Movies like The Invitation (2020)
The best movies like The Invitation (2020) are River of Blood (2024), The Evil (1978) and Z (2019). If The Invitation 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 ratedRed Dragon (2002)7.1/10 from 4,960 votes
- NewestVicious (2025)Released 2025
River of Blood (2024)
Four kayakers take the wrong river into a jungle inhabited by a tribe of merciless cannibals.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
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 thisZ (2019)
A family find themselves terrorized by their eight-year-old son's imaginary friend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBloodline (2019)
Evan values family above all else, and anyone who gets between him, his wife, and newborn son learns that the hard way. But when it comes to violent tendencies, it seems the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisPlay Dead (2022)
Criminology student Chloe fakes her own death to break into a morgue, in order to retrieve a piece of evidence that ties her younger brother to a crime gone wrong. Once inside, she discovers that a sadistic coroner is using the corpses for his sick and twisted business, and when he realises that Chloe still has a pulse, a terrifying game of cat and mouse ensues.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhisper (2007)
Sinister things begin happening to kidnappers who are holding a young boy for ransom in a remote cabin.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGrindhouse (2007)
Grindhouse combines Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror, a horror comedy about a group of survivors who battle zombie-like creatures, and Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof, an action thriller about a murderous stuntman who kills young women with modified vehicles. It is presented as a double feature with fictitious exploitation trailers preceding each segment.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & horror
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Other (2025)
Unable to conceive, a couple seeks to build a family with a young orphan, survivor of tragic childhood. But their act of love turns to horror when they realize the violence in their foster's past has returned to destroy the new family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisVicious (2025)
When Polly receives a mysterious box, it comes with one rule: place inside something she needs, something she hates, and something she loves. If she doesn’t obey, it will consume everything—and everyone—she’s ever known.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDark Harvest (2023)
In a small Midwestern town, a deadly annual ritual unfolds when the mythical nightmare, Sawtooth Jack, rises from the cornfields and challenges the town’s teenage boys in a bloody battle of survival.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Deliverance (2024)
Ebony Jackson, a struggling single mother fighting her personal demons, moves her family into a new home for a fresh start. But when strange occurrences inside the home raise the suspicions of Child Protective Services and threaten to tear the family apart, Ebony soon finds herself locked in a battle for her life and the souls of her children.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Possessed (2021)
A man with the ability to exorcise demons fights to protect his loved ones after a sudden surge in demonic possessions. After discovering his nephew's girlfriend has the same supernatural gift, they join forces for the ultimate confrontation. Inspired by actual events.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRed Dragon (2002)
Former FBI Agent Will Graham, who was once almost killed by the savage Hannibal 'The Cannibal' Lecter, now has no choice but to face him again, as it seems Lecter is the only one who can help Graham track down a new serial killer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & horror
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDangerous Game: The Legacy Murders (2022)
A family reunion at a remote mansion takes a lethal turn when they are trapped inside and forced to play a deadly survival game where only one will make it out alive.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Shed (2019)
The story of Stan, an orphaned teenager stuck living with his abusive grandfather and tasked with routinely protecting his best friend from high school bullies. When Stan discovers a murderous creature has taken refuge inside the tool shed in his backyard, he tries to secretly battle the demon alone until his bullied friend discovers the creature and has a far more sinister plan in mind.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBloodline Killer (2024)
Moira Cole endeavors to rebuild her shattered life after her family's murder at the hands of her deranged and obsessed cousin.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Banana Splits Movie (2019)
A boy named Harley and his family attend a taping of The Banana Splits TV show, which is supposed to be a fun-filled birthday for young Harley and business as usual for Rebecca, the producer of the series. But things take an unexpected turn - and the body count quickly rises. Can Harley, his mom and their new pals safely escape?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisShades of Desire (2023)
After her twin sister Aubrey goes missing, Jennifer uncovers the scandalous, secret double-life that Aubrey leads - and that has put both of them in danger.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSuperhost (2021)
Two travel vloggers check into a vacation rental with a host that will do anything for a good review.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisYear 10 (2024)
After the fall of civilization, the few survivors have been driven to cannibalism. A young man must confront a violent tribe that has murdered his father and stolen the medicine that keeps his girlfriend alive.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like this30 Days of Night (2007)
This is the story of an isolated Alaskan town that is plunged into darkness for a month each year when the sun sinks below the horizon. As the last rays of light fade, the town is attacked by a bloodthirsty gang of vampires bent on an uninterrupted orgy of destruction. Only the small town's husband-and-wife Sheriff team stand between the survivors and certain destruction.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMurder Death Koreatown (2020)
The bizarre found footage from an investigation into a true crime murder. An unemployed man’s curiosity about his neighbor’s murder warps into a conspiratorial obsession.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
The Misled Romance of Cannibal Girl and Incest Boy (2007)
The Misled Romance of Cannibal Girl and Incest Boy is a super 8 short film of magnificent cavalcade of violence, gore and sexual mayhem!!!!!! With memorable imagery, a psychedelic soundtrack, and a cameo by Troma president and creator of the Toxic Avenger Lloyd Kaufman, Cannibal Gil and Incest Boy will not disappoint anyone looking for an original shocking piece of art.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Amy & I (2022)
When Amy and her boyfriend have a nice dinner in a restaurant where they first met, it turns out there's some pressure on their relationship.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Somniphobia (2021)
A doctor with the ability to visit people's dreams helps a young woman confront the terrifying reality of her nightmare
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
¿todobien? (TBA)
When Javi and Rafa are about to say goodbye forever, they both arrive at the same conclusion: for their love to exist, one of them must eat the other.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
The Gifted: Original Sin (2024)
Set 6 months before the events of "The Gifted", Barbara and Vicky find themselves in Las Vegas to clean up loose ends of the past, propelling them toward their fate that is foreseen by a woman named Chica.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Carter (2025)
In this H.P. Lovecraft adaptation, Carter, a grief-stricken young man, and his mentor Warren, an elder female professor of the occult, search for a portal to the underworld in an abandoned cemetery.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Scarlett's Colorful Friends (2025)
A mysterious government project known as Project: Mystic has been leaked by a whistleblower. It was an experiment about the effects of magic on the human body and was conducted on children. This of course begs the question: What happened to the children?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Star.Wav (2024)
After prophesying the end of humanity, a reclusive conspiracy theorist receives a troubling call into his radio show.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Like The Invitation and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Invitation?
The closest matches to The Invitation are River of Blood (2024), The Evil (1978) and Z (2019). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Invitation?
Start with River of Blood (2024), the closest match to The Invitation.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Invitation?
Red Dragon (2002), rated 7.1/10 by 4,960 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Invitation?
Vicious (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there German movies like The Invitation?
The closest matches are in other languages.
How are movies similar to The Invitation chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Invitation, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.