Movies like Encounters (2012)
The best movies like Encounters (2012) are Pyewacket (2017), Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island (1998) and Mostly Ghostly 3: One Night in Doom House (2016). If Encounters hooked you with its horror, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedScooby-Doo on Zombie Island (1998)7.7/10 from 895 votes
- NewestMonkey’s Magic Merry Go Round (2026)Released 2026
Pyewacket (2017)
A frustrated, angry teenage girl awakens something in the woods when she naively performs an occult ritual to invoke a witch to kill her mother.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisScooby-Doo on Zombie Island (1998)
After going their separate ways, Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, Velma, Daphne, and Fred reunite to investigate the ghost of Moonscar the pirate on a haunted bayou island, but it turns out the swashbuckler's spirit isn't the only creepy character on the island. The sleuths also meet up with cat creatures and zombies... and it looks like for the first time in their lives, these ghouls might actually be real.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMostly Ghostly 3: One Night in Doom House (2016)
Just one enchanted jewel stands between earth and an army of evil spirits led by the devious ghoul, Phears. With the help of his new girlfriend and ghost pals, Max Doyle races to find the crystal and save the world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisUnseen (2023)
Sam receives a call from Emily, a near blind woman who is running from her murderous ex in the woods. Can she survive using Sam as her eyes via video call?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMr. Boogedy (1986)
A novelty-salesman moves his family into a new house. Initially dismissing incidents as more of their father's practical jokes, the family soon learns that the house is haunted by people who lived in the house 300 years previously.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRace with the Devil (1975)
Two couples vacationing together in an R.V. from Texas to Colorado are terrorized after they witness a murder during a Satanic ritual.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNext of Kin (1982)
After Linda inherits a retirement home, she witnesses a series of strange events which seem connected to a dark and unspeakable evil.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Wailer (2006)
On their way to Mexico, six students are stranded in a small town where years before a tragedy took place.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHorrors of the Black Museum (1959)
A writer of murder mysteries finds himself caught up in a string of murders in London.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Watcher in the Woods (1980)
After an American family moves to an old country manor in rural England, one of the daughters is tormented by the spirit of the owner's long lost daughter, who mysteriously disappeared 30 years ago during a solar eclipse.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Cabinet of Caligari (1962)
A delirious young woman feels trapped in a remote mansion at the mercy of a madman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCurse of the Blair Witch (1999)
A mockumentary exploring the legend of the Blair Witch and the case of the three missing student filmmakers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Invitation (2016)
Will and his new girlfriend Kira are invited to a dinner with old friends at the house of Will’s ex Eden and her new partner David. Although the evening appears to be relaxed, Will soon gets a creeping suspicion that their charming host David is up to something.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Blackwell Ghost (2017)
A filmmaker tries to prove that ghosts are real but soon regrets his intentions after he finds himself being terrorized in a haunted house by a ghost with a dark past. An authentic documentary that shows actual ghost footage that was captured on camera.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Uninvited (1944)
A pair of siblings from London purchase a surprisingly affordable, lonely cliff-top house in Cornwall, only to discover that it actually carries a ghostly price—and soon they’re caught up in a bizarre romantic triangle from beyond the grave.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Blackwell Ghost 4 (2020)
Turner returns to the light foot house to continue his investigation. This time he researched into the first victim Susan. He finds out from the detective there was a note left when light foot committed suicide. It ended up being a map to the first victim (Susan) body. The map is encrypted and turner has to find a way to decode it. While crazy things happen at the light foot house.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMonkey’s Magic Merry Go Round (2026)
After a mysterious bout of amnesia, a beloved children’s television host struggles to piece together his fractured memories, only to find his once-cheerful puppet co-stars behaving with sinister intent. As reality unravels, the line between performance and nightmare begins to blur.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Worth the HypeMovies 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
Popcorn FlickMovies 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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Night Stalker (1972)
Wisecracking reporter Carl Kolchak investigates a string of murders in Las Vegas and suspects the culprit is a vampire. His editor thinks he's crazy and the police think he's a nuisance, so Kolchak takes matters into his own hands.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Haunting on Brockway Street (2019)
In 2007, the Braley Family decided to rescue an abandoned and dilapidated Civil War Era home in historic Saginaw, Michigan. Despite the overwhelming need for repair, the Braley's saw nothing but potential; a 6,000 square foot blank canvas to which the large family could pain a future of their own. Sparing no expense, contractors were deployed to the stately and iconic manor, with the mission to preserve its original 19th century colonial architecture. Almost immediately, strange occurrences began taking place within the home; tools coming up missing, disembodied voices and footsteps, and the shocking appearance of a semitranslucent apparition of a young child. Following several weeks of escalating activity, the bewildered family took it upon themselves to find out who or what was haunting their home. That is when they made the unfortunate mistake of turning to a spirit board for answers...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Soul Reaper (2024)
A teenager with the ability to enter other people's dreams. When he witnesses a dark spirit taking people's lives in their dreams, he quickly realizes that it's related to the mysterious deaths that are happening in the real world.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Unfriended (2014)
While video chatting one night, six high school friends receive a Skype message from a classmate who killed herself exactly one year ago. At first they think it's a prank, but when the girl starts revealing the friends' darkest secrets, they realize they are dealing with something out of this world, something that wants them dead.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Midnight Swim (2015)
Spirit Lake is unusually deep. No diver has ever managed to find the bottom. When Dr. Amelia Brooks disappears during a deep-water dive, her three daughters travel home. They find themselves unable to let go and become drawn into the mysteries of the lake.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Grudge (2019)
After a young mother murders her family in her own house, a detective attempts to investigate the mysterious case, only to discover that the house is cursed by a vengeful ghost. Now targeted by the demonic spirits, the detective must do anything to protect herself and her family from harm.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Door (2017)
A mysterious abandoned factory began the first day of shooting. When carrying the heroine Zhu Sha, deputy director, "the forefront of the film" program host a dream bus and other people arrived at the factory, shooting the venue was empty, landlord let everyone in the factory standby, he went out to during supper we buy, wait, deputy director bizarre but died in the bathroom
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
The Poltergeist Diaries (2021)
After moving to an isolated cabin, Jacob Taylor vanishes without a trace. With the help of footage he leaves behind, his family members, friends, and a detective try to find answers to the strange events that are centered around him.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
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
The Legend of Six Fingers (2014)
Following a rash of slaughtered and missing persons, two would-be documentary filmmakers set off into the woods in search of a bloodthirsty legendary creature.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Devil's Prism (2025)
Shown entirely from Gabi's perspective, the film follows a thief who joins her friends for a routine heist which finds her in an unsettling encounter with a mysterious object that unleashes a dark entity, taking possession of her.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Like Encounters and something else?
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Encounters?
The closest matches to Encounters are Pyewacket (2017), Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island (1998) and Mostly Ghostly 3: One Night in Doom House (2016). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Encounters?
Start with Pyewacket (2017), the closest match to Encounters.
What is the highest-rated movie like Encounters?
Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island (1998), rated 7.7/10 by 895 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Encounters?
Monkey’s Magic Merry Go Round (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Encounters?
Yes: Pyewacket (2017), Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island (1998) and Mostly Ghostly 3: One Night in Doom House (2016).
How are movies similar to Encounters chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Encounters, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.