Best movies like The Butterfly Effect
Last updated March 2024
Looking for movies similar to The Butterfly Effect? Share your familiarity to navigate others find suitable films and tv shows you've viewed already. Assist in growing the community that suggests videos to each other. We appreciate your contribution!
Plot Summary:
A young man struggles to access sublimated childhood memories. He finds a technique that allows him to travel back into the past, to occupy his childhood body and change history. However, he soon finds that every change he makes has unexpected consequences.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 514000
Genere: Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: psychological, mind bending, philosophical, suspense, non-linear, dramatic, reflective, intellectual, intense, surprise ending
Best tv shows and movies like The Butterfly Effect (2004):
Similar in 88%
The Butterfly Effect 2 (2006)
Plot Summary:
After his girlfriend, Julie and two best friends are killed in a tragic auto accident, Nick struggles to cope with his loss and grief. Suffering from migraine-like seizures, Nick soon discovers that he has the power to change the past via his memories. However, his time-traveling attempts to alter the past and save his one true love have unexpected and dire consequences.
IMDB Rating: 4.5
IMDB Votes: 37000
Genere: Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: mind bending, suspense, serious, suspenseful, erotic, mindfuck, thought provoking, absurd, psychological thriller, psychedelic
Similar in 88%
The Butterfly Effect 3: Revelations (2009)
Plot Summary:
The story revolves around a man trying to uncover the mysterious death of his girlfriend and save an innocent man from the death chamber in the process, by using his unique power to time travel. However in attempting to do this, he also frees a spiteful serial-killer.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 21000
Genere: Crime, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: mind bending, suspense, mindfuck, intense, psychological thriller, talky, dark, slasher, unpredictable, surprise ending
Similar in 86%
Frequency (2000)
Plot Summary:
When a rare phenomenon gives police officer John Sullivan the chance to speak to his father, 30 years in the past, he takes the opportunity to prevent his dad's tragic death. After his actions inadvertently give rise to a series of brutal murders he and his father must find a way to fix the consequences of altering time.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 114000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: psychological, feel good, suspense, serious, suspenseful, touching, atmospheric, sentimental, mind bending, clever
Similar in 82%
ARQ (2016)
Plot Summary:
Two old friends living in a dystopic future become trapped in a mysterious time loop — one that may have something to do with an ongoing battle between an omnipotent corporation and a ragtag band of rebels.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 41000
Genere: Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: tense, enigmatic, psychological, twist ending, suspense, futuristic, confusing, cerebral, exciting, mind bending
Similar in 83%
Timecrimes (2007)
Plot Summary:
A man accidentally gets into a time machine and travels back in time nearly an hour. Finding himself will be the first of a series of disasters of unforeseeable consequences.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 68000
Genere: Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Spain
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: twist ending, enigmatic, suspense, suspenseful, psychological, cerebral, mindfuck, tricky, confusing, mind twisting
Similar in 79%
Predestination (2014)
Plot Summary:
Predestination chronicles the life of a Temporal Agent sent on an intricate series of time-travel journeys designed to prevent future killers from committing their crimes. Now, on his final assignment, the Agent must stop the one criminal that has eluded him throughout time and prevent a devastating attack in which thousands of lives will be lost.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 298000
Genere: Action, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Australia, USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: surprise ending, clever, confusing, twist ending, philosophical, mind bending, thought provoking, stylized, mind blowing, cerebral
Similar in 77%
Flashforward (2009)
Plot Summary:
When the entire world blacks out for two minutes and seventeen seconds, everyone sees a flash of their own future 6 months from the present. For some, the future is hopeful, while for others, it is unexpected. For a few, it doesn't seem to exist. Knowing their fate will alter each person's life, destinies will be changed.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 62000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 42 min
Plot tags: mind bending, suspenseful, stylized, surreal, apocalyptic, tense, thought provoking, captivating, futuristic, cliffhanger
Similar in 82%
The Adjustment Bureau (2011)
Plot Summary:
A man glimpses the future Fate has planned for him – and chooses to fight for his own destiny. Battling the powerful Adjustment Bureau across, under and through the streets of New York, he risks his destined greatness to be with the only woman he's ever loved.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 268000
Genere: Crime, Mystery, Romance, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: mind bending, romantic, philosophical, suspense, surreal, psychological, cerebral, thought provoking, suspenseful, clever
Similar in 87%
The Discovery (2017)
Plot Summary:
In the near future, due to a breakthrough scientific discovery by Dr. Thomas Harbor, there is now definitive proof of an afterlife. While countless people have chosen suicide to reset their existence, others try to decide what it all means. Among them is Dr. Harbor's son Will, who has arrived at his father's isolated compound with a mysterious young woman named Isla. There, they discover the strange acolytes who help Dr. Harbor with his experiments.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 37000
Genere: Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: enigmatic, psychological, philosophical, non-linear, intellectual, dark, melancholic, stylized, depressing, bleak
Similar in 75%
The Jacket (2005)
Plot Summary:
A military veteran goes on a journey into the future, where he can foresee his death and is left with questions that could save his life and those he loves.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 118000
Genere: Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Germany, USA
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: psychological, surreal, enigmatic, mind bending, tricky, cerebral, suspense, mindfuck, twist ending, confusing
Similar in 78%
Time Lapse (2014)
Plot Summary:
Three friends discover a mysterious machine that takes pictures 24 hours into the future and conspire to use it for personal gain, until disturbing and dangerous images begin to develop.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 48000
Genere: Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: twist ending, psychological, tense, intellectual, suspense, cerebral, clever, confusing, mindfuck, enigmatic
Similar in 78%
Mr. Nobody (2009)
Plot Summary:
Nemo Nobody leads an ordinary existence with his wife and 3 children; one day, he wakes up as a mortal centenarian in the year 2092.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 243000
Genere: Drama, Fantasy, Romance, Sci-Fi
Country: Belgium, Germany, Canada, France, UK, Luxembourg, USA
Duration: 141 min
Plot tags: psychological, surreal, philosophical, mind bending, thought provoking, confusing, cerebral, mind blowing, reflective, offbeat
Similar in 90%
Cloud Atlas (2012)
Plot Summary:
A set of six nested stories spanning time between the 19th century and a distant post-apocalyptic future. Cloud Atlas explores how the actions and consequences of individual lives impact one another throughout the past, the present and the future. Action, mystery and romance weave through the story as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero and a single act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution in the distant future. Based on the award winning novel by David Mitchell. Directed by Tom Tykwer and the Wachowskis.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 371000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA, Germany, Hong Kong, Singapore, China, UK, Spain
Duration: 172 min
Plot tags: thought provoking, psychological, futuristic, mind bending, surreal, spiritual, enigmatic, non-linear, atmospheric, reflective
Similar in 76%
Project Almanac (2015)
Plot Summary:
A group of teens discover secret plans of a time machine, and construct one. However, things start to get out of control.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 83000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: exciting, suspense, futuristic, absurd, clever, tricky, serious, suspenseful, mind bending, cerebral
Similar in 82%
Deja Vu (2006)
Plot Summary:
Called in to recover evidence in the aftermath of a horrific explosion on a New Orleans ferry, Federal agent Doug Carlin gets pulled away from the scene and taken to a top-secret government lab that uses a time-shifting surveillance device to help prevent crime.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 324000
Genere: Action, Crime, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 126 min
Plot tags: exciting, suspenseful, tricky, twisted, suspense, confusing, psychological thriller, clever, surprise ending, mindfuck
Similar in 80%
Primer (2004)
Plot Summary:
Friends and fledgling entrepreneurs invent a device in their garage which reduces the apparent mass of any object placed inside it, but they discover that it has some highly unexpected capabilities - ones that could enable them to do and to have seemingly anything they want. Taking advantage of this unique opportunity is the first challenge they face. Dealing with the consequences is the next.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 113000
Genere: Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 77 min
Plot tags: psychological, philosophical, surreal, independent film, mind bending, confusing, thought provoking, enigmatic, clever, mindfuck
Similar in 85%
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Plot Summary:
Joel Barish, heartbroken that his girlfriend underwent a procedure to erase him from her memory, decides to do the same. However, as he watches his memories of her fade away, he realises that he still loves her, and may be too late to correct his mistake.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 11000000
Genere: Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: psychological, surreal, melancholic, romantic, mind bending, sentimental, philosophical, cerebral, psychedelic, clever
Similar in 76%
Source Code (2011)
Plot Summary:
Decorated soldier Captain Colter Stevens wakes up in the body of an unknown man, discovering he's involved in a mission to find the bomber of a Chicago commuter train. He learns he's part of a top-secret experimental program that enables him to experience the final 8 minutes of another person's life. Colter re-lives the train incident over and over again, gathering more clues each time. But can he discover who is responsible for the attack before the next one happens?.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 542000
Genere: Action, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA, Canada, France, Germany
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: suspense, surprise ending, clever, mind bending, thought provoking, suspenseful, captivating, cerebral, tricky, mindfuck
Similar in 77%
Coherence (2013)
Plot Summary:
On the night a comet is passing near Earth, eight friends at a dinner party experience a troubling chain of reality bending events. When the power goes out, they discover that the only house on the street left with power also holds many secrets.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 142000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: mind bending, psychological, mind blowing, suspenseful, tense, confusing, mindfuck, suspense, serious, intellectual
Similar in 86%
Donnie Darko (2001)
Plot Summary:
After narrowly escaping a bizarre accident, a troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a large bunny rabbit that manipulates him to commit a series of crimes.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 837000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: psychological, surreal, atmospheric, mind bending, philosophical, cult classic, clever, psychological thriller, cerebral, independent film
Similar in 77%
Vanilla Sky (2001)
Plot Summary:
David Aames has it all: wealth, good looks and gorgeous women on his arm. But just as he begins falling for the warmhearted Sofia, his face is horribly disfigured in a car accident. That's just the beginning of his troubles as the lines between illusion and reality, between life and death, are blurred.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 282000
Genere: Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA, Spain
Duration: 136 min
Plot tags: psychological, surreal, philosophical, enigmatic, twist ending, mind bending, non-linear, confusing, psychological thriller, artsy
Similar in 80%
Memento (2000)
Plot Summary:
Suffering short-term memory loss after a head injury, Leonard Shelby embarks on a grim quest to find the lowlife who murdered his wife in this gritty, complex thriller that packs more knots than a hangman's noose. To carry out his plan, Shelby snaps Polaroids of people and places, jotting down contextual notes on the backs of photos to aid in his search and jog his memory. He even tattoos his own body in a desperate bid to remember.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 13000000
Genere: Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: psychological, surprise ending, twist ending, suspense, neo noir, psychological thriller, non-linear, confusing, tense, philosophical
Similar in 77%
The Sixth Sense (1999)
Plot Summary:
A psychological thriller about an eight year old boy named Cole Sear who believes he can see into the world of the dead. A child psychologist named Malcolm Crowe comes to Cole to help him deal with his problem, learning that he really can see ghosts of dead people.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 10000000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: psychological, surprise ending, twist ending, suspense, suspenseful, atmospheric, psychological thriller, mind bending, touching, tense
Similar in 81%
Twelve Monkeys (1995)
Plot Summary:
In the year 2035, convict James Cole reluctantly volunteers to be sent back in time to discover the origin of a deadly virus that wiped out nearly all of the earth's population and forced the survivors into underground communities. But when Cole is mistakenly sent to 1990 instead of 1996, he's arrested and locked up in a mental hospital. There he meets psychiatrist Dr. Kathryn Railly, and patient Jeffrey Goines, the son of a famous virus expert, who may hold the key to the mysterious rogue group, the Army of the 12 Monkeys, thought to be responsible for unleashing the killer disease.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 639000
Genere: Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 129 min
Plot tags: psychological, surreal, twist ending, atmospheric, cerebral, non-linear, mind bending, apocalyptic, confusing, twisted
Similar in 84%
The Thirteenth Floor (1999)
Plot Summary:
Computer scientist Hannon Fuller has discovered something extremely important. He's about to tell the discovery to his colleague, Douglas Hall, but knowing someone is after him, the old man leaves a letter in his computer generated parallel world that's just like the 30's with seemingly real people with real emotions.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 76000
Genere: Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA, Germany
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: mind bending, intellectual, twist ending, neo noir, atmospheric, psychedelic, philosophical, confusing, mind blowing, clever
Similar in 78%
Looper (2012)
Plot Summary:
In the futuristic action thriller Looper, time travel will be invented but it will be illegal and only available on the black market. When the mob wants to get rid of someone, they will send their target 30 years into the past where a looper, a hired gun, like Joe is waiting to mop up. Joe is getting rich and life is good until the day the mob decides to close the loop, sending back Joe's future self for assassination.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 596000
Genere: Action, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA, China
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: futuristic, clever, thought provoking, mind bending, exciting, neo noir, tense, confusing, cerebral, suspenseful
Similar in 83%
K-PAX (2001)
Plot Summary:
Prot is a patient at a mental hospital who claims to be from a far away Planet. His psychiatrist tries to help him, only to begin to doubt his own explanations.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 191000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Country: USA, Germany
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: psychological, touching, cerebral, sentimental, surprise ending, futuristic, philosophical, atmospheric, clever, mind twisting
Similar in 80%
The Prestige (2006)
Plot Summary:
A mysterious story of two magicians whose intense rivalry leads them on a life-long battle for supremacy -- full of obsession, deceit and jealousy with dangerous and deadly consequences.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 14000000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 130 min
Plot tags: surprise ending, twist ending, clever, atmospheric, psychological, mind bending, intellectual, enigmatic, confusing, tense
Similar in 86%
Shutter Island (2010)
Plot Summary:
World War II soldier-turned-U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels investigates the disappearance of a patient from a hospital for the criminally insane, but his efforts are compromised by his troubling visions and also by a mysterious doctor.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 14000000
Genere: Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 138 min
Plot tags: psychological, surprise ending, twist ending, suspense, confusing, dark, atmospheric, suspenseful, cerebral, neo noir
Similar in 79%
Inception (2010)
Plot Summary:
Cobb, a skilled thief who commits corporate espionage by infiltrating the subconscious of his targets is offered a chance to regain his old life as payment for a task considered to be impossible: "inception", the implantation of another person's idea into a target's subconscious.
IMDB Rating: 8.8
IMDB Votes: 25000000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 148 min
Plot tags: psychological, mind bending, clever, cerebral, surreal, twist ending, futuristic, confusing, suspense, philosophical