Movies Like The Water Spider

If you liked The Water Spider (1971), a fantasy and drama movie directed by Jean-Daniel Verhaeghe, 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
I Kill Giants (2017)
★ 6.2/10Also fantasy and drama
Sophia, a new high school student, tries to make friends with Barbara, who tells her that “she kills giants,” protecting this way her hometown and its inhabitants, who do not understand her strange behavior.
2
Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
★ 6.5/10Also drama and fantasy
Max imagines running away from his mom and sailing to a far-off land where large talking beasts—Ira, Carol, Douglas, the Bull, Judith and Alexander—crown him as their king, play rumpus, build forts and discover secret…
3
Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant (2009)
★ 5.9/10Also fantasy
When Darren Shan is taken to a circus that's chock-full of sideshow oddities, he meets a vampire and receives a life-changing bite on the neck.
4
The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep (2025)
★ 6.7/10Also fantasy
When human sailors are attacked by mysterious creatures of the deep, only one person can stop the war between land and sea: the Witcher, Geralt of Rivia.
5
The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf (2021)
★ 7.4/10Also fantasy
Escaping from poverty to become a witcher, Vesemir slays monsters for coin and glory, but when a new menace rises, he must face the demons of his past.
6
Tuesday (2024)
★ 6.8/10Also fantasy and drama
A mother and her teenage daughter must confront Death when it arrives in the form of an astonishing talking bird.
7
Zog (2018)
★ 6.7/10Also fantasy
Zog is a keen young dragon who wants to learn to fly, roar, and breathe fire, so he studies at the Dragon School. He is desperate to impress his teacher and win a golden star, but he is prone to accidents and he has to…
8
Momo (2025)
★ 7.1/10Also fantasy
Momo is a young orphan girl who lives in the ruins of an old Roman amphitheater and becomes friends with everybody in the neighborhood. But when a powerful international corporation starts stealing everybody’s time…
9
Not Without Hope (2025)
★ 6.6/10Also drama
A group of friends' fishing boat capsizes off the coast of Mexico and they're left alone stranded at sea and struggling for survival.
10
Mythica: A Quest for Heroes (2014)
★ 5.8/10Also fantasy
Stuck in a life of indentured servitude, Marek dreams of becoming a wizard. When she meets the beautiful priestess Teela in need of help, she offers her assistance and provides a motley troupe. Together they go in…
11
Dragonheart: Vengeance (2021)
★ 6.8/10Also fantasy
Lukas, a young farmer whose family is killed by savage raiders in the countryside, sets out on an epic quest for revenge, forming an unlikely trio with a majestic dragon and a swashbuckling, sword-fighting mercenary…
12
A Monster Calls (2016)
★ 7.3/10Also fantasy
12-year-old Conor encounters an ancient tree monster who proceeds to help him cope with his mother's terminal illness and being bullied in school.
13
Princess (2008)
★ 6.2/10Also fantasy
A reclusive princess and a directionless young man embark on a quest to save the world's mythical creatures from becoming extinct.
14
Byzantium (2013)
★ 6.3/10Also drama and fantasy
Residents of a coastal town learn, with deadly consequences, the secret shared by the two mysterious women who have sought refuge at a local boarding house, the Byzantium.
15
The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013)
★ 6.4/10Also fantasy
In New York City, Clary Fray, a seemingly ordinary teenager, learns that she is descended from a line of Shadowhunters — half-angel warriors who protect humanity from evil forces. After her mother disappears, Clary…
16
The Dark Tower (2017)
★ 5.8/10Also fantasy
A boy haunted by visions of a parallel world aids its disillusioned guardian in preventing the destruction of the nexus of universes known as the Dark Tower.
17
I Still See You (2018)
★ 6.4/10Also fantasy
Ten years after an apocalyptic event left the world haunted by ghosts, Veronica 'Ronnie' Calder receives a threatening message from beyond the grave. Joining forces with a mysterious classmate, Kirk, Ronnie descends…
18
Firebreather (2010)
★ 7.4/10Also fantasy
It's not easy being a teen like Duncan. His mom wants him to pay more attention to his homework, while his dad - a 120-foot-tall monster known as a Kaiju - wants him to become the next King of All Monsters. When these…
19
FairyTale: A True Story (1997)
★ 6.4/10Also fantasy and drama
In 1917, two children take a photograph, which is soon believed by some to be the first scientific evidence of the existence of fairies. Based on the true story of the Cottingley Fairies.
20
Nine Days (2021)
★ 6.8/10Also drama and fantasy
A bureaucrat interviews five souls to decide which of them will be given a life on Earth. But he soon faces an existential challenge of his own.