Movies Like Nightmare Detective

If you liked Nightmare Detective (2007), a thriller and horror movie directed by Shinya Tsukamoto, 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
Branded to Kill (1967)
★ 7.2/10Also thriller and crime
After botching his latest assignment, a third-ranked Japanese hit man becomes the target of another assassin.
2
Jigsaw (2017)
★ 6.2/10Also horror and mystery
Law enforcement finds itself chasing the ghost of a man dead for over a decade, embroiled in a diabolical new game that's only just begun.
3
Disturbing Behavior (1998)
★ 5.9/10Also mystery and horror
Steve Clark is a newcomer in the town of Cradle Bay, and he quickly realizes that there's something odd about his high school classmates. The clique known as the "Blue Ribbons" are the eerie embodiment of academic…
4
Masquerade Hotel (2019)
★ 6.7/10Also crime and mystery
A serial (3) killer leaves a GPS code of his next target with each victim - this time Hotel Cortesia Tokyo. A detective goes undercover as hotel staff - haircut, manners etc.
5
Malignant (2021)
★ 6.7/10Also horror and mystery
Madison is paralyzed by shocking visions of grisly murders, and her torment worsens as she discovers that these waking dreams are in fact terrifying realities with a mysterious tie to her past.
6
Lesson of the Evil (2012)
★ 6.7/10Also thriller and horror
Seiji Hasumi is a popular English teacher in a private high school. He is also a violent and sociopathic killer who concocts an extreme plan to deal with the rise of bullying and bad behavior among the student body.
7
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
★ 6.7/10Also horror and thriller
A psychiatrist, familiar with the knife-wielding dream demon Freddy Krueger, helps teens at a mental hospital battle the killer who is invading their dreams.
8
Se7en (1995)
★ 8.4/10Also crime and mystery
Two homicide detectives are on a desperate hunt for a serial killer whose crimes are based on the "seven deadly sins" in this dark and haunting film that takes viewers from the tortured remains of one victim to the…
9
Psycho Killer (2026)
★ 6.7/10Also crime and horror
Following the brutal murder of her husband, a Kansas highway patrol officer sets out on a journey to track down the perpetrator. As the hunt progresses, she comes to realize the man responsible is a sadistic serial…
10
Doctor X (1932)
★ 6/10Also horror and thriller
A wisecracking reporter investigates the cannibalistic 'Moon Killer' murders tied to a medical academy, culminating in a chilling reenactment experiment.
11
Ichi the Killer (2001)
★ 7/10Also crime and horror
As sadomasochistic yakuza enforcer Kakihara searches for his missing boss he comes across Ichi, a repressed and psychotic killer who may be able to inflict levels of pain that Kakihara has only dreamed of.
12
Bone Lake (2025)
★ 5.9/10Also horror and mystery
A couple’s romantic vacation at a secluded lakeside estate is upended when they are forced to share the mansion with a mysterious and attractive couple. In this darkly hilarious and seductive horror story, a dream…
13
The Believers (1987)
★ 5.9/10Also horror and mystery
Mourning the accidental death of his wife and having just moved to New York with his young son, laconic police psychologist Cal Jamison is reluctantly drawn into a series of grisly, ritualistic murders involving the…
14
Saw III (2006)
★ 6.4/10Also horror and thriller
Jigsaw has disappeared. Along with his new apprentice Amanda, the puppet-master behind the cruel, intricate games that have terrified a community and baffled police has once again eluded capture and vanished. While…
15
Killers (2014)
★ 6.3/10Also crime and thriller
A psychotic executive triggers a journalist's dark side, and they begin to form a strange bond through the internet.
16
Grindhouse (2007)
★ 7/10Also thriller and horror
Grindhouse combines Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror, a horror comedy about a group of survivors who battle zombie-like creatures, and Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof, an action thriller about a murderous stuntman who…
17
Saw (2004)
★ 7.4/10Also horror and mystery
Two men wake up to find themselves shackled in a grimy, abandoned bathroom. As they struggle to comprehend their predicament, they discover a disturbing tape left behind by the sadistic mastermind known as Jigsaw. With…
18
Kill List (2011)
★ 6.2/10Also horror and thriller
Nearly a year after a botched job, a hitman takes a new assignment with the promise of a big payoff for three killings. What starts off as an easy task soon unravels, sending the killer into the heart of darkness.
19
Saw X (2023)
★ 7.1/10Also horror and mystery
Between the events of 'Saw' and 'Saw II', a sick and desperate John Kramer travels to Mexico for a risky and experimental medical procedure in hopes of a miracle cure for his cancer, only to discover the entire…
20
Mirrors (2008)
★ 6.3/10Also horror and mystery
An ex-cop and his family are the target of an evil force that is using mirrors as a gateway into their home.