Movies Like As a Prelude to Fear

If you liked As a Prelude to Fear (2022), a horror movie directed by Steph Du Melo, 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 Tall Man (2012)
★ 6/10Also horror
When her child goes missing, a mother looks to unravel the legend of the Tall Man, an entity who allegedly abducts children.
2
Tau (2018)
★ 6.1/10Also horror
Held captive in a futuristic smart house, a woman hopes to escape by befriending the A.I. program that controls the house.
3
Night of the Reaper (2025)
★ 6.5/10Also horror
College student Deena visits home and is roped into babysitting. The local sheriff is mailed a piece of evidence and is led on a scavenger hunt to reveal the killer of another babysitter.
4
Play Dead (2025)
★ 6.3/10Also horror
A woman wakes up injured in a basement surrounded by corpses. To survive, she pretends to be dead while a grotesque ritual unfolds in the house above.
5
God Told Me To (1976)
★ 5.9/10Also horror
A New York detective investigates a series of murders committed by random citizens who claim that 'God told them to'.
6
Psycho Killer (2026)
★ 6.7/10Also 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…
7
Dangerous Animals (2025)
★ 6.4/10Also horror
A savvy and free-spirited surfer is abducted by a shark-obsessed serial killer. Held captive on his boat, she must figure out how to escape before he carries out a ritualistic feeding to the sharks below.
8
The Poughkeepsie Tapes (2007)
★ 6.5/10Also horror
When hundreds of videotapes showing torture, murder and dismemberment are found in an abandoned house, they reveal a serial killer's decade-long reign of terror and become the most disturbing collection of evidence…
9
Barbarian (2022)
★ 6.9/10Also horror
In town for a job interview, a young woman arrives at her Airbnb late at night only to find that it has been mistakenly double-booked and a strange man is already staying there. Against her better judgement, she…
10
When a Stranger Calls Back (1993)
★ 5.9/10Also horror
Jill Johnson, now a crisis center counselor, reunites with retired detective John Clifford to hunt a killer stalking a coed.
11
The Boy Behind the Door (2020)
★ 6.2/10Also horror
Bobby tries to save himself and his best friend when they are kidnapped on their way home from school.
12
Strange Harvest (2025)
★ 6.6/10Also horror
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.
13
God Is a Bullet (2023)
★ 6.3/10Also horror
Vice detective Bob Hightower finds his ex-wife murdered and daughter kidnapped by a cult. Frustrated by the botched official investigations, he quits the force and infiltrates the cult to hunt down the leader with the…
14
Dressed to Kill (1980)
★ 6.9/10Also horror
After witnessing a mysterious woman brutally slay a homemaker, prostitute Liz Blake finds herself trapped in a dangerous situation. While the police thinks she is the murderer, the real killer is intent on silencing…
15
The Harvest (2015)
★ 6/10Also horror
After becoming orphaned, a lonely girl moves in with her grandparents and tries to befriend a sick, bed-ridden boy next door, despite his mother’s strong objections. Her persistence leads to a friendship, but during…
16
Containment (2015)
★ 5.9/10Also horror
Neighbors in a block wake one morning to find they have been sealed inside their apartments. Can they work together to find out why? Or will they destroy each other in their fight to escape?
17
Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker (1981)
★ 6.5/10Also horror
Rejected by her lover, the only man left in Cheryl's life is the orphaned nephew she has raised as her own son. She'll stop at nothing to keep Billy with her. When her plans misfire, she is swept up into an insane…
18
Split (2017)
★ 7.3/10Also horror
Though Kevin has evidenced 23 personalities to his trusted psychiatrist, Dr. Fletcher, there remains one still submerged who is set to materialize and dominate all the others. Compelled to abduct three teenage girls…
19
Alone (2020)
★ 6.3/10Also horror
A recently widowed traveler is kidnapped by a cold blooded killer, only to escape into the wilderness where she is forced to battle against the elements as her pursuer closes in on her.
20
Angel Heart (1987)
★ 7.1/10Also horror
A down-and-out Brooklyn detective is hired to track down a singer on an odyssey that will take him through the desperate streets of Harlem, the smoke-filled jazz clubs of New Orleans, and the swamps of Louisiana and…