Movies like Desperation (2000)
The best movies like Desperation (2000) are Braven (2018), Joe Versus the Volcano (1990) and The Slender Thread (1965). If Desperation hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Desperation
Quick picks
- Highest ratedRequiem for a Dream (2000)8.0/10 from 11,477 votes
- NewestPlay Dead (2025)Released 2025
Braven (2018)
A logger defends his family from a group of dangerous drug runners.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJoe Versus the Volcano (1990)
Hypochondriac Joe Banks finds out he has six months to live, quits his dead end job, musters the courage to ask his co-worker out on a date, and is then hired to jump into a volcano by a mysterious visitor.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Slender Thread (1965)
Alan is a Seattle college student volunteering at a crisis center. During a lonely night shift, a woman calls up and tells Alan that she needs to talk to someone. She informs him she's taken an overdose of pills; he tries desperately to get help to her, while keeping her on the line. As crucial minutes tick by, Alan learns more about the woman, her family life, and why she wants to die.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSaint Maud (2020)
Having recently found God, self-effacing young nurse Maud arrives at a plush home to care for Amanda, a hedonistic dancer left frail from a chronic illness. When a chance encounter with a former colleague throws up hints of a dark past, it becomes clear there is more to sweet Maud than meets the eye.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCurve (2016)
Clinging to a smooth, curved surface high above a sentient abyss, a woman tries to cover the few feet back to safety without losing purchase and falling to her death.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRequiem for a Dream (2000)
The drug-induced utopias of four Coney Island residents are shattered when their addictions run deep.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisJust Before I Go (2015)
Ted Morgan has been treading water for most of his life. After his wife leaves him, Ted realizes he has nothing left to live for. Summoning the courage for one last act, Ted decides to go home and face the people he feels are responsible for creating the shell of a person he has become. But life is tricky. The more determined Ted is to confront his demons, to get closure, and to withdraw from his family, the more Ted is yanked into the chaos of their lives. So, when Ted Morgan decides to kill himself, he finds a reason to live.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJet Boy (2001)
A coming-of-age story of a reluctant 13-year-old hustler named Nathan who will do whatever it takes to feel loved.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLove Liza (2002)
Following the unexplained suicide of his wife Liza, website designer Wilson Joel turns to huffing gasoline fumes and remote control gaming while avoiding an inevitable conflict with his mother-in-law.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGlorious (2022)
After a breakup, Wes ends up at a remote rest stop. He finds himself locked inside the bathroom with a mysterious figure speaking from an adjacent stall. Soon Wes realizes he is involved in a situation more terrible than he could imagine.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisShrink (2009)
Unable to cope with a recent personal tragedy, LA's top celebrity shrink turns into a pothead with no concern for his appearance and a creeping sense of his inability to help his patients.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAntichrist (2009)
A grieving couple retreats to their cabin 'Eden' in the woods, hoping to repair their broken hearts and troubled marriage. But nature takes its course and things go from bad to worse.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Cable Guy (1996)
When recently single Steven moves into his new apartment, cable guy Chip comes to hook him up—and doesn't let go. Initially, Chip is just overzealous in his desire to be Steven's pal, but when Steven tries to end the 'friendship', Chip shows his dark side. He begins stalking Steven, who's left to fend for himself because no one else can believe Chip's capable of such behaviour.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFrankenhooker (1990)
A medical school dropout loses his fiancée in a tragic lawnmower incident and decides to bring her back to life. Unfortunately, he was only able to save her head, so he goes to the red light district in the city and lures prostitutes into a hotel room so he can collect body parts to reassemble her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Call (2013)
Jordan Turner is an experienced 911 operator but when she makes an error in judgment and a call ends badly, Jordan is rattled and unsure if she can continue. But when teenager Casey Welson is abducted in the back of a man's car and calls 911, Jordan is the one called upon to use all of her experience, insights and quick thinking to help Casey escape, and not just to save her, but to make sure the man is brought to justice.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCharlie Bartlett (2008)
Awkward teenager Charlie Bartlett has trouble fitting in at a new high school. Charlie needs some friends fast, and decides that the best way to find them is to appoint himself the resident psychiatrist. He becomes one of the most popular guys in school by doling out advice and, occasionally, medication, to the student body.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPlay Dead (2025)
A woman wakes up injured in a basement surrounded by corpses. To survive, she pretends to be dead while a grotesque ritual unfolds in the house above.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMandy (2018)
The Shadow Mountains, 1983. Red and Mandy lead a loving and peaceful existence; but when their pine-scented haven is savagely destroyed, Red is catapulted into a phantasmagoric journey filled with bloody vengeance and laced with fire.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOut of the Blue (1981)
A young girl whose father is an ex-convict and whose mother is a junkie finds it difficult to conform and tries to find comfort in a quirky combination of Elvis and the punk scene.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAnother Day in Paradise (1998)
In the hope of a big score, two junkie couples team up to commit various drug robberies which go disastrously wrong, leading to dissent, violence, and murder.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Desperation?
The closest matches to Desperation are Braven (2018), Joe Versus the Volcano (1990) and The Slender Thread (1965). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Desperation?
Start with Braven (2018), the closest match to Desperation.
What is the highest-rated movie like Desperation?
Requiem for a Dream (2000), rated 8.0/10 by 11,477 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Desperation?
Play Dead (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Desperation?
Yes: Braven (2018), Joe Versus the Volcano (1990) and The Slender Thread (1965).
How are movies similar to Desperation chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Desperation, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.