Movies Like The Cold Light of Day

If you liked The Cold Light of Day (1996), a drama and thriller movie directed by Rudolf van den Berg, 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
Cape Fear (1991)
★ 7.3/10Also drama and thriller
Sam Bowden is a small-town corporate attorney. Max Cady is a tattooed, cigar-smoking, Bible-quoting, psychotic rapist. What do they have in common? 14 years ago, Sam was a public defender assigned to Max Cady's rape…
2
Faces in the Crowd (2011)
★ 6.1/10Also thriller
Anna is living with "face-blindness" after surviving a serial killer's attack. As she lives with her condition, one in which facial features change each time she loses sight of them, the killer closes in.
3
Righteous Kill (2008)
★ 5.9/10Also thriller and drama
Two veteran New York City detectives work to identify the possible connection between a recent murder and a case they believe they solved years ago; is there a serial killer on the loose, and did they perhaps put the…
4
Mindcage (2022)
★ 5.9/10Also thriller
Detectives Jake Doyle and Mary Kelly seek the help of an incarcerated serial killer named The Artist when a copycat killer strikes. While Mary searches for clues in The Artist's brilliant but twisted psyche, she and…
5
12 Rounds (2009)
★ 5.9/10Also thriller
When New Orleans Police Detective Danny Fisher stops a brilliant thief from getting away with a multimillion-dollar heist, the thief's girlfriend is accidentally killed. After escaping from prison, the criminal…
6
Fallen (1998)
★ 6.8/10Also drama and thriller
Homicide detective John Hobbes witnesses the execution of serial killer Edgar Reese. Soon after the execution the killings start again, and they are very similar to Reese's style.
7
The Crush (1993)
★ 6.7/10Also thriller and drama
A precocious and obsessive teenager develops a crush on a naive writer with harrowing consequences.
8
The Whisper Man (2026)
★ 6.8/10Also drama and thriller
When his young son vanishes, a widower enlists help from his estranged father, a retired detective who put away the serial killer now linked to the case.
9
The Calling (2014)
★ 5.9/10Also thriller
Detective Hazel Micallef hasn't had much to worry about in the sleepy town of Port Dundas until a string of gruesome murders in the surrounding countryside brings her face to face with a serial killer driven by a…
10
The Truth About Emanuel (2013)
★ 6/10Also drama and thriller
A troubled young woman becomes obsessed with her mysterious new neighbor, who bears a striking resemblance to the girl's dead mother.
11
Night Hunter (2019)
★ 6.6/10Also drama and thriller
A Minnesota police officer crosses paths with a committed and tireless vigilante as he follows the trail of a ruthless predator responsible for several abductions and murders.
12
M (1951)
★ 6.5/10Also drama and thriller
In the city, someone is murdering children. The police search is so intense, it is disturbing the 'normal' criminals, and the local hoods decide to help find the murderer as quickly as possible.
13
Blue Steel (1990)
★ 5.8/10Also thriller
Rookie cop Megan Turner orders a burglar to drop his gun. He whirls to shoot. Too late. Turner fires, killing him instantly. When someone lifts the assailant's gun from the crime scene, the police hold Turner…
14
Copycat (1995)
★ 6.5/10Also thriller
An agoraphobic psychologist and a female detective must work together to take down a serial killer who copies serial killers from the past.
15
12 Rounds 3: Lockdown (2015)
★ 6/10Also thriller
Detective Shaw returns to active duty after the death of his partner. When he uncovers evidence linking his fellow officers to a murder, they frame him for a homicide he didn't commit. Trapped in his own precinct, Shaw…
16
The Little Things (2021)
★ 6.4/10Also drama and thriller
Deputy Sheriff Joe "Deke" Deacon joins forces with Sgt. Jim Baxter to search for a serial killer who's terrorizing Los Angeles. As they track the culprit, Baxter is unaware that the investigation is dredging up echoes…
17
Each Dawn I Die (1939)
★ 6.9/10Also drama and thriller
A corrupt D.A. with governatorial ambitions is annoyed by an investigative reporter's criticism of his criminal activities and decides to frame the reporter for manslaughter in order to silence him.
18
The Ritual Killer (2023)
★ 5.8/10Also thriller and drama
Unable to process the death of his daughter, Detective Boyd embarks on a hunt for a serial killer who murders according to a brutal tribal ritual: Muti. The only person who can help Boyd is Professor Mackles, an…
19
10 to Midnight (1983)
★ 6.2/10Also drama and thriller
Warren Stacy, an office equipment repairman, begins murdering women after they reject his advances. To minimize the evidence, Stacy always kills while naked, wearing nothing but gloves, and further evades the law with…
20
Tightrope (1984)
★ 6.2/10Also thriller
Wes Block is a detective who's put on the case of a serial killer whose victims are young and pretty women. The murders are getting personal when the killer chooses victims who are acquaintances of Block. Even his…