Movies Like The Manchurian Candidate

If you liked The Manchurian Candidate (2004), a thriller and mystery movie directed by Jonathan Demme, here are 20 movies with a similar feel, based on TMDB's recommendations. Each one links to its cast, trailer and where it's streaming.

1
The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
★ 7.5/10Also thriller
Near the end of the Korean War, a platoon of U.S. soldiers is captured by communists and brainwashed. Following the war, the platoon is returned home, and Sergeant Raymond Shaw is lauded as a hero by the rest of his…
2
Dreamscape (1984)
★ 6.1/10Also thriller
In order to diagnose the psychic traumas suffered by his patients, Dr. Paul Novotny gets young Alex Gardner to enter their dreams.
3
Jacob's Ladder (1990)
★ 7.4/10Also mystery
After returning home from the Vietnam War, veteran Jacob Singer struggles to maintain his sanity. Plagued by hallucinations and flashbacks, Singer rapidly falls apart as the world and people around him morph and twist…
4
Rolling Thunder (1977)
★ 6.8/10Also thriller
A recently-returned Vietnam POW loses his family and his right hand during a violent home invasion, and seeks retribution against those responsible.
5
Halloween (2018)
★ 6.6/10Also thriller
Laurie Strode comes to her final confrontation with Michael Myers, the masked figure who has haunted her since she narrowly escaped his killing spree on Halloween night four decades ago.
6
In the Line of Fire (1993)
★ 7/10Also thriller
Veteran Secret Service agent Frank Horrigan is a man haunted by his failure to save President Kennedy while serving protection detail in Dallas. Thirty years later, a man calling himself "Booth" threatens the life of…
7
Event Horizon (1997)
★ 6.6/10Also mystery
In 2047, a group of astronauts are sent to investigate and salvage the starship Event Horizon which disappeared mysteriously seven years before on its maiden voyage. However, it soon becomes evident that something…
8
The Guest (2014)
★ 6.6/10Also mystery and thriller
A soldier introduces himself to the Peterson family, claiming to be a friend of their son who died in action. After the young man is welcomed into their home, a series of accidental deaths seem to be connected to his…
9
Unknown (2006)
★ 6.2/10Also mystery and thriller
Five men wake up in a locked-down warehouse with no memory of who they are. They are forced to figure out who is good and who is bad to stay alive.
10
You Were Never Really Here (2017)
★ 6.5/10Also thriller
A traumatized veteran, unafraid of violence, tracks down missing girls for a living. When a job spins out of control, Joe's nightmares overtake him as a conspiracy is uncovered—leading to what may be his death trip or…
11
Beast of War (2025)
★ 6.2/10Also thriller
When their boat sinks while crossing the Timor Sea during World War II, a troop of young Australian soldiers must find a way to survive the harsh seas on a quickly shrinking raft. Hundreds of miles from anywhere, they…
12
Man Down (2016)
★ 6/10Also thriller
When a U.S. Marine returns home from Afghanistan, he finds that the place he once called home is no better than the battlefields he fought on overseas. Accompanied by his best friend, he searches desperately for the…
13
Universal Soldier (1992)
★ 6.3/10Also thriller
An American soldier who had been killed during the Vietnam War is revived 25 years later by the military as a semi-android, UniSols, a high-tech soldier of the future. After the failure of the initiative to erase all…
14
Before I Go to Sleep (2014)
★ 6.5/10Also thriller and mystery
A woman wakes up every day, remembering nothing as a result of a traumatic accident in her past. One day, new terrifying truths emerge that force her to question everyone around her.
15
The Cell (2000)
★ 6.3/10Also thriller
A psychotherapist journeys inside the mind of a comatose serial killer in the hopes of saving his latest victim.
16
Bad Times at the El Royale (2018)
★ 6.8/10Also thriller and mystery
Lake Tahoe, 1969. Seven strangers, each one with a secret to bury, meet at El Royale, a decadent motel with a dark past. In the course of a fateful night, everyone will have one last shot at redemption.
17
Escape from L.A. (1996)
★ 5.9/10Also thriller
Into the 9.6-quaked Los Angeles of 2013 comes Snake Plissken. His job: wade through L.A.'s ruined landmarks to retrieve a doomsday device.
18
Blind Horizon (2003)
★ 5.8/10Also thriller
Left for dead in the remote Southwest, Frank is found clinging to life and in a state of amnesia. As he recovers, ominous memories begin to flash back...
19
Dark City (1998)
★ 7.3/10Also mystery
A man struggles with memories of his past, including a wife he cannot remember, in a nightmarish world with no sun and run by beings with telekinetic powers who seek the souls of humans.
20
Walking Tall (2004)
★ 6.4/10Also thriller
A former U.S. soldier returns to his hometown to find it overrun by crime and corruption, which prompts him to clean house.