Movies Like When the Bough Breaks

If you liked When the Bough Breaks (1986), a crime and drama movie directed by Waris Hussein, 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
Hierarchy (2025)
★ 6/10Also crime and thriller
In an undisclosed area of Texas after two adoptive brothers become entangled in criminal activity, forced to evade law enforcement and the greedy Russian mafia.
2
Desert Dawn (2025)
★ 6.3/10Also crime and thriller
A newly appointed small-town sheriff and his begrudging deputy get tangled up in a web of lies and corruption involving shady businessmen and the cartel while investigating the murder of a mysterious woman.
3
The Substitute 2: School's Out (1998)
★ 6.5/10Also thriller and crime
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…
4
Sister Cities (2016)
★ 6.4/10Also drama and tv movie
Based on the internationally-acclaimed play by Colette Freedman, the story of 4 estranged sisters who reunite for their mother’s alleged suicide.
5
The Client (1994)
★ 6.7/10Also drama and thriller
A street-wise kid, Mark Sway, sees the suicide of Jerome Clifford, a prominent Louisiana lawyer, whose current client is Barry 'The Blade' Muldano, a Mafia hit-man. Before Jerome shoots himself, he tells Mark where the…
6
Bad Sister (2015)
★ 6.6/10Also thriller and tv movie
As a top student at St. Adeline's Catholic Boarding School, Zoe senses that something is not quite right about the school's new nun-- a sense proven to be true when it is revealed the "good' nun is an imposter with a…
7
Hello (2022)
★ 6.3/10Also drama and thriller
An emotionally unavailable flight attendant meets a potential love interest and later finds out that her "perfect guy" has ulterior motives. As the clock ticks down on New Year's Eve, she must fight to keep her…
8
Natural Born Killers (1994)
★ 7/10Also crime and thriller
Two victims of traumatized childhoods become lovers and serial murderers irresponsibly glorified by the mass media.
9
Ray Donovan: The Movie (2022)
★ 6.8/10Also crime and drama
A showdown decades in the making brings the Donovan family legacy full circle. As the events that made Ray who he is today finally come to light, the Donovans find themselves drawn back to Boston to face the past. Each…
10
A Bone to Pick: An Aurora Teagarden Mystery (2015)
★ 6.9/10Also crime and drama
A librarian with a sharp mind for murder, Aurora Teagarden is known around her small town as a master sleuth. When her friend Jane unexpectedly dies and leaves Aurora everything in her will, she also leaves a troubling…
11
The Number 23 (2007)
★ 6.4/10Also thriller and crime
Animal control officer Walter Sparrow becomes obsessed with a novel that he believes was written about him, as more and more similarities between himself and his literary alter ego seem to arise.
12
Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise (2006)
★ 6.9/10Also drama and crime
When Jesse Stone looks into the murder of a teen-age girl whose body is found floating in a local lake, it brings him up against the Boston mob and into the affluent world of a bestselling writer who exploits troubled…
13
Riddled with Deceit: A Martha's Vineyard Mystery (2020)
★ 7.4/10Also drama and crime
Former detective Jeff Jackson teams up with Dr. Zee Madieras to track down their friend's missing emerald brooch, a thief, and also... a murderer.
14
No Night Is Too Long (2002)
★ 6.3/10Also crime and drama
A chance meeting, a stolen kiss and a sudden flare of passion sets a handsome young university student on a journey of betrayal, heartbreak and murder.
15
You Don't Know Jack (2010)
★ 7/10Also drama and tv movie
Controversy and legal problems follow Dr. Jack Kevorkian as he advocates assisted suicide.
16
Garage Sale Mystery: A Case Of Murder (2017)
★ 6.9/10Also crime and drama
Jenn buys an old reel-to-reel recorder at a garage sale only to find that it includes the sound of a man pleading for his life. When the former owner of the recorder, a retired therapist, is found murdered in a…
17
The Book of Henry (2017)
★ 7.5/10Also drama and thriller
Susan, a single mother of two, works as a waitress in a small town. Her son, Henry, is an 11-year-old genius who not only manages the family finances but acts as emotional support for his mother and younger brother…
18
Flowers in the Attic (2014)
★ 6.7/10Also drama and thriller
After the sudden death of their father, four children face cruel treatment from their ruthless grandmother.
19
Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Reunited and It Feels So Deadly (2020)
★ 7.3/10Also crime and tv movie
Aurora's high school reunion turns deadly when a body is found in the hotel pool. Aurora and her Real Murders Club help investigate which classmate was most likely to kill.
20
Scum (1977)
★ 7.2/10Also tv movie and drama
Carlin is a new reform school inmate with a reputation as a hard case. The authorities encourage gang leader Pongo to humble Carlin, but Carlin overtakes Pongo as Daddy of the ward. The guards institute a reign of…