50 Movies Like Sinister (2012) You Need to Watch Next
Updated August 2026
View Sinister details →Scott Derrickson's 2012 horror, mystery and thriller centers on true-crime writer Ellison Oswalt, in a slump after more than ten years without a best seller and increasingly desperate for a hit. When he discovers a snuff film showing the deaths of a family, he vows to solve the mystery and moves his own family into the victims' home to work. But old footage and other clues hint at a supernatural force, and Ellison learns that living in the house may be fatal. It leans on unsettling found-footage sequences and a mounting sense of dread rather than constant jolts. Good for horror fans who like slow-burn menace and a protagonist whose ambition blinds him.
If you loved Sinister (2012) by Scott Derrickson, here are 50 movies that share its content DNA. iRankMovies measures real similarity using cosine similarity across eight weighted dimensions — genre (50%), tone (12%), pace (10%), structure (8%), era (7%), theme (6%), audience (4%) and narrative perspective (3%) — not just the rating. The closest matches according to our analysis are The Medium, Paranormal Activity, The Taking of Deborah Logan. Every title is ranked by how closely it matches and backed by the iRank Score, a composite of IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic and TMDb across 12,000+ analysed titles.
The Best Movies Similar to Sinister
Selected for their real similarity in content, these are the movies that share the most with Sinister in terms of theme, narrative tone, and cinematic style. Every recommendation goes beyond genre — we evaluate the type of conflict, pacing, dramatic context, and the experience they create for viewers.
The Medium
2021 · Banjong Pisanthanakun
A shaman's family learn that their goddess is supposedly controlling one of them. However, their lives take a frightening turn when they realise the goddess has nothing to do with the possession.
In common: Horror · Mystery
Paranormal Activity
2007 · Oren Peli
After a young, middle-class couple moves into what seems like a typical suburban house, they become increasingly disturbed by a presence that may or may not be demonic but is certainly the most active
In common: Horror · Mystery
The Taking of Deborah Logan
2014 · Adam Robitel
What starts as a poignant medical documentary about Deborah Logan's descent into Alzheimer's disease and her daughter's struggles as caregiver degenerates into a maddening portrayal of dementia at its
In common: Horror · Mystery · Thriller
Devil
2010 · John Erick Dowdle
A group of people are trapped in an elevator high above Philadelphia, and one of them is the devil.
In common: Horror · Mystery · Thriller
Ghost Ship
2002 · Steve Beck
After discovering a passenger ship missing since 1962 floating adrift on the Bering Sea, salvagers claim the vessel as their own. Once they begin towing the ghost ship towards harbor, a series of biza
In common: Horror · Mystery · Thriller
The Poughkeepsie Tapes
2007 · John Erick Dowdle
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 collecti
In common: Horror · Mystery
Incantation
2022 · Kevin Ko
Inspired by the true story of a family who believed they were possessed by spirits. This film follows a woman who must protect her child from a curse.
In common: Horror
Good Boy
2025 · Ben Leonberg
A loyal dog moves to a rural family home with his owner Todd, only to discover supernatural forces lurking in the shadows. As dark entities threaten his human companion, the brave pup must fight to pr
In common: Horror
Late Night with the Devil
2024 · Cameron Cairnes
A live broadcast of a late-night talk show in 1977 goes horribly wrong, unleashing evil into the nation's living rooms.
In common: Horror
Host
2020 · Rob Savage
Six friends hire a medium to hold a séance via Zoom during lockdown — but they get far more than they bargained for as things quickly go wrong. When an evil spirit starts invading their homes, they be
In common: Horror
Final Destination 3
2006 · James Wong
High school senior Wendy's premonition of a deadly rollercoaster ride saves her life and a lucky few, but not from death itself — which seeks out those who escaped their fate.
In common: Horror · Mystery
Final Destination 5
2011 · Steven Quale
Death is just as omnipresent as ever, and is unleashed after one man’s premonition saves a group of coworkers from a terrifying suspension bridge collapse. But this group of unsuspecting souls was nev
In common: Horror · Mystery
The Blair Witch Project
1999 · Daniel Myrick
In October of 1994 three student filmmakers disappeared in the woods near Burkittsville, Maryland, while shooting a documentary. A year later their footage was found.
In common: Horror · Mystery
Insidious: Chapter 2
2013 · James Wan
The haunted Lambert family seeks to uncover the mysterious childhood secret that has left them dangerously connected to the spirit world.
In common: Horror · Thriller
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[REC]
2007 · Jaume Balagueró
A television reporter and cameraman follow emergency workers into a dark apartment building and are quickly locked inside with something terrifying.
In common: Horror · Mystery
Insidious: Chapter 3
2015 · Leigh Whannell
A twisted new tale of terror begins for a teenage girl and her family, and revealing more mysteries of the otherworldly realm, 'The Further'.
In common: Horror · Thriller
As Above, So Below
2014 · John Erick Dowdle
When a team of explorers venture into the catacombs that lie beneath the streets of Paris, they uncover the dark secret that lies within this city of the dead.
In common: Horror · Thriller
The Exorcist III
1990 · William Peter Blatty
On the fifteenth anniversary of the exorcism that claimed Father Damien Karras' life, Police Lieutenant Kinderman's world is once again shattered when a boy is found decapitated and savagely crucified
In common: Horror · Mystery
The Visit
2015 · M. Night Shyamalan
A brother and sister are sent to their grandparents' remote Pennsylvania farm for a week, where they discover that the elderly couple is involved in something deeply disturbing.
In common: Horror · Thriller
Weapons
2025 · Zach Cregger
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.
In common: Horror · Mystery
Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum
2018 · Jung Bum-shik
The crew of a horror web series travels to an abandoned asylum for a live broadcast, but they encounter much more than expected as they move deeper inside the nightmarish old building.
In common: Horror · Mystery
Final Destination 2
2003 · David R. Ellis
When Kimberly has a violent premonition of a highway pileup she blocks the freeway, keeping a few others meant to die, safe...Or are they? The survivors mysteriously start dying and it's up to Kimberl
In common: Horror · Mystery
The Final Destination
2009 · David R. Ellis
A horrifying premonition saves a young man and his friends from death during a racetrack accident but terrible fates await them nonetheless.
In common: Horror · Mystery
Five Nights at Freddy's 2
2025 · Emma Tammi
One year since the supernatural nightmare at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, the stories about what transpired there have been twisted into a campy local legend, inspiring the town's first ever Fazfest. With
In common: Horror · Thriller
Five Nights at Freddy's
2023 · Emma Tammi
Recently fired and desperate for work, a troubled young man named Mike agrees to take a position as a night security guard at an abandoned theme restaurant: Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria. But he soon disc
In common: Horror · Thriller
Insidious: The Red Door
2023 · Patrick Wilson
To put their demons to rest once and for all, Josh Lambert and a college-aged Dalton Lambert must go deeper into The Further than ever before, facing their family's dark past and a host of new and mor
In common: Horror · Thriller
Insidious
2011 · James Wan
A family discovers that dark spirits have invaded their home after their son inexplicably falls into an endless sleep. When they reach out to a professional for help, they learn things are a lot more
In common: Horror · Thriller
Night Swim
2024 · Bryce McGuire
Forced into early retirement by a degenerative illness, former baseball player Ray Waller moves into a new house with his wife and two children. He hopes that the backyard swimming pool will be fun fo
In common: Horror · Mystery
The Pope's Exorcist
2023 · Julius Avery
Father Gabriele Amorth, Chief Exorcist of the Vatican, investigates a young boy's terrifying possession and ends up uncovering a centuries-old conspiracy the Vatican has desperately tried to keep hidd
In common: Horror · Thriller
Carrie
1976 · Brian De Palma
Withdrawn and sensitive teenager Carrie White faces bullying from her classmates and abuse from her fanatically pious mother. When she begins to suspect that she has supernatural powers, things take a
In common: Horror · Thriller
Insidious: The Last Key
2018 · Adam Robitel
Parapsychologist Elise Rainier and her team travel to Five Keys, NM, to investigate a man’s claim of a haunting. Terror soon strikes when Rainier realizes that the house he lives in was her family’s o
In common: Horror · Thriller
Final Destination Bloodlines
2025 · Zach Lipovsky
Plagued by a violent recurring nightmare, college student Stefanie heads home to track down the one person who might be able to break the cycle and save her family from the grisly demise that inevitab
In common: Horror · Mystery
Silent Hill
2006 · Christophe Gans
Rose, a desperate mother, takes her adopted daughter, Sharon, to the town of Silent Hill in an attempt to cure her of her ailment. After a violent car crash, Sharon disappears, and Rose embarks on a h
In common: Horror · Mystery
Exhuma
2024 · Jang Jae-hyun
After tracing the origin of a disturbing supernatural affliction to a wealthy family's ancestral gravesite, a team of paranormal experts relocates the remains—and soon discovers what happens to those
In common: Horror · Mystery · Thriller
Shutter
2004 · Banjong Pisanthanakun
When Jane and Tun run over a girl in a car accident, they speed away immediately from the crime scene. However, Tun, a photographer, soon discovers strange shadows in his photos, which unsettles them.
In common: Horror · Mystery · Thriller
The Ninth Gate
1999 · Roman Polanski
A rare book dealer finds himself at the heart of a string of paranormal events when he is hired to find the last two copies of a text, The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows, capable of summoning th
In common: Horror · Mystery · Thriller
Silent Hill: Revelation 3D
2012 · MJ Bassett
Heather Mason and her father have been on the run, always one step ahead of dangerous forces that she doesn't fully understand. Now on the eve of her 18th birthday, plagued by horrific nightmares and
In common: Horror · Mystery · Thriller
Escape Room
2019 · Adam Robitel
Six strangers find themselves in circumstances beyond their control, and must use their wits to survive.
In common: Horror · Mystery · Thriller
The Grudge
2004 · Takashi Shimizu
An American nurse living and working in Tokyo is exposed to a mysterious supernatural curse, one that locks a person in a powerful rage before claiming their life and spreading to another victim.
In common: Horror · Mystery · Thriller
Marrowbone
2017 · Sergio G. Sánchez
A young man and his three younger siblings are plagued by a sinister presence in the sprawling manor in which they live.
In common: Horror · Mystery · Thriller
Knock at the Cabin
2023 · M. Night Shyamalan
While vacationing at a remote cabin, a young girl and her two fathers are taken hostage by four armed strangers who demand that the family make an unthinkable choice to avert the apocalypse. With limi
In common: Horror · Mystery · Thriller
Case 39
2009 · Christian Alvart
In her many years as a social worker, Emily Jenkins believes she has seen it all, until she meets 10-year-old Lilith and the girl's cruel parents. Emily's worst fears are confirmed when the parents tr
In common: Horror · Mystery · Thriller
Escape Room: Tournament of Champions
2021 · Adam Robitel
Six people unwittingly find themselves locked in another series of escape rooms, slowly uncovering what they have in common to survive... and discovering they've all played the games before.
In common: Horror · Mystery · Thriller
Brahms: The Boy II
2020 · William Brent Bell
After a family moves into the Heelshire Mansion, their young son soon makes friends with a life-like doll called Brahms.
In common: Horror · Mystery · Thriller
Ghostland
2018 · Pascal Laugier
A mother of two inherits a home from her aunt. On the first night in the new home she is confronted with murderous intruders and fights for her daughters’ lives. Sixteen years later the daughters reun
In common: Horror · Mystery · Thriller
Gothika
2003 · Mathieu Kassovitz
After a car crash, criminal psychologist Dr. Miranda Grey regains consciousness only to find that she's a patient in the same mental institution that currently employs her. She's been accused of murde
In common: Horror · Mystery · Thriller
Hereditary
2018 · Ari Aster
Following the death of the Leigh family matriarch, Annie and her children uncover disturbing secrets about their heritage. Their daily lives are not only impacted, but they also become entangled in a
In common: Horror · Mystery · Thriller
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It
2021 · Michael Chaves
Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren encounter what would become one of the most sensational cases from their files. The fight for the soul of a young boy takes them beyond anything they'd
In common: Horror · Mystery · Thriller
The Others
2001 · Alejandro Amenábar
Grace is a woman who lives in an old house kept dark because her two children, Anne and Nicholas, have a rare sensitivity to light. When the family begins to suspect the house is haunted, Grace fights
In common: Horror · Mystery · Thriller
Presence
2025 · Steven Soderbergh
A couple and their children move into a seemingly normal suburban home. When strange events occur, they begin to believe there is something else in the house with them. The presence is about to disrup
In common: Horror · Thriller
Popular series
Breaking Bad
2008 · Michelle MacLaren
Walter White, a New Mexico chemistry teacher, is diagnosed with Stage III cancer and given a prognosis of only two years left to live. He becomes filled with a sense of fearlessness and an unrelenting
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End
2023 · Kazutaka Yamanaka
After the party of heroes defeated the Demon King, they restored peace to the land and returned to lives of solitude. Generations pass, and the elven mage Frieren comes face to face with humanity’s m
Avatar: The Last Airbender
2005 · Michael Dante DiMartino
In a war-torn world of elemental magic, a young boy reawakens to undertake a dangerous mystic quest to fulfill his destiny as the Avatar, and bring peace to the world.
