Movies like The Boy Who Saw Through (1956)
The best movies like The Boy Who Saw Through (1956) are The War Zone (1999), Boarding School (2018) and Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010). If The Boy Who Saw Through hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedGhosts (1997)8.1/10 from 305 votes
- NewestBagman (2024)Released 2024
The War Zone (1999)
An alienated teenager, saddened that he has moved away from London, must find a way to deal with a dark family secret.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBoarding School (2018)
When troubled 12-year-old Jacob Felsen is sent away to boarding school, he enters every kid’s worst nightmare: a creepy old mansion, deserted except for six other teenage misfits and two menacing and mysterious teachers. As events become increasingly horrific, Jacob must conquer his fears to find the strength to survive.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDiary of a Wimpy Kid (2010)
Greg Heffley is headed for big things, but first he has to survive the scariest, most humiliating experience of any kid’s life – middle school! That won’t be easy, considering he’s surrounded by hairy-freckled morons, wedgie-loving bullies and a moldy slice of cheese with nuclear cooties!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDavid Copperfield (1935)
A young man journeys from a difficult childhood to maturity, exploring social injustice, personal development, and the complexities of human relationships.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisExtremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011)
A year after his father's death, Oskar, a troubled young boy, discovers a mysterious key he believes was left for him by his father and embarks on a scavenger hunt to find the matching lock.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBagman (2024)
For centuries and across cultures, parents have warned their children of the legendary Bagman, who snatches innocent children and stuffs them into his vile, rotting bag—never to be seen again. Patrick McKee narrowly escaped such an encounter as a boy, which left him with lasting scars throughout his adulthood. Now, Patrick’s childhood tormentor has returned, threatening the safety of his wife Karina and son Jake.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThunderstruck (2012)
After NBA star Kevin Durant switches talent with 16 year old Brian, the teenager becomes the star of his high school team, but Durant starts struggling and eventually learns an important lesson.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisInkheart (2008)
The adventures of a father and his young daughter, in their search for a long lost book that will help reunite a missing, close relative.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisD.A.R.Y.L. (1985)
Daryl is a normal 10-year-old boy in many ways. However, unbeknown to his foster parents and friends, Daryl is actually a government-created robot with superhuman reflexes and mental abilities. Even his name has a hidden meaning -- it's actually an acronym for Data Analyzing Robot Youth Life-form. When the organization that created him deems the "super soldier" experiment a failure and schedules Daryl to be disassembled, it is up to a few rogue scientists to help him escape.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKes (1970)
Bullied at school and ignored and abused at home by his indifferent mother and older brother, Billy Casper, a 15-year-old working-class Yorkshire boy, tames and trains his pet kestrel falcon whom he names Kes. Helped and encouraged by his English teacher and his fellow students, Billy finally finds a positive purpose to his unhappy existence.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisM.O.M. Mothers of Monsters (2020)
A distraught mother suspects her teenage son is a psychopath who may shoot up his high school, but when he outsmarts the mental healthcare system she is forced to take matters into her own hands.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSamaritan (2022)
Thirteen year old Sam Cleary suspects that his mysteriously reclusive neighbor Mr. Smith is actually the legendary vigilante Samaritan, who was reported dead 25 years ago. With crime on the rise and the city on the brink of chaos, Sam makes it his mission to coax his neighbor out of hiding to save the city from ruin.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Invisible (2007)
After an attack leaves him in limbo -- invisible to the living and also near death -- a teenager discovers the only person who might be able help him is his attacker.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGreat Expectations (2012)
Orphan Pip discovers through lawyer Mr. Jaggers that a mysterious benefactor wishes to ensure that he becomes a gentleman. Reunited with his childhood patron, Miss Havisham, and his first love, the beautiful but emotionally cold Estella, he discovers that the elderly spinster has gone mad from having been left at the altar as a young woman, and has made her charge into a warped, unfeeling heartbreaker.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFear (1996)
Nicole Walker always dreamed of being swept away by someone special — someone strong, sexy and sensitive who would care for her more than anything else in the world. David is all that and more: a modern-day knight who charms and seduces her, body and soul. But her perfect boyfriend is not all he seems to be. His sweet facade masks a savage, dark side that will soon transform Nicole's dream into a nightmare.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTwisted Nerve (1968)
Martin Durnley is a young man with an infantilizing mother, resentful stepfather and an institutionalized brother with Down's syndrome. To cope, he retreats into an alternate child personality he calls Georgie. After being caught during a theft attempt at a department store, he befriends a female customer who is sympathetic to him, but his friendship soon turns into obsession.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisVikings: Battle of Heirs (2023)
A young Viking must come to terms with the realization that he may be the King's son, who was switched at birth, but not before others try to take his rightful place.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAdventures in Public School (2018)
A socially-awkward, home-schooled kid forces his way into public school against his suffocating, but loving, mother's wishes.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Unsaid (2001)
A doctor dealing with the aftermath of his son's death tries to help a troubled young man.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Boy Who Saw Through?
The closest matches to The Boy Who Saw Through are The War Zone (1999), Boarding School (2018) and Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Boy Who Saw Through?
Start with The War Zone (1999), the closest match to The Boy Who Saw Through.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Boy Who Saw Through?
Ghosts (1997), rated 8.1/10 by 305 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Boy Who Saw Through?
Bagman (2024) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Boy Who Saw Through?
Yes: The War Zone (1999), Boarding School (2018) and Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010).
How are movies similar to The Boy Who Saw Through chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Boy Who Saw Through, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.