Movies like Killer Joe (2012)
The best movies like Killer Joe (2012) are Fargo (1996), Blood Simple (1985) and Shallow Grave (1994). If Killer Joe hooked you with its crime and thriller, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedFargo (1996)7.8/10 from 9,577 votes
- NewestLake George (2024)Released 2024
Fargo (1996)
Jerry Lundegaard is a small-town Minnesota car salesman deeply in debt and willing to do almost anything to get out. Police chief Marge Gunderson discovers a string of violent crimes as Jerry's schemes spiral out of control.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBlood Simple (1985)
The owner of a seedy small-town Texas bar discovers that one of his employees is having an affair with his wife. A chaotic chain of misunderstandings, lies and mischief ensues after he devises a plot to have them murdered.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisShallow Grave (1994)
When David, Juliet, and Alex find their new roommate dead with a large sum of money, they agree to hide the body and keep the cash. However, this newfound fortune gradually corrodes their friendship.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisUncut Gems (2019)
A charismatic New York City jeweler always on the lookout for the next big score makes a series of high-stakes bets that could lead to the windfall of a lifetime. Howard must perform a precarious high-wire act, balancing business, family, and encroaching adversaries on all sides in his relentless pursuit of the ultimate win.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Simple Plan (1998)
Captivated by the lure of sudden wealth, the quiet rural lives of two brothers erupt into conflicts of greed, paranoia and distrust when over $4 million in cash is discovered at the remote site of a downed small airplane. Their simple plan to retain the money while avoiding detection opens a Pandora's box when the fear of getting caught triggers panicked behavior and leads to virulent consequences.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCold in July (2014)
While investigating noises in his house one balmy Texas night in 1989, Richard Dane puts a bullet in the brain of a low-life burglar. Although he’s hailed as a small-town hero, Dane soon finds himself fearing for his family’s safety when Freddy’s ex-con father rolls into town, hell-bent on revenge.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNightcrawler (2014)
When Lou Bloom, desperate for work, muscles into the world of L.A. crime journalism, he blurs the line between observer and participant to become the star of his own story. Aiding him in his effort is Nina, a TV-news veteran.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisYou Were Never Really Here (2017)
A traumatized veteran, unafraid of violence, tracks down missing girls for a living. When a job spins out of control, Joe's nightmares overtake him as a conspiracy is uncovered—leading to what may be his death trip or his awakening.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBlue Ruin (2014)
When the quiet life of a beach bum is upended by dreadful news, he sets off for his childhood home to carry out an act of vengeance. However, he proves an inept assassin and finds himself in a brutal fight to protect his estranged family.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Last Stop in Yuma County (2024)
While awaiting the next fuel truck at a middle-of-nowhere Arizona rest stop, a traveling young knife salesman is thrust into a high-stakes hostage situation by the arrival of two similarly stranded bank robbers with no qualms about using cruelty—or cold, hard steel—to protect their bloodstained, ill-gotten fortune.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisI Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore (2017)
When a depressed woman is burglarized, she finds a new sense of purpose by tracking down the thieves alongside her obnoxious neighbor. But they soon find themselves dangerously out of their depth against a pack of degenerate criminals.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Killer Inside Me (2010)
Deputy Sheriff Lou Ford is a pillar of the community in his small west Texas town, patient and apparently thoughtful. Some people think he is a little slow and maybe boring, but that is the worst they say about him. But then nobody knows about what Lou calls his "sickness": He is a brilliant, but disturbed sociopathic sadist.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Square (2008)
Ray, a construction worker trapped in an unhappy marriage, pursues an affair with his neighbor, Carla. Carla's husband, Greg, is a mobster who keeps large sums of drug money in their home. With this in mind, Carla comes up with a plan: She and Ray will steal Greg's money, burn down her house, convince Greg the money was lost in the fire and then run away together. Carla's scheme, however, doesn't go off as planned.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRed Rock West (1993)
When a promised job for Texan Michael fails to materialize in Wyoming, Mike is mistaken by Wayne to be the hitman he hired to kill his unfaithful wife, Suzanne. Mike takes full advantage of the situation, collects the money, and runs. During his getaway, things go wrong, and soon get worse when he runs into the real hitman, Lyle.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOut of the Furnace (2013)
Two brothers live in the economically-depressed Rust Belt, when a cruel twist of fate lands one in prison. His brother is then lured into one of the most violent crime rings in the Northeast.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKilling Them Softly (2012)
Jackie Cogan is an enforcer hired to restore order after three dumb guys rob a Mob protected card game, causing the local criminal economy to collapse.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLake George (2024)
Newly released from prison, a white-collar criminal, used to dealing with numbers, is tasked with one last job by his boss: kill the boss’ girlfriend before she talks.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & thriller
Drive (2011)
Driver is a skilled Hollywood stuntman who moonlights as a getaway driver for criminals. Though he projects an icy exterior, lately he's been warming up to a pretty neighbor named Irene and her young son, Benicio. When Irene's husband gets out of jail, he enlists Driver's help in a million-dollar heist. The job goes horribly wrong, and Driver must risk his life to protect Irene and Benicio from the vengeful masterminds behind the robbery.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGood Time (2017)
After a botched bank robbery lands his younger brother in prison, Connie Nikas embarks on a twisted odyssey through New York City's underworld to get his brother Nick out of jail.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDrag (2027)
A routine robbery at a rural house turns into a nightmare for two amateur burglars when one of them throws their back out. Things spiral out of control as they try to make it out before the homeowner returns.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & thriller
Coming SoonMovies like thisCop Car (2015)
Two kids find themselves in the centre of a deadly game of cat and mouse after taking a sheriff's cruiser for a joy ride.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSuburbicon (2017)
In the quiet family town of Suburbicon during the 1950s, the best and worst of humanity is hilariously reflected through the deeds of seemingly ordinary people. When a home invasion turns deadly, a picture-perfect family turns to blackmail, revenge and murder.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Devil All the Time (2020)
In Knockemstiff, Ohio and its neighboring backwoods, sinister characters converge around young Arvin Russell as he fights the evil forces that threaten him and his family.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOnly God Forgives (2013)
Julian, who runs a Thai boxing club as a front organization for his family's drug smuggling operation, is forced by his mother Crystal to find and kill the individual responsible for his brother's recent death.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisKing of the Ants (2004)
A young drifter, struggling to makes ends meet, accepts a job to kill a prominent accountant. When he isn't paid for the hit, revenge is now his path.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisAnimal Kingdom (2010)
Joshua “J” is taken in by his extended family after his mother dies of an overdose. The clan, ruled by J’s scheming grandmother, is heavily involved in criminal activities, and J is soon indoctrinated into their way of life. But J is given a chance to take another path when a cop seeks to help him.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Iceman (2012)
The true story of Richard Kuklinski, the notorious contract killer and family man.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisU Turn (1997)
When a desperate man’s car breaks down in a bizarre desert town while evading vengeful bookies, he becomes entangled in a dangerous love triangle. Caught between a married couple, he’s faced with deadly contracts to kill them both.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIn Bruges (2008)
Ray and Ken, two hit men, are in Bruges, Belgium, waiting for their next mission. While they are there they have time to think and discuss their previous assignment. When the mission is revealed to Ken, it is not what he expected.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSmall Engine Repair (2021)
The seemingly casual reunion of three old friends at an out-of-the-way repair shop masks a hidden agenda fuelled by the arrival of a privileged young yuppie.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Killer Joe?
The closest matches to Killer Joe are Fargo (1996), Blood Simple (1985) and Shallow Grave (1994). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Killer Joe?
People who watched Killer Joe most often go on to Fargo (1996), Blood Simple (1985) and Shallow Grave (1994).
What is the highest-rated movie like Killer Joe?
Fargo (1996), rated 7.8/10 by 9,577 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Killer Joe?
Lake George (2024) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Killer Joe?
Yes: Fargo (1996), Blood Simple (1985) and Shallow Grave (1994).
How are movies similar to Killer Joe chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Killer Joe, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.