Movies Like Darkness Waits

If you liked Darkness Waits (2020), a crime and thriller movie directed by Libby McDermott, 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
The Frighteners (1996)
★ 7/10Also horror and comedy
Once an architect, Frank Bannister now passes himself off as an exorcist of evil spirits. To bolster his facade, he claims his "special" gift is the result of a car accident that killed his wife. But what he does not…
2
The Prodigy (2019)
★ 6.2/10Also horror and thriller
A mother concerned about her young son's disturbing behavior thinks something supernatural may be affecting him.
3
Blow Out (1981)
★ 7.3/10Also crime and mystery
While recording sound effects for a slasher flick, Jack Terry stumbles upon a real-life horror: a car careening off a bridge and into a river. Jack jumps into the water and fishes out Sally from the car, but the other…
4
Weapons (2025)
★ 7.3/10Also horror and mystery
When all but one child from the same class mysteriously vanish on the same night at exactly the same time, a community is left questioning who or what is behind their disappearance.
5
Lady in White (1988)
★ 6.1/10Also mystery and horror
Locked in a school closet during Halloween 1962, young Frank witnesses the ghost of a young girl and the man who murdered her years ago.
6
Sleepy Hollow (1999)
★ 7.2/10Also thriller and mystery
Skeptical young detective Ichabod Crane gets transferred to the hamlet of Sleepy Hollow, New York, where he is tasked with investigating the decapitations of three people – murders the townsfolk attribute to a…
7
Body Cam (2020)
★ 6.2/10Also horror and thriller
As a police officer investigates the gruesome murder of her colleague, she discovers that a mysterious supernatural force is behind it.
8
Last Shift (2014)
★ 6.3/10Also horror and mystery
Rookie police officer Jessica Loren has been assigned the last shift at a closing police station and must wait for a hazmat crew to collect biomedical evidence. Ordered not to leave the station under any circumstances…
9
Deranged (1974)
★ 5.8/10Also crime and horror
A man living in rural Wisconsin takes care of his bed-ridden mother, who is very domineering and teaches him that all women are evil. After she dies, he misses her, and a year later digs her up and takes her home. He…
10
Striking Distance (1993)
★ 5.9/10Also crime and mystery
Demoted Pittsburgh cop Tom Hardy works river patrol while a serial killer targets women from his past, forcing him to conduct an unauthorized investigation to prove his innocence and expose a dirty cop.
11
The Hunt (2020)
★ 6.7/10Also thriller and horror
Twelve strangers wake up in a clearing. They don't know where they are—or how they got there. In the shadow of a dark internet conspiracy theory, ruthless elitists gather at a remote location to hunt humans for sport…
12
It Ends (2026)
★ 5.9/10Also horror and mystery
A group of recent grads head out on a late night drive for grub, hoping to enjoy one final hangout before their paths diverge. Instead, they accidentally turn onto a never-ending, two-lane hellscape surrounded by…
13
Urban Legend (1998)
★ 6.1/10Also mystery and horror
A college campus is plagued by a vicious serial killer murdering students in ways that correspond to various urban legends.
14
Home Sweet Home: Rebirth (2025)
★ 5.9/10Also horror and thriller
When a city is overrun with a demonically-possessed crowd, a cop must find the source of evil to save his family.
15
The Substitute 2: School's Out (1998)
★ 6.5/10Also mystery and thriller
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…
16
Dead Heat (1988)
★ 6.2/10Also horror and thriller
Detective Roger Mortis is killed in action while investigating a string of mysterious robberies: until he's brought back from the dead with a chemical company's secret re-animation technology. Now he has twelve hours…
17
It Follows (2015)
★ 6.6/10Also horror and mystery
A young woman is followed by an unknown supernatural force after a sexual encounter.
18
Smile (2022)
★ 6.7/10Also horror and mystery
After witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient, Dr. Rose Cotter starts experiencing frightening occurrences that she can't explain.
19
Ca$h (2010)
★ 5.9/10Also crime and thriller
A stroke of good luck turns lethal for Sam Phelan and his wife Leslie when they are faced with a life-changing decision that brings strange and sinister Pyke Kubic to their doorstep. As Pyke leads Sam and Leslie on a…
20
The Pale Blue Eye (2022)
★ 6.8/10Also thriller and crime
West Point, New York, 1830. When a cadet at the burgeoning military academy is found hanged with his heart cut out, the top brass summons former New York City constable Augustus Landor to investigate. While attempting…