Movies like The Shining

A feature-film shortlist from the cached Film Atlas engine. The interactive map may include more titles or newer results. These are similarity matches, not a guarantee of age suitability.

1. 

   01

   Doctor Sleep

   Same saga

   2019 · 152 min · Fantasy · Horror

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   Still scarred by the trauma he endured as a child at the Overlook Hotel, Dan Torrance faces the ghosts of the past when he meets Abra, a courageous teen who desperately needs his help -- and who possesses a powerful extrasensory ability called the "shine".

   Why it connects

   • strong story and style similarity
   • the same saga or cinematic universe
   • shared themes: hotel and psychic power

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2. 

   02

   Hellbound: Hellraiser II

   Similar atmosphere

   1988 · 97 min · Horror · Thriller

   Read synopsis

   Now confined to a mental hospital, young Kirsty insists her supposedly dead father is actually stuck in Hell following his wife’s betrayal. Few believe the young woman’s lurid stories aside from the thrill-seeking Dr. Channard. Kirsty is undeterred and, with the help of a fellow patient, heads to Hell for a rescue.

   Why it connects

   • strong genre and movie-style overlap

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3. 

   03

   Chinatown

   Shared cast

   1974 · 130 min · Crime · Mystery · Thriller

   Read synopsis

   Private eye Jake Gittes lives off of the murky moral climate of sunbaked, pre-World War II Southern California. Hired by a beautiful socialite to investigate her husband's extra-marital affair, Gittes is swept into a maelstrom of double dealings and deadly deceits, uncovering a web of personal and political scandals that come crashing together.

   Why it connects

   • a principal cast member
   • similar audience response

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4. 

   04

   The Howling

   Genre overlap

   1981 · 91 min · Horror

   Read synopsis

   After a bizarre and near fatal encounter with a serial killer, a newswoman is sent to a rehabilitation center whose inhabitants may not be what they seem.

   Why it connects

   • substantial genre overlap
   • a closely matched era

   Explore movies like The Howling
5. 

   05

   Scanners

   Shared themes

   1981 · 103 min · Horror · Science Fiction

   Read synopsis

   A scientist trains a man with an advanced telepathic ability called 'scanning' to stop a dangerous Scanner with extraordinary psychic powers from waging war against non-Scanners.

   Why it connects

   • shared themes: psychic power and telepathy
   • a closely matched era

   Explore movies like Scanners
6. 

   06

   Psycho

   Similar atmosphere

   1960 · 109 min · Horror · Mystery · Thriller

   Read synopsis

   When larcenous real estate clerk Marion Crane goes on the lam with a wad of cash and hopes of starting a new life, she ends up at the notorious Bates Motel, where manager Norman Bates cares for his housebound mother.

   Why it connects

   • strong shared themes: hotel and mother son relationship
   • strong genre and movie-style overlap
   • similar audience response

   Explore movies like Psycho
7. 

   07

   The Return of the Living Dead

   Strong movie match

   1985 · 91 min · Comedy · Horror · Science Fiction

   Read synopsis

   Two employees at a medical supply warehouse accidentally release a toxic gas from a misplaced top-secret U.S. Army shipment, causing the dead to rise from a nearby cemetery with an insatiable hunger for human brains.

   Why it connects

   • strong recommendation signals

   Explore movies like The Return of the Living Dead
8. 

   08

   Saw

   Similar atmosphere

   2004 · 103 min · Crime · Horror · Mystery

   Read synopsis

   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 a chilling voice and cryptic instructions, Jigsaw informs them that they must partake in a gruesome game in order to secure their freedom.

   Why it connects

   • shared psychological thriller movie style

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9. 

   09

   Pet Sematary II

   Genre overlap

   1992 · 100 min · Horror

   Read synopsis

   The "sematary" is up to its old zombie-raising tricks again. This time, the protagonists are Jeff Matthews, whose mother died in a Hollywood stage accident, and Drew Gilbert, a boy coping with an abusive stepfather.

   Why it connects

   • substantial genre overlap

   Explore movies like Pet Sematary II
10. 

    10

    Happiness

    Shared themes

    1998 · 140 min · Comedy · Drama

    Read synopsis

    The lives of several individuals intertwine as they go about their lives in their own unique ways, engaging in acts which society as a whole might find disturbing in a desperate search for human connection.

    Why it connects

    • shared themes: disturbed and loneliness

    Explore movies like Happiness