Movies like School Day of the Dead (2000)
The best movies like School Day of the Dead (2000) are Under the Silver Lake (2018), The Organization (1971) and Swallowtail Butterfly (1996). If School Day of the Dead hooked you with its drama and mystery, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedConfessions (2010)7.6/10 from 1,049 votes
- NewestThe Tales of Kurashiki (2025)Released 2025
- In JapaneseSwallowtail Butterfly (1996)Also in Japanese
Under the Silver Lake (2018)
Young and disenchanted Sam meets a mysterious and beautiful woman who's swimming in his building's pool one night. When she suddenly vanishes the next morning, Sam embarks on a surreal quest across Los Angeles to decode the secret behind her disappearance, leading him into the murkiest depths of mystery, scandal and conspiracy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Organization (1971)
After a group of young revolutionaries break into a company's corporate headquarters and steal $5,000,000 worth of heroin to keep it off the street, they call on San Francisco Police Lieutenant Virgil Tibbs for assistance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSwallowtail Butterfly (1996)
The struggles of a group of outcasts living in "Yentown", in an alternate-future Japan.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBattles Without Honor and Humanity: Deadly Fight in Hiroshima (1973)
Repeatedly beat to a pulp by gamblers, cops, and gangsters, lone wolf Shoji Yamanaka finally finds a home as a Muraoka family hitman and falls in love with boss Muraoka's niece. Meanwhile, the ambitions of mad dog Katsutoshi Otomo draws our series' hero, Shozo Hirono, and the other yakuza into a new round of bloodshed.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSister Street Fighter (1974)
Li Mansei is a martial-arts champion turned undercover agent. When he is captured by a drug lord, his sister Li Koryu turns to his former martial-arts school, including the powerful Sonny Kawasaka, for help in the inevitable battle royale.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Perfect Weapon (1991)
Jeff, a young delinquent, is enrolled by his father in a kenpo school, in the hopes of teaching the boy some self-discipline. Years later, Jeff's mentor, Kim, is being threatened by one of the Korean mafia families. Jeff tries to help his old friend, but is too late to prevent Kim's death at the hands of an unknown hitman. Vowing revenge, Jeff takes on all of the families, using his martial arts skills to find the man who killed his friend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTokyo Tribe (2014)
In an alternate Japan, territorial street gangs form opposing factions collectively known as the Tokyo Tribes. Merra, leader of the Wu-Ronz tribe of Bukuro, joins forces with heavy-hitting gangster Buppa of Buppa Town. With Buppa's support, Merra aims to initiate a gang war between the Wu-Ronz and the Musashino Saru, and in a confrontation between the two attempts to kill Kai of the Musashino Saru. The inadvertent murder of Kai's friend Tera (a Musashino Saru member beloved by all Tribes since before their formation) leads to the joining of forces between all of the Tribes in an all-out war against Merra and Buppa.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFemale Yakuza Tale (1973)
Ocho is accidentally captured by a drug trafficking cartel who use Chinese women to smuggle drugs into Japan by hiding it in their vaginas. She is tortured, and manages to escape, fighting both the male yakuzas and a gang of female thieves.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe City of Lost Souls (2000)
Brazilian-Japanese gangster Mario rescues his Chinese girlfriend Kei as she's about to be deported from Japan. Desperate to escape, he hides in Tokyo's booming Japanese-Portuguese community and seeks passage from the country from a Russian mobster. To meet his price, they hold up a bigtime drug deal between the Chinese Mafia and the local Yakuza.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMr. Long (2017)
Long is a Taiwanese killer known for his sword skills. After Long fails a Tokyo mission, he moves to a small town where no one knows about him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNinja (2009)
A westerner named Casey, studying Ninjutsu in Japan, is asked by the Sensei to return to New York to protect the legendary Yoroi Bitsu, an armored chest that contains the weapons of the last Koga Ninja.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChild's Play (1972)
At an exclusive boys' school, a new gym teacher is drawn into a feud between two older instructors, and he discovers that everything at the school is not quite as staid, tranquil and harmless as it seems.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Substitute 2: School's Out (1998)
When teacher Randall Thomasson is killed during a carjacking, an unexpected visitor shows up at his funeral - his estranged brother, Karl Thomasson. An ex-Green Beret turned mercenary, Karl signs on as a new substitute teacher in order to investigate Randall's murder.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisConfessions (2010)
Devastated at the death of her four-year-old daughter, a grieving middle school teacher is horrified to discover that her students aren't as innocent as she thinks.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAl Capone (1959)
In this unusually accurate biography, small-time hood Al Capone comes to Chicago at the dawn of Prohibition to be the bodyguard of racketeer Johnny Torrio. Capone's rise in Chicago gangdom is followed through murder, extortion, and political fraud. He becomes head of Chicago's biggest "business," but moves inexorably toward his downfall and ignominious end.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAbsolution (2024)
An aging ex-boxer gangster working as muscle for a Boston crime boss receives an upsetting diagnosis. Despite a faltering memory, he attempts to rectify the sins of his past and reconnect with his estranged children. He is determined to leave a positive legacy for his grandson, but the criminal underworld isn’t done with him and won’t loosen their grip willingly.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & mystery
SnoozefestMovies like thisJigen Daisuke (2023)
Feeling unhappy with his gun, Jigen is looking for the world’s best gunsmith. He finally finds out that Chiharu, who runs a watch shop, is the person he’s been seeking. Then, Jigen meets Oto, who comes to Chiharu’s shop looking for a gun. Jigen finds out about Oto's secrets and the mysterious organization that’s after her. After Oto is kidnapped, Jigen gets into a desperate battle to save her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRiver's Edge (2018)
High schooler Haruna befriends loner Yamada, then is drawn into the tangled relationship between him, a model and the girl who loves him unreasonably.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPsycho-Pass: Providence (2023)
While attending a meeting as a Chief Inspector of the Public Security Bureau, Akane Tsunemori received a report that an incident had occurred on a foreign vessel , and this was the beginning of a big and unexpected case.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSilverton Siege (2022)
After a failed sabotage mission, a trio of anti-apartheid freedom fighters ends up in a tense bank hostage situation. Based on a true story.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHaikyu!! The Movie: Talent and Sense (2017)
A compilation film depicting the match against Aoba Johsai High School in the second season of the anime series. It will also include new scenes portraying what happened after the match.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Haikyu!! The Movie: Battle of Concepts (2017)
A recap film depicting the match against Shiratorizawa Academy in the third season of the anime series.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisYotsuya Kaidan (Jitsoroku Oiwa) (1918)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Dark Water (2002)
A woman in the midst of an unpleasant divorce moves to an eerie apartment building with her young daughter. The ceiling of their apartment has a dark and active leak.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIrohagana Yotsuya Kaidan (1927)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Fate/stay night: Heaven's Feel I. Presage Flower (2017)
Ten years after the Fourth Holy Grail War, a devastating clash between Masters and Servants, another war erupts. Shirou Emiya, whose father fought in the first battle, was leading a peaceful life with the warmhearted Sakura Matou. But when hidden forces begin to stir, Shirou resolves to fulfill his father’s dying wish, protect Sakura, and fight for the Holy Grail.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Tales of Kurashiki (2025)
When Aoi and Kiichi, high schoolers in Kurashiki city, come across their friend Beniko trying to calm down her autistic brother Kyosuke, Aoi tries to help and makes the promise to shoot fireworks from Mount Tsurugata in the Bikan Historical Quarter. Upon hearing this, Beniko gets upset herself because she doesn’t believe this promise will be kept but Aoi becomes determined to make it happen. As surrounding adults see these young people put their spirits into this task, they are moved and the fireworks take on a greater meaning.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Like School Day of the Dead and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like School Day of the Dead?
The closest matches to School Day of the Dead are Under the Silver Lake (2018), The Organization (1971) and Swallowtail Butterfly (1996). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after School Day of the Dead?
Start with Under the Silver Lake (2018), the closest match to School Day of the Dead.
What is the highest-rated movie like School Day of the Dead?
Confessions (2010), rated 7.6/10 by 1,049 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like School Day of the Dead?
The Tales of Kurashiki (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Japanese movies like School Day of the Dead?
Yes: Swallowtail Butterfly (1996), Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Deadly Fight in Hiroshima (1973) and Sister Street Fighter (1974).
How are movies similar to School Day of the Dead chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside School Day of the Dead, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.