Movies Like Pappa

If you liked Pappa (2004), a movie directed by Matias Armand Jordal, 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
You Shall Not Sleep Tonight (2024)
★ 5.9/10
A boy is haunted by terrifying nightmares where a monster lurks inside the closet. To his relief, his father appears in the middle of the night helping him to face his fears. But the boy will begin to question the true…
2
Orion and the Dark (2024)
★ 6.5/10
A boy with an active imagination faces his fears on an unforgettable journey through the night with his new friend: a giant, smiling creature named Dark.
3
Cobweb (2023)
★ 6.4/10
Eight year old Peter is plagued by a mysterious, constant tapping from inside his bedroom wall—one that his parents insist is all in his imagination. As Peter's fear intensifies, he believes that his parents could be…
4
The Spider Within: A Spider-Verse Story (2023)
★ 7.1/10
After a particularly challenging day, Miles experiences a panic attack that forces him to confront the manifestations of his anxiety and learn that reaching out for help can be just as brave an act as protecting his…
5
Z (2019)
★ 6.5/10
A family find themselves terrorized by their eight-year-old son's imaginary friend.
6
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
★ 7.4/10
Teenagers in a small town are dropping like flies, apparently in the grip of mass hysteria causing their suicides. A cop's daughter, Nancy Thompson, traces the cause to child molester Fred Krueger, who was burned alive…
7
A Monster Calls (2016)
★ 7.3/10
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.
8
Before I Wake (2016)
★ 6.5/10
An orphaned child's dreams—and nightmares—manifest physically as he sleeps.
9
And When Did You Last See Your Father? (2007)
★ 6.5/10
The story of a son's conflicting memories of his dying father.
10
Kes (1970)
★ 7.4/10
Bullied at school and ignored and abused at home by his indifferent mother and older brother, Billy Casper, a 15-year-old working-class Yorkshire boy, tames and trains his pet kestrel falcon whom he names Kes. Helped…
11
Nocturna (2007)
★ 7.1/10
An orphan boy named Tim is afraid of the dark. However, when the stars start going out in the sky, he finds himself exploring the world of the night, alongside his new friend, the Cat Shepherd.
12
Fences (2016)
★ 6.9/10
In 1950s Pittsburgh, a frustrated African-American father struggles with the constraints of poverty, racism, and his own inner demons as he tries to raise a family.
13
Unsane (2018)
★ 6.2/10
A woman is involuntarily committed to a mental institution where she is confronted by her greatest fear.
14
Despicable Me 2 (2013)
★ 6.9/10
Gru is recruited by the Anti-Villain League to help deal with a powerful new super criminal.
15
Fright (1971)
★ 6/10
Young babysitter Amanda arrives at the Lloyd residence to spend the evening looking after their young son. Soon after the Lloyds leave, a series of frightening occurrences in the gloomy old house have Amanda's nerves…
16
The Glass Castle (2017)
★ 7.1/10
A young girl is raised in a dysfunctional family constantly on the run from the FBI. Living in poverty, she comes of age guided by her drunkard, ingenious father who distracts her with magical stories to keep her mind…
17
Problem Child (1990)
★ 6.2/10
Ben Healy and his social climbing wife Flo adopt fun-loving seven year old Junior. But they soon discover he's a little monster as he turns a camping trip, a birthday party and even a baseball game into comic nightmares.
18
Boy A (2008)
★ 7.1/10
Freed after a lengthy term in a juvenile detention center, convicted child killer Jack Burridge finds work as a deliveryman and begins dating co-worker Michelle. While out on the road one day, Jack notices a distressed…
19
Flipped (2010)
★ 8/10
When Juli meets Bryce in the second grade, she knows it's true love. After spending six years trying to convince Bryce the same, she's ready to give up - until he starts to reconsider.
20
The Fabelmans (2022)
★ 7.5/10
Growing up in post-World War II era Arizona, young Sammy Fabelman aspires to become a filmmaker as he reaches adolescence, but soon discovers a shattering family secret and explores how the power of films can help him…