Movies like Bowling Balls (2004)
The best movies like Bowling Balls (2004) are Michael Jackson's Thriller (1983), Trick or Treat (1986) and Ghosts (1997). If Bowling Balls hooked you with its horror and music, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedMichael Jackson's Thriller (1983)8.2/10 from 813 votes
- NewestThe Dreadful (2026)Released 2026
Michael Jackson's Thriller (1983)
A night at the movies turns terrifying when Michael and his date are attacked by zombies.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & music
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisTrick or Treat (1986)
Eddie Weinbauer, a metalhead teen who is bullied at school, looks to his heavy metal superstar idol, Sammi Curr, for guidance. When Curr is killed in a hotel fire, Eddie becomes the recipient of the only copy of his unreleased album, which, when played backwards, brings the rocker back to life. As Halloween approaches, Eddie begins to realize that this isn't only rock 'n roll...It's life and death.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGhosts (1997)
In the town of Normal Valley, an eccentric magician named Maestro entertains the local children every day in his spooky mansion. One stormy night, the town's mayor leads a group of angry citizens to the mansion in an attempt to run Maestro out of town.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & horror
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisTerrifier (2011)
After witnessing a brutal murder on Halloween night, a young woman becomes the next target of a maniacal entity.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Jack in the Box Rises (2024)
When a creepy Jack-in-the-Box is discovered and opened on the grounds of an exclusive girls' school, six brave students soon enter a fight to the finish against the unleashed demon.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Dreadful (2026)
In medieval England, Anne and her domineering mother-in-law Morwen struggle to survive on the outskirts of society. But when a man from Anne's past returns from war, a curse begins to take shape through a mysterious knight and threatens to destroy them all.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisTerrifier (2018)
A mute maniac named Art the Clown terrorizes two friends on Halloween and everyone else who gets in his way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisClown (2014)
A loving father finds a clown suit for his son's birthday party, only to realize the suit is part of an evil curse that turns its wearer into a killer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisStitches (2012)
The clumsy and unfunny clown Richard "Stitches" Grindle entertains at the 10th birthday party of little Tom, but the boy and his friends play a prank with Stitches, tying his shoelaces. Stitches slips, falls and dies. Six years later, Tom gives a birthday party for his friends at home, but Stitches revives to haunt the teenagers and revenge his death.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMichael Jackson Video Greatest Hits: HIStory (1995)
This compilation features 10 of Michael Jackson's greatest video hits, including "Billie Jean," "The Way You Make Me Feel," "Black or White," "Rock With You" and others. -Includes the never before seen 18 minute version of "Bad". Directed by Martin Scorsese. Featuring Wesley Snipes. -9:30 Long Version of "The Way You Make Me Feel". -"Black Or White"- short film "Panther" version -"thriller"- "monstrous masterpiece" the ultimate "music movie" 14 minutes of horrific fun by director John Landis. -"remember The Time"- directed by John Singleton (Higher Learning, Boyz N The Hood, Shaft),features Eddie Murphy and Magic Johnson.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Neon Demon (2016)
When aspiring model Jesse moves to Los Angeles, her youth and vitality are devoured by a group of beauty-obsessed women who will take any means necessary to get what she has.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSturgill Simpson Presents Sound & Fury (2019)
In this anime visual album, a mysterious driver heads deep into a postapocalyptic hellscape toward a ferocious showdown with two monstrous opponents.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHeavy Metal (1981)
The embodiment of ultimate evil, a glowing orb terrorizes a young girl with bizarre stories of dark fantasy, eroticism and horror.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMaXXXine (2024)
In 1980s Hollywood, adult film star and aspiring actress Maxine Minx finally gets her big break. But as a mysterious killer stalks the starlets of Hollywood, a trail of blood threatens to reveal her sinister past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTerrifier 2 (2022)
Resurrected by a sinister entity, Art the Clown returns to Miles County to terrorize a teenage girl and her younger brother on Halloween night.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Jack in the Box: Awakening (2022)
When a vintage Jack-in-the-box is opened by a dying woman, she enters into a deal with the demon within that would see her illness cured in return for helping it claim six innocent victims.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMetallica: Through the Never (2013)
Trip, a young roadie for Metallica, is sent on an urgent mission during the band's show. But what seems like a simple assignment turns into a surreal adventure.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
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
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Last House on the Left (1972)
On the eve of her 17th birthday, Mari and friend Phyllis set off from her family home to attend a rock concert in the city. Attempting to score some drugs on the way, the pair run afoul of a group of vicious crooks, headed up by the sadistic Krug.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Bowling Balls?
The closest matches to Bowling Balls are Michael Jackson's Thriller (1983), Trick or Treat (1986) and Ghosts (1997). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Bowling Balls?
Start with Michael Jackson's Thriller (1983), the closest match to Bowling Balls.
What is the highest-rated movie like Bowling Balls?
Michael Jackson's Thriller (1983), rated 8.2/10 by 813 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Bowling Balls?
The Dreadful (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Bowling Balls?
Yes: Michael Jackson's Thriller (1983), Trick or Treat (1986) and Ghosts (1997).
How are movies similar to Bowling Balls chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Bowling Balls, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.