Movies like Painted Skin (2020)
The best movies like Painted Skin (2020) are He Never Died (2015), The Unhealer (2021) and The Deliverance (2024). If Painted Skin hooked you with its fantasy and thriller, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedObsession (2026)8.2/10 from 6,578 votes
- NewestObsession (2026)Released 2026
- In ChineseThe Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity (2020)Also in Chinese
He Never Died (2015)
When Jack learns his long-lost daughter was taken by a crime syndicate, he confronts his demons and wages a brutal fight to save her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Unhealer (2021)
A botched faith healing bestows supernatural Shaman powers on a bullied teenager. When his lifelong tormentors pull a prank that kills someone he loves, he uses his powers for revenge and goes on a bloody rampage to settle the score.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & thriller
SnoozefestMovies 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 thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity (2020)
Every few hundred years, the most powerful demon on earth—a snake demon—awakens, and the Yin-Yang Masters are summoned to the capital. Meanwhile, the Princess of the realm has her own plans, as she conspires to claim the demon’s power.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisObsession (2026)
After breaking the mysterious "One Wish Willow" to win his crush's heart, a hopeless romantic finds himself getting exactly what he asked for but soon discovers that some desires come at a dark, sinister price.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisTwitches (2005)
Twins separated at birth, Camryn and Alex meet by chance for the first time on their 21st birthday and discover they're witches with the power to save their homeland of Coventry from the evil that threatens it. But when Camryn leaves Alex to face the darkness alone, will Coventry be doomed? Or will the sisters multiply their magic by standing together?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLegend (1985)
Set in a timeless mythical forest inhabited by fairies, goblins, unicorns and mortals, this fantastic story follows a mystical forest dweller, chosen by fate, to undertake a heroic quest. He must save the beautiful Princess Lili and defeat the demonic Lord of Darkness, or the world will be plunged into a never-ending ice age.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPainted Skin (2008)
Painted Skin is based on one of Pu Songling's classic short stories in Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio. Zhou Xun stars as Xiao Wei, a fox spirit that feasts on human hearts in order to maintain her lovely, youthful appearance. When General Wang Sheng (Chen Kun) 'rescues' her from a band of bandits and brings her home, trouble brews as the demon falls in love with the general.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMonster Hunt (2015)
Young monster kids try to make peace between the world of humans and the world of the monsters.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJiang Ziya (2020)
Atop the ruins of war, top commander Jiang Ziya is given the task to banish the Nine-tailed Fox Demon who threatens all mortals' very existence. When he discovers the Nine-tailed Fox's life linked to the soul of an innocent girl, he is faced with a challenging decision: follow the will of heaven or find his own path to righteousness.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEdward Scissorhands (1990)
A small suburban town receives a visit from a castaway unfinished science experiment named Edward.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies 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 thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFirebreather (2010)
It's not easy being a teen like Duncan. His mom wants him to pay more attention to his homework, while his dad - a 120-foot-tall monster known as a Kaiju - wants him to become the next King of All Monsters. When these worlds collide, Duncan must use his human wits and his Kaiju powers - including super strength, agility and the ability to breathe fire - to protect his family and friends from a giant monster rampage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies 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 thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Time Traveler's Wife (2009)
Due to a genetic disorder, handsome librarian Henry DeTamble involuntarily zips through time, appearing at various moments in the life of his true love, the beautiful artist Clare Abshire.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Knight's War (2025)
A fearless knight braves a deadly realm to save the Chosen One’s soul. Facing witches, demons, and brutal foes, he discovers her return could ignite chaos and doom humanity.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPenelope (2006)
Forlorn heiress Penelope Wilhern is cursed, and the only way out is to fall in love with someone of suitable stock. But how can she find her soulmate when she's sequestered inside her family's estate with only her parents to keep her company? This untraditional fairy tale is about a girl who bucks convention to create her own happy ending.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBedazzled (2000)
Elliot Richards, a socially awkward IT worker, is given seven wishes to get the girl of his dreams when he meets a very seductive Satan. The catch: his soul. Some of his wishes include being a 7 foot basketball star, a wealthy, powerful man, and a sensitive caring guy. But, as could be expected, the Devil puts her own little twist on each of his fantasies.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Invitation (2022)
After the death of her mother, Evie is approached by an unknown cousin who invites her to a lavish wedding in the English countryside. Soon, she realizes a gothic conspiracy is afoot and must fight for survival as she uncovers twisted secrets in her family’s history.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPriest (2011)
In an alternate world, humanity and vampires have warred for centuries. After the last Vampire War, the veteran Warrior Priest lives in obscurity with other humans inside one of the Church's walled cities. When the Priest's niece is kidnapped by vampires, the Priest breaks his vows to hunt them down. He is accompanied by the niece's boyfriend, who is a wasteland sheriff, and a former Warrior Priestess.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
SnoozefestMovies like thisMeurtre du tableau (2025)
An artist, surrounded by the mess in her studio, struggles with frustration as she tries to find inspiration for her new painting.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Stars of Gaomeigu (2017)
At the Gaomeigu Observatory in China, the Naxi people scan the sky, convinced they are the descendants of immortal beings living there, abandoned on earth to watch them. Between astronomy and legends, Marko Grba Singh seems to compose a mysterious and polysemous tableau. From folk tales heroes such as William Tell, Prince Marko or Sanduo for the Naxi, passing by a miraculous catch, Gods besotted with each other, or the absence of walls built around a city because of the ambiguity of Chinese characters, 'Stars of Gaomeigu' dresses the bodies and contemporary images of mythological tales.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
Grey Matter (2016)
Three old men investigate the strange behavior of an alcoholic recluse when his son insists he's metamorphosing into a degenerate creature.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
One For The Road (2019)
After a long night at the bar, a small town bartender and her long-time customer are convinced to help a pleading mother. They embark on a mission to help her two children. In the process they confront their fears about the mysterious evil town of Salem's Lot.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
She Talks Icelandic (2006)
The fate of a crosseyed sheep in the highlands of Iceland.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Vela (2023)
Young Xime hopes to restore her grieving family by arranging a Día de Los Muertos altar...meanwhile a looming presence closes in.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
The Perfect Host: A Southern Gothic Tale (2018)
While sorting her dead grandmother's affairs, a young woman boards in a southern mansion and soon discovers the matriarch may desire more than just her company.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Fading of the Cries (2009)
Jacob, a young man armed with a deadly sword, saves Sarah, a teenage girl, from Mathias, a malevolent evil that has begun plaguing a small farmland town while in search of an ancient necklace that had belonged to Sarah's uncle. Jacob sets out to get Sarah home safely, running through streets, fields, churches and underground tunnels, while being pursued by hordes of demonic creatures. Along the way, both come to terms with the demons within themselves - Sarah begins to understand her hatred towards her mother and sister may be unjustified and Jacob discovers the secrets of his past, realizing the only way to truly defeat the demons is to return to the very place his family was murdered.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
The Tale of the Floating World (2004)
A surrealistic montage set in motion by a tidal wave and incorporating a samurai battle.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
Boy Kills World (2024)
When his family is murdered, a deaf-mute named Boy escapes to the jungle and is trained by a mysterious shaman to repress his childish imagination and become an instrument of death.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Painted Skin?
The closest matches to Painted Skin are He Never Died (2015), The Unhealer (2021) and The Deliverance (2024). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Painted Skin?
Start with He Never Died (2015), the closest match to Painted Skin.
What is the highest-rated movie like Painted Skin?
Obsession (2026), rated 8.2/10 by 6,578 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Painted Skin?
Obsession (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Chinese movies like Painted Skin?
Yes: The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity (2020), Painted Skin (2008) and Monster Hunt (2015).
How are movies similar to Painted Skin chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Painted Skin, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.