Movies Like The Waking Dark - Episode 1
If you liked The Waking Dark - Episode 1 (2026), a horror and mystery movie directed by Anirudh Menon, 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
Southbound (2015)
★ 5.9/10Also fantasy and thrillerThe film contains five stories set on desolate stretches of a desert highway. Two men on the run from their past, a band on its way to a gig, a man struggling to get home, a brother in search of his long-lost sister…
- 2
Come Play (2020)
★ 6.4/10Also horror and mysteryOliver, a lonely autistic boy, seeks solace and refuge in his ever-present cell phone and tablet. When a mysterious creature uses the boy's devices against him, his parents must fight to save their son from the monster…
- 3
Lights Out (2016)
★ 6.4/10Also horror and mysteryRebecca must unlock the terror behind her little brother's experiences that once tested her sanity, bringing her face to face with a supernatural spirit attached to their mother.
- 4
The Car (1977)
★ 6.4/10Also horror and thrillerThe Utah community of Santa Ynez is being terrorized by a mysterious black coupe that appears out of nowhere and begins running people down. After the car kills off the town sheriff, Captain Wade Parent is determined…
- 5
The Shining (1980)
★ 8.2/10Also horror and thrillerJack Torrance accepts a caretaker job at the Overlook Hotel, where he, along with his wife Wendy and their son Danny, must live isolated from the rest of the world for the winter. But they aren't prepared for the…
- 6
It Ends (2026)
★ 5.8/10Also horror and mysteryA group of recent grads head out on a late night drive for grub, hoping to enjoy one final hangout before their paths diverge. Instead, they accidentally turn onto a never-ending, two-lane hellscape surrounded by…
- 7
Nightbreed (1990)
★ 6.4/10Also horror and fantasyA troubled young man is drawn to a mythical place called Midian where a variety of friendly monsters are hiding from humanity. Meanwhile, a sadistic serial killer is looking for a patsy.
- 8
Watcher (2022)
★ 6.5/10Also horror and mysteryAs a serial killer stalks the city, Julia — a young actress who just moved to town with her husband — notices a mysterious stranger watching her from across the street.
- 9
Containment (2015)
★ 5.9/10Also thriller and horrorNeighbors in a block wake one morning to find they have been sealed inside their apartments. Can they work together to find out why? Or will they destroy each other in their fight to escape?
- 10
Dark Harvest (2023)
★ 6.1/10Also horror and fantasyIn a small Midwestern town, a deadly annual ritual unfolds when the mythical nightmare, Sawtooth Jack, rises from the cornfields and challenges the town’s teenage boys in a bloody battle of survival.
- 11
Nightbooks (2021)
★ 6.1/10Also fantasy and horrorAlex, a boy obsessed with scary stories, is trapped by a witch in her modern, magical New York City apartment. His original hair-raising tales are the only thing keeping him safe as he desperately tries to find a way…
- 12
Barbarian (2022)
★ 6.9/10Also horror and mysteryIn town for a job interview, a young woman arrives at her Airbnb late at night only to find that it has been mistakenly double-booked and a strange man is already staying there. Against her better judgement, she…
- 13
Sleepwalkers (1992)
★ 6.1/10Also horror and fantasyCharles Brady and his mother, Mary, are the last of a dying breed whose needs are not of this world. They are Sleepwalkers - able to stay alive only by feeding on the life-force of the innocent, but destined to roam…
- 14
Insidious (2011)
★ 7/10Also horror and thrillerA family discovers that dark spirits have invaded their home after their son inexplicably falls into an endless sleep. When they reach out to a professional for help, they learn things are a lot more personal than they…
- 15
Red Riding Hood (2011)
★ 6/10Also mystery and fantasyValerie is in love with a brooding outsider, Peter, but her parents have arranged for her to marry another man. Unwilling to lose each other, Valerie and Peter plan to run away together when Valerie's older sister is…
- 16
Nocebo (2022)
★ 6/10Also mystery and thrillerA fashion designer suffers from a mysterious illness that puzzles her doctors and frustrates her husband until help arrives in the form of a Filipino caregiver who uses traditional folk healing to reveal a horrifying…
- 17
A Quiet Place: Day One (2024)
★ 6.6/10Also horror and thrillerAs New York City is invaded by alien creatures who hunt by sound, a woman named Sam fights to survive with her cat.
- 18
The Legend of Hell House (1973)
★ 6.7/10Also horror and mysteryA team consisting of a physicist, his wife, a young female psychic, and the only survivor of the previous visit are sent to the notorious Hell House to prove or disprove survival after death. Previous visitors have…
- 19
Dust Bunny (2025)
★ 6.7/10Also fantasy and horrorTen-year-old Aurora asks her hitman neighbor to kill the monster under her bed that she claims ate her family. To protect her, he must battle an onslaught of assassins while accepting that some monsters are real.
- 20
Obsession (2026)
★ 8.2/10Also horror and thrillerAfter breaking the mysterious "One Wish Willow" to win his crush's heart, a hopeless romantic finds himself getting exactly what he asked for but soon discovers that some desires come at a dark, sinister price.