dubbed “The Eyeball Killer,” because he surgically removed the eyes of his victims. Despite only being months into the job and a woman in a profession dominated by men, Regina risks everything to get involved in the case. She discovers crucial evidence missed by FBI and city homicide detectives that lands her on the doorstep of a satanic killer.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & drama
Citizen X (1995)
Based on the true story of a Russian serial killer who, over many years, claimed victim to over 50 people. His victims were mostly under the age of 17. In what was then a communists state, the police investigations were hampered by bureaucracy, incompetence and those in power. The story is told from the viewpoint of the detective in charge of the case.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTed Bundy (2002)
Seattle, 1974. Ted Bundy gives into his violent passions and embarks on a cross country killing spree, leaving a trail of raped, tortured, murdered, dismembered, and defiled corpses in his wake…
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Hillside Strangler (2004)
Kenneth Bianchi is a security guard whose attempts to become a police officer are repeatedly thwarted. He moves to California to live with his cousin Angelo and dates a string of women, becoming increasingly preoccupied with sex. Eventually the cousins decide to start an escort agency. After violently killing a prostitute they thought had betrayed them, Kenneth and Angelo begin committing a series of crimes that become a media sensation.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & horror
Dating Game Killer (2017)
Rodney Alcala commits a series of grisly murders in the 1970s. While the mother of one of his victims desperately searches for answers, Rodney maintains his intelligent, smooth-talking persona, even appearing as a bachelor on "The Dating Game."
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & thriller
Kidnapped: The Hannah Anderson Story (2015)
On the afternoon of August 3, 2013, 16-year-old Hannah Anderson was abducted after finishing cheerleading practice in a San Diego suburb. When the bodies of her mother and brother were found in the burned home of family friend James DiMaggio later that day, an AMBER Alert was issued, and a frantic multi-state manhunt for Hannah began. For a week she was kept prisoner by the increasingly unstable DiMaggio as they made their way across the state. One week later, the two were found in Idaho and DiMaggio was killed in a shootout with FBI agents, leaving Hannah as the sole survivor. As the dust settled, questions began to emerge about the nature of the relationship between Hannah and her kidnapper...and what really happened?
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & crime
Criticsized (2016)
A widely ignored filmmaker becomes a vicious serial killer to punish the world for rejecting his self-proclaimed brilliance. He stays one step ahead of the authorities, broadcasting his crimes on the internet.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & crime
Monster (2003)
In 1989, prostitute Aileen Wuornos befriends and enters a relationship with a young woman named Selby. Determined to straighten out her life, Aileen's limited education lands her back on the corner. She's raped by a trick, who she kills. A string of murder and robbery follows that ultimately leads Aileen to becoming America's first female serial killer.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEvilenko (2004)
For years, Andrei Evilenko eluded the obsessive Detective Lesiev and the psychiatric profiler Aron Richter. Spurred on by his rabid fury at the gradual crumbling of his precious Soviet Union, Evilenko is a man who will live, die and kill as a communist.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisBoston Strangler (2023)
Reporters Loretta McLaughlin and Jean Cole bravely pursue the story of the Boston Strangler at great personal risk, putting their own lives on the line in their quest to uncover the truth.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Deliberate Stranger?
The closest matches to The Deliberate Stranger are Confessions of a Serial Killer (1985), Gacy (2003) and The Stranger Beside Me (2003). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Deliberate Stranger?
People who watched The Deliberate Stranger most often go on to Confessions of a Serial Killer (1985), Gacy (2003) and The Stranger Beside Me (2003).
What is the highest-rated movie like The Deliberate Stranger?
Zodiac (2007), rated 7.5/10 by 12,114 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Deliberate Stranger?
The Investigation of Lucy Letby (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Deliberate Stranger?
Yes: Confessions of a Serial Killer (1985), Gacy (2003) and The Stranger Beside Me (2003).
How are movies similar to The Deliberate Stranger chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Deliberate Stranger, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.