Movies like Penunggu Istana (2011)
The best movies like Penunggu Istana (2011) are Body Cam (2020), Night Watch (1973) and Nocebo (2022). If Penunggu Istana hooked you with its horror and thriller, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedLee Cronin's The Mummy (2026)7.8/10 from 2,864 votes
- NewestBackrooms (2026)Released 2026
Body Cam (2020)
As a police officer investigates the gruesome murder of her colleague, she discovers that a mysterious supernatural force is behind it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNight Watch (1973)
A woman recovering from a nervous breakdown tries to convince her husband and and the local London police that she has witnessed a murder in the abandoned house next door.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNocebo (2022)
A fashion designer suffers from a mysterious illness that puzzles her doctors and frustrates her husband until help arrives in the form of a Filipino caregiver who uses traditional folk healing to reveal a horrifying truth.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBlack Rainbow (1989)
Martha Travis is a medium who makes contact with spirits "on the other side" and connects them with their loved ones still alive, in public performances. Trouble begins when she gives a message to Mary Kuron from her husband, Tom. But Tom isn't dead... yet. And Martha not only knows he will die, she also knows who killed him. And the murderer knows she knows...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisHome Sweet Home: Rebirth (2025)
When a city is overrun with a demonically-possessed crowd, a cop must find the source of evil to save his family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisWer (2013)
A defense attorney begins to suspect that her client, who is charged with the murders of a vacationing family, might be more than meets the eye.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Girl Who Got Away (2021)
A female serial killer who killed four young girls is sent away to prison, but a fifth victim escaped with her life. Twenty years later, the killer escapes and begins hunting for the one who got away.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisParanormal Activity (2009)
After a young, middle-class couple moves into what seems like a typical suburban house, they become increasingly disturbed by a presence that may or may not be demonic, but is certainly the most active in the middle of the night.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisundertone (2026)
The host of a popular paranormal podcast becomes haunted by terrifying recordings mysteriously sent her way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Evil (1978)
Shortly after moving into a dark, brooding mansion, a psychologist and his co-workers are terrorized by a horrible evil being.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisStowaway (2022)
A tenacious party girl fights to survive after three thieves commandeer her luxury yacht. Unable to escape and trapped on the yacht at high seas, the prey becomes the hunter as she turns the tables on the intruders and takes matters into her own hands.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLake Mungo (2009)
After 16-year-old Alice Palmer drowns at a local dam, her family experiences a series of strange, inexplicable events centered in and around their home. Unsettled, the Palmers seek the help of a psychic and parapsychologist, who discovers that Alice led a secret, double life. At Lake Mungo, Alice's secret past emerges.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSmile (2022)
After witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient, Dr. Rose Cotter starts experiencing frightening occurrences that she can't explain.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCreep (2014)
Looking for work, Aaron comes across a cryptic online ad: "$1,000 for the day. Filming service. Discretion is appreciated." Low on cash and full of naiveté, he decides to go for it. He drives to a cabin in a remote mountain town where he meets Josef, his cinematic subject for the day. Josef is sincere and the project seems heartfelt, so Aaron begins to film. But as the day goes on, it becomes clear that Josef is not who he says, and his intentions are not at all pure.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAwake (2007)
While undergoing heart surgery, a man experiences a phenomenon called ‘anesthetic awareness’, which leaves him awake but paralyzed throughout the operation. As various obstacles present themselves, his wife must make life-altering decisions while wrestling with her own personal drama.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLee Cronin's The Mummy (2026)
The young daughter of a journalist disappears into the desert without a trace—eight years later, the broken family is shocked when she is returned to them, as what should be a joyful reunion turns into a living nightmare.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBackrooms (2026)
A strange doorway appears in the basement of a furniture showroom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisUntil Dawn (2025)
One year after her sister Melanie mysteriously disappeared, Clover and her friends head into the remote valley where she vanished in search of answers. Exploring an abandoned visitor center, they find themselves stalked by a masked killer and horrifically murdered one by one...only to wake up and find themselves back at the beginning of the same evening.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOverdrive (2017)
Master car thieves square off against French gangsters in the South of France with money, women and lives all on the line.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Legend of Hell House (1973)
A team consisting of a physicist, his wife, a young female psychic, and the only survivor of the previous visit are sent to the notorious Hell House to prove or disprove survival after death. Previous visitors have either been killed or gone mad, and it is up to the team to survive a full week in isolation, and solve the mystery of the Hell House.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWekufe: The Origin of Evil (2016)
A student travels with her boyfriend to Chiloé, remote Patagonia island in southern Chile, to investigate the link that exists between the high number of sexual related crimes and the myths 'n' legends that surround this mysterious place.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & mystery
Ready or Not (2012)
A new reality television show chooses six contestants to travel to a secluded mansion to compete for one million dollars. The game is Hide-and-Seek. But the rules change when one contestant is found murdered by the very cameraman who was sent to record their every move. The players realize that this is no game. It's a real life horror film and they are the stars. What began as a contest for quick fame and easy fortune becomes a battle for survival.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller & horror
Embedded (2013)
A seasoned news correspondent and cameraman embed themselves with a posse that set off into the rugged wilderness of the Rocky Mountains to find a missing child who may become the next victim of what is believed to be a rogue grizzly...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & thriller
Hunting Grounds (2010)
A group of college students experience the ultimate close encounter of the most ferocious kind in the deserts outside of Roswell, New Mexico in this documentary styled horror film.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
It Exists (2014)
"Ia Wujud" follows a a group of teenagers who breaks into an abandoned theme park. Set at a time before the flurry of horror stories from the Highland Tower case, the group believes that ghosts do not exist. So they challenge each other to a 'spirit of the coin' game in the abandoned park, but they soon find that ultimately what they are looking for actually exists.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
America's Most Haunted (2013)
The crew of a popular ghost hunting show gets more than they bargained for when they come across a location that's actually haunted.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
The Zombinator (2012)
College students from Youngstown, Ohio were planning a simple fashion blogging documentary before a zombie invasion changed their film, and their lives. Teaming up with an ex-soldier turned zombie-hunter, the co-eds face threats from the undead and their corporate overlords.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
The Bag Witch Project (1999)
"The Bag Witch Project" documents the misadventures of three hapless gamers as they try to find the legendary Bag Witch gaming tournament. "On August 3, 1998, three roleplayers disappeared in a hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin while looking for a gaming tournament...A year later, their footage was found."
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
419 (2012)
When a New York City actor loses everything to an internet scam based in South Africa, his two best friends take him to Cape Town to track down the scammer. With the help of a charismatic local, their search begins promisingly, leading them into Cape Town's clubs, back alleys, and townships. But as they find themselves moving into darker territory, things prove to be not all that they seem, old rivalries flare up, and the limits of friendship are tested in ways the three men could never have imagined. Designed to look and feel like a documentary, 419 is a unique thriller about the mysteries of male friendship and the true cost of revenge.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Cannibal Holocaust (1980)
A New York University professor returns from a rescue mission to the Amazon rainforest with the footage shot by a lost team of documentarians who were making a film about the area's local cannibal tribes.
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 Penunggu Istana?
The closest matches to Penunggu Istana are Body Cam (2020), Night Watch (1973) and Nocebo (2022). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Penunggu Istana?
Start with Body Cam (2020), the closest match to Penunggu Istana.
What is the highest-rated movie like Penunggu Istana?
Lee Cronin's The Mummy (2026), rated 7.8/10 by 2,864 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Penunggu Istana?
Backrooms (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Penunggu Istana?
Yes: Body Cam (2020), Night Watch (1973) and Nocebo (2022).
How are movies similar to Penunggu Istana chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Penunggu Istana, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.