Movies like Illusory Promises (2017)
The best movies like Illusory Promises (2017) are Fallen Angel (1945), Sherlock Jr. (1924) and I Bury the Living (1958). If Illusory Promises hooked you with its mystery, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedSherlock Jr. (1924)8.0/10 from 1,239 votes
- NewestDesiderius (2026)Released 2026
Fallen Angel (1945)
An unemployed drifter, Eric Stanton wanders into a small California town and begins hanging around the local diner. While Eric falls for the lovely waitress Stella, he also begins romancing a quiet and well-to-do woman named June Mills. Since Stella isn't interested in Eric unless he has money, the lovelorn guy comes up with a scheme to win her over, and it involves June. Before long, murder works its way into this passionate love triangle.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSherlock Jr. (1924)
A film projectionist longs to be a detective, and puts his meager skills to work when he is framed by a rival for stealing his girlfriend's father's pocketwatch.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisI Bury the Living (1958)
The new manager of a small-town cemetery becomes convinced that he triggered the untimely deaths of several plot owners by tampering with a certain map. When nobody believes him, he risks his sanity to play God once again and prove his point.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBrand Upon the Brain! (2007)
After returning home to his long-estranged mother upon a request from her deathbed, a man raised by his parents in an orphanage has to confront the childhood memories that have long haunted him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both 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 mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRide the Pink Horse (1947)
A con man tries to blackmail a Mexican gangster.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDoctor Who: Dark Water / Death in Heaven (2014)
In this epic two-part finale, the Doctor comes face to face with the mysterious Missy, and an impossible choice is looming. With Cybermen on the streets of London, old friends unite against old enemies, and the Doctor takes to the air in a startling new role.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisImpact (1949)
After surviving a murder attempt, an auto magnate goes into hiding so his wife can pay for the crime.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMurder at the Gallop (1963)
Miss Marple and Mr. Stringer are witnesses to the death by heart attack of elderly, rich Mr. Enderby. Yet they have their doubts about what happened. The police don't believe them, thus leading Miss Marple to yet again investigate by herself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Assault (2014)
After a cheerleader is sexually assaulted by the high school football team, she must overcome her shame and use the evidence gathered from the subsequent social media firestorm to piece together the night that she can't remember in her fight for justice. Based on the true story of the Steubenville, Ohio rape case.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBlack Angel (1946)
A falsely convicted man's wife, Catherine, and an alcoholic composer and pianist, Martin, team up in an attempt to clear her husband of the murder of a blonde singer, who is Martin's wife.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Blue Gardenia (1953)
Upon waking up to the news that the man she’d gone on a date with the previous night has been murdered, a young woman with only a faint memory of the night’s events begins to suspect that she murdered him while attempting to resist his advances.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTomorrowland (2015)
Bound by a shared destiny, a bright, optimistic teen bursting with scientific curiosity and a former boy-genius inventor jaded by disillusionment embark on a danger-filled mission to unearth the secrets of an enigmatic place somewhere in time and space that exists in their collective memory as "Tomorrowland."
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (2019)
Nancy Drew, a smart high schooler with a penchant for keen observation and deduction, stumbles upon the haunting of a local home. A bit of an outsider struggling to fit into her new surroundings, Nancy and her pals set out to solve the mystery, make new friends, and establish their place in the community
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisYoung and Innocent (1937)
When a young writer is falsely accused of murdering a famous actress, he escapes custody and joins forces with the daughter of a police constable to prove his innocence.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAbigail (2019)
A young girl Abigail lives in a city whose borders were closed many years ago because of an epidemic of a mysterious disease. Abby's father was one of the sick - and he was taken when she was six years old. Going against the authorities to find his father, Abby learns that her city is actually full of magic. And she discovers in herself extraordinary magical abilities.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRose of Nevada (2026)
When a fishing boat, the Rose of Nevada, lost with all hands 30 years ago, mysteriously reappears in the old harbour of a forgotten Cornish village, for those who remember, it’s surely a sign. The boat must go out to sea again and maybe then the luck of the devastated village will turn. Young father Nick and enigmatic newcomer Liam join captain Murgey, and they head to sea. But when they return, satisfied with their haul, something is amiss – they’ve slipped back in time, and the villagers greet them as if they are the original crew.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies 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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDead of Night (1977)
This anthology tells three stories: a man buys a car that takes him back and forth through time; a tale of vampires; and a distraught mother asks for her drowned son to come back to life and gets more than she bargained for.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Dark Mirror (1946)
A sister and her disturbed twin are implicated in a murder and a police detective must figure out which one's the killer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTime (2025)
A loose interpretation of the poem of the same name by Dutch poet M. Vasalis, "Time" follows a grieving man who is plagued by a strange and prophetic dream.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery
The Garlock Incident (2012)
On December 16th, 2011, eight people on their way to Las Vegas stopped in the ghost town of Garlock, California. This footage documents what happened.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery
The Truck (2013)
In March of 1987, Roger and Alice take a weekend getaway to explore an abandoned campground Roger has inherited. Along the way, they run into an old four wheel drive truck that adds miles of terror to their trip. Is there anyone behind the wheel? Or is it driven by pure evil?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery
The Other Magick (2018)
Documentary about a house of witchcraft in Buenos Aires
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery
Neapolitan (2018)
In 2002, an introverted young man falls in love on a beta-test dating site only for the young woman to abruptly stop talking to him. He sets to find out why.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery
Rebound (2014)
When a young woman finds the love of her life cheating on her, she has a mental break while travelling across country and encounters hostile strangers and debilitating anxiety along the way.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery
12/15/1996 (2011)
Second in the series, dysfunctional friends Adam and Quentin are on the road, taking care of business in their own inimitable fashion.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Illusory Promises?
The closest matches to Illusory Promises are Fallen Angel (1945), Sherlock Jr. (1924) and I Bury the Living (1958). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Illusory Promises?
Start with Fallen Angel (1945), the closest match to Illusory Promises.
What is the highest-rated movie like Illusory Promises?
Sherlock Jr. (1924), rated 8.0/10 by 1,239 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Illusory Promises?
Desiderius (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Illusory Promises?
Yes: Fallen Angel (1945), Sherlock Jr. (1924) and I Bury the Living (1958).
How are movies similar to Illusory Promises chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Illusory Promises, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.