Movies like Illusion (2016)
The best movies like Illusion (2016) are V/H/S (2012), The Bay (2012) and The Bridge Curse (2020). If Illusion hooked you with its thriller and horror, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedIncantation (2022)6.9/10 from 912 votes
- NewestCreature of the Pines (2026)Released 2026
- In ChineseThe Bridge Curse (2020)Also in Chinese
V/H/S (2012)
When a group of misfits is hired by an unknown third party to burglarize a desolate house and acquire one rare VHS tape, they discover more found footage than they had bargained for.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Bay (2012)
Chaos breaks out in a small Maryland town after an ecological disaster occurs.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Bridge Curse (2020)
Four years after five students mysteriously committed suicide after taking part in a courage test on the ghost bridge in Donghu university, a reporter and a cinematographer are back to that place and try to get everything clear.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCheat (2023)
On the surface it's believed to be another urban legend - a supernatural being from the afterlife is violently killing anyone who cheats on their significant other in the small college town of Silvercreek, Pennsylvania. But the town's unusually high suicide rate is finally convincing both locals and college students that everything is not as it seems. When Maeve - a female college student - sleeps with Charlie, the married man of the host family she is staying with, both sense the deadly curse is closing in on them. Unable to get anyone to believe them, Maeve and Charlie seek out a local history student to help find answers and figure out a way to defend themselves. It all comes undone, however, as several people are horrifically killed by the savage being - one-by-one at a rapid pace. Eventually, Maeve, Charlie and the few survivors band together in an attempt to defeat the monster once and for all.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & horror
Worth the HypeMovies like thisV/H/S/94 (2021)
After the discovery of a mysterious VHS tape, a brutish police SWAT team launches a high-intensity raid on a remote warehouse, only to discover a sinister cult compound whose collection of pre-recorded material uncovers a nightmarish conspiracy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisV/H/S/99 (2022)
A thirsty teenager's home video leads to a series of horrifying revelations, harkening back to the final punk rock analog days of VHS, while taking one giant leap forward into the hellish new millennium.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisEradication (2022)
When an unknown disease wipes out most of the world’s population, a man with unique blood is isolated for study. Fearing for his wife’s safety, he breaks his quarantine – into a world overrun by monstrous Infected and a shadowy agency hunting them down.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDaddy's Little Girl (2014)
After the police find Derek’s daughter brutally murdered on the beach, he vows to make the culprit suffer for his actions, even if that person is ‘part of the family.’ With careful research into the history of torture, Derek prepares himself and his basement for a week of brutal tactics that will make his daughter’s killer feel the pain that he has inflicted upon so many others. In a time when stranger danger is ever present, a single father learns that it’s the ones you trust most who have to be watched the closest.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDeep Sea Python (2023)
Fisherman Chen Yue is hired to sail a group of people, including photographer Zhong Ming, to a party on an ocean island. Upon arrival, the island is attacked by a massive deep-sea python, killing anyone it finds. Chen Yue and Zhong Ming must work together to lead the survivors out of danger in a fight for survival.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBlackwood (2014)
Having recovered from a shattering emotional breakdown, college professor Ben Marshall relocates to the countryside with his wife and young son, hoping for a fresh start. He has a teaching job lined up and a new home to move into; things finally look to be going Ben's way. Until, that is, he starts to feel that something isn't quite right in the house. Finding himself plagued by spectral visions, Ben becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth behind a local mystery that appears to be putting the lives of his family in danger
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisGrave Encounters (2011)
A crew from a paranormal reality television show lock themselves in a haunted psychiatric hospital. They search for evidence of paranormal activity as they shoot what ends up becoming their final episode.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCreep (2014)
Looking for work, Aaron comes across a cryptic online ad: "$1,000 for the day. Filming service. Discretion is appreciated." Low on cash and full of naiveté, he decides to go for it. He drives to a cabin in a remote mountain town where he meets Josef, his cinematic subject for the day. Josef is sincere and the project seems heartfelt, so Aaron begins to film. But as the day goes on, it becomes clear that Josef is not who he says, and his intentions are not at all pure.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhisper (2007)
Sinister things begin happening to kidnappers who are holding a young boy for ransom in a remote cabin.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPitfall (2025)
After a young man is separated from his friends in the woods, he falls into a ten-foot deep pit of spikes, impaling him through his leg and leaving him trapped. He quickly learns that his fall was not an accident.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Evil (1978)
Shortly after moving into a dark, brooding mansion, a psychologist and his co-workers are terrorized by a horrible evil being.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisDead of Winter (1987)
A fledgling actress is lured to a remote mansion for a screen-test, soon discovering she is actually a prisoner in the middle of a blackmail plot.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
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 & thriller
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 thisPhoenix Forgotten (2017)
Twenty years after three teenagers disappeared in the wake of mysterious lights appearing above Phoenix, Arizona, unseen footage from that night has been discovered, chronicling the final hours of their fateful expedition.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIncantation (2022)
Six years ago, Li Ronan was cursed after breaking a religious taboo. Now, she must protect her daughter from the consequences of her actions.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisErasmus (2016)
Montse just wanted to make a documentary about partying at the Barcelona night clubs. But what begins as a fun evening out turns into hours of unending terror as Montse's video cameras capture a mysterious fiend killing off her friends one by one.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & thriller
Spree (2020)
Desperate for an online following, a rideshare driver has figured out a deadly plan to go viral and he will stop at nothing to get his five minutes of fame.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDiary of the Dead (2007)
A group of young filmmakers encounter real zombies while filming a horror movie of their own.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisCreature of the Pines (2026)
Creature of the Pines is a found footage horror movie set in the legendary New Jersey Pine Barrens, one of the most mysterious and unsettling stretches of wilderness in America. Locals have whispered about strange sightings and disappearances for generations, but few people are willing to talk about what they’ve seen, and even fewer dare to go looking.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & thriller
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 & thriller
Accidental Dead Spirits (2017)
Traffic accidents, fires, water accidents, air accidents... Spirits who stick to this world with their sudden death! A number of psychic images that show that the resentment of dying is terrible without fault or warning. A video collection that captures the figure of a spirit that continues to stick to this world due to sudden death. A video of a child obsessed with playing in the water. In addition to the "water gun" where a woman's figure is reflected beside the child, it contains a psychic image of fear that has taken shape with a strong resentment.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & thriller
Dark Web: Unsearchable Horror Darkness Videos (2019)
A dark world that cannot be searched with a browser - that is the "dark web". The Internet that has become indispensable in modern society. However, did you know that there is a dark world that ordinary people cannot search or view? In this work, we will monitor the "dark web" and gather information, and deliver the "dark web" that cannot be seen by the world to the viewers.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
The Houses October Built 2 (2017)
Recovering from the trauma of being kidnapped last Halloween by the Blue Skeleton - a group who take "extreme haunt" to another level - five friends decide they must face their fears in order to move on. Heading back out on the road to visit more haunted house attractions, signs of the Blue Skeleton start appearing again and a new terror begins.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisCCTV (2026)
On November 2nd, 2019, a young woman vanished from a small Italian town, leaving no trace behind. These are the last moments captured by surveillance cameras.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Legends of Burkittsville: 3 Days Before Heather Left (2021)
Lonnie is a video store clerk desperately trying to make his way into the film business. His former collaborator, Heather Donahue, is Hell-bent on making her documentary about a local witch that haunts the Black Hills of Maryland. But before she heads out to film, she enlists Lonnie's help in tracking down the elusive map that details those very woods, promising him a future. What happens next is a spine-tingling addition to the Blair Witch saga.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Like Illusion and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Illusion?
The closest matches to Illusion are V/H/S (2012), The Bay (2012) and The Bridge Curse (2020). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Illusion?
Start with V/H/S (2012), the closest match to Illusion.
What is the highest-rated movie like Illusion?
Incantation (2022), rated 6.9/10 by 912 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Illusion?
Creature of the Pines (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Chinese movies like Illusion?
Yes: The Bridge Curse (2020), Deep Sea Python (2023) and Incantation (2022).
How are movies similar to Illusion chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Illusion, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.