Movies Like Murder in the Heartland: The Search For Video X

If you liked Murder in the Heartland: The Search For Video X (2003), a crime and horror movie directed by James D. Mortellaro, 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
Strange Harvest (2025)
★ 6.6/10Also horror and crime
Detectives are thrust into a chilling hunt for a sadistic serial killer from the past whose return marks the beginning of a new wave of grotesque, otherworldly crimes tied to a cosmic force.
2
Curse of the Blair Witch (1999)
★ 6.2/10Also horror
A mockumentary exploring the legend of the Blair Witch and the case of the three missing student filmmakers.
3
Mute Witness (1995)
★ 6.5/10Also horror and crime
When a mute makeup/special effects artist working on a low-budget slasher film gets locked in a dilapidated Moscow movie studio late one night, she thinks she witnesses the making of a snuff film. Thus begins a night…
4
8MM (1999)
★ 6.5/10Also crime
A small, seemingly innocuous plastic reel of film leads surveillance specialist Tom Welles down an increasingly dark and frightening path. With the help of the streetwise Max, he relentlessly follows a bizarre trail of…
5
The Den (2013)
★ 6.1/10Also horror
A young woman studying the habits of webcam chat users from the apparent safety of her apartment witnesses a brutal murder online and is quickly immersed in a nightmare in which she and her loved ones are targeted for…
6
Bodycam (2026)
★ 6/10Also horror
A call to a quiet suburban home unleashes unthinkable carnage when two officers mistakenly shoot a man and his infant child, spiraling the tragedy into a fierce, unrelenting fall into the unknown.
7
V/H/S (2012)
★ 6.1/10Also horror
When a group of misfits is hired by an unknown third party to burglarize a desolate house and acquire one rare VHS tape, they discover more found footage than they had bargained for.
8
V/H/S/94 (2021)
★ 6.1/10Also horror
After the discovery of a mysterious VHS tape, a brutish police SWAT team launches a high-intensity raid on a remote warehouse, only to discover a sinister cult compound whose collection of pre-recorded material…
9
Cleaner (2007)
★ 6.1/10Also crime
Single father and former cop Tom Cutler has an unusual occupation: he cleans up death scenes. But when he's called in to sterilize a wealthy suburban residence after a brutal shooting, Cutler is shocked to learn he may…
10
The Substitute 2: School's Out (1998)
★ 6.5/10Also 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…
11
Re-Kill (2015)
★ 5.9/10Also horror
Five years after a zombie outbreak, the men and women of R-Division hunt down and destroy the undead. When they see signs of a second outbreak, they fear humanity may not survive.
12
Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor (2023)
★ 6.5/10Also horror
A group of cold case investigators stay at the Carmichael Manor, site of the grisly and unsolved murders of the Carmichael family back in the eighties. After four nights, the group was never heard from again. What is…
13
V/H/S/99 (2022)
★ 5.8/10Also horror
A thirsty teenager's home video leads to a series of horrifying revelations, harkening back to the final punk rock analog days of VHS, while taking one giant leap forward into the hellish new millennium.
14
The Night Strangler (1973)
★ 6.7/10Also horror and crime
After being run out of Las Vegas, reporter Carl Kolchak heads for Seattle and another reporting job with the local paper. It's not long before he’s on the trail of another string of bizarre murders. It seems that every…
15
The Big Heat (1953)
★ 7.7/10Also crime
After the suspicious suicide of a fellow cop, tough homicide detective Dave Bannion takes the law into his own hands when he sets out to smash a vicious crime syndicate.
16
The Conspiracy (2012)
★ 5.9/10Also horror
A documentary about conspiracy theories takes a horrific turn after the filmmakers uncover an ancient and dangerous secret society.
17
Welcome to the Punch (2013)
★ 5.9/10Also crime
When notorious criminal Jacob Sternwood is forced to return to London, it gives detective Max Lewinsky one last chance to take down the man he's always been after.
18
The Hitcher (2007)
★ 5.9/10Also crime and horror
While driving through the New Mexico Desert during a rainy night, college students Jim Halsey and his girlfriend Grace Andrews give a ride to a hitchhiker. While in their car, the stranger proves to be a psychopath…
19
Sinister (2012)
★ 6.9/10Also horror
True-crime writer Ellison Oswalt is in a slump; he hasn't had a best seller in more than 10 years and is becoming increasingly desperate for a hit. So, when he discovers the existence of a snuff film showing the deaths…
20
Pickup on South Street (1953)
★ 7.4/10Also crime
In New York City, an insolent pickpocket, Skip McCoy, inadvertently sets off a chain of events when he targets ex-prostitute Candy and steals her wallet. Unaware that she has been making deliveries of highly classified…