Best movies like Forbidden Empire
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Early 18th century. Cartographer Jonathan Green undertakes a scientific voyage from Europe to the East. Having passed through Transylvania and crossed the Carpathian Mountains, he finds himself in a small village lost in impassible woods. Nothing but chance and heavy fog could bring him to this cursed place. People who live here do not resemble any other people which the traveler saw before that. The villagers, having dug a deep moat to fend themselves from the rest of the world, share a naive belief that they could save themselves from evil, failing to understand that evil has made its nest in their souls and is waiting for an opportunity to gush out upon the world.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Adventure, Fantasy, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Russia, Ukraine, Czech Republic
Duration: 130 min
Plot tags: dark fantasy, mystic, suspenseful, bleak, atmospheric, fairy tale, gothic, suspense, exciting, serious
Best tv shows and movies like Forbidden Empire (2014):
Similar in 78%
Gogol. Viy (2018)
Plot Summary:
A mysterious Dark Horseman slays young girls near the village of Dikanka, and he has already butchered 11 ladies. Nikolai Gogol, a scribe from Saint Petersburg has to take charge of the investigation, but the closer he gets to solving the case, the more fits he has, causing macabre visions. When he learns the next victim is his beloved, Liza, he doubts that he can protect her and resist the murderer. Fortunately, he meets somebody who can help him: Khoma Brut, the witch hunter, martial artist and philosopher. Together they spend three dreadful nights in an old chapel reading the funeral service for Ulyana, the witch, and calling upon the ghastly evil spirit Viy.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Russia
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: dark fantasy, disturbing, suspenseful, bleak
Similar in 89%
Gogol. A Terrible Vengeance (2018)
Plot Summary:
Soon after Gogol's death, Binh names him guilty for the deaths of the Cossacks and the young women at the hands of the Dark Horseman, since he was the one who ordered them to be hidden in the barn. Bomgart is unable to perform a post-mortem analysis on the Gogol's body, while Vakula's daughter Vasilina (who secretly has magic abilities) proclaims denial about Gogol's demise.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Adventure, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Russia
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: dark fantasy, bleak, bloody, suspense, surprise ending
Similar in 87%
The Incantation (2018)
Plot Summary:
A young American girl has a chance of a lifetime to visit her ancestors castle in the south of France, only to find that her family is hiding deep, dark secrets about their nefarious past, far away from prying eyes.
IMDB Rating: 3.2
IMDB Votes: 518
Genere: Adventure, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: satanic, scary, suspenseful, bleak, suspense
Similar in 75%
Night of the Devils (1972)
Plot Summary:
Night of the Devils is an Italian vampire thriller with a remarkably good pedigree. The script is based on The Wurdalak, a short story by A.K. Tolstoy. The central character is the patriarch of a wealthy family who fears that he will show up one day in vampire form. Should this happen, he warns his family not to let him back in his house, no matter how much he begs.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Italy, Spain
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: gothic, atmospheric, suspense, gothic horror, scary, serious, suspenseful
Similar in 88%
Aladdin and the Death Lamp (2012)
Plot Summary:
Aladdin the adventurer and his friend Ali accidentally uncover a lamp that contains a genie. But unlike the story we know, this genie does not grant three wonderful wishes. This genie destroys everything in its way by turning the keeper’s thoughts into living nightmares. After witnessing the death of his fellow adventurers when the genie is released, Aladdin and surviving friend Ali turn to the village elder to uncover the history of the lamp, only to find the evil Shahir has been following them, hoping to take hold of the lamp and fulfill his own diabolical plans to have unlimited power. destroy their friend along with the ring.
IMDB Rating: 3.1
IMDB Votes: 618
Genere: Adventure, Fantasy, Horror
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, disturbing, light, melancholic
Similar in 90%
The Hobgoblin (1990)
Plot Summary:
Once upon a time a god gave a mighty sword to the king of Aquiles to bring justice to his people. Now he wants it back - but the king rather gives his life than the sword. Goddess Dehamira, who spoke for him, is being taken all her privileges and banned in a circle of fire, until a human arrives who's strong enough to free her. When prince Ator becomes 18, he gets the sword from the mean sorcerer gnome Grindl, to free Dehamira and his people. On his journey he has to fight against dragons and other fantastic figures.
IMDB Rating: 2.7
IMDB Votes: 904
Genere: Adventure, Fantasy
Country: Italy
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, suspenseful, cult film
Similar in 89%
Ruslan and Ludmila (1972)
Plot Summary:
The film is based on the great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin’s poem of the same name, which happens to be one of the most poetic and beautiful Russian fairy tales. In the midst of the wedding party of Prince Ruslan and Ludmila, daughter of a Kievan Prince, the girl was kidnapped by the evil sorcerer Chernomor. Ludmila’s father summoned for help all the mighty warriors and heroes he knew in his princedom. But only Ruslan, after a fierce fight, succeeded in winning over Chernomor by cutting off the dwarf’s beard wherein his strength lay. Beautifully costumed, the film abounds in excellently staged stunts and masterfully photographed battle scenes.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 470
Genere: Adventure, Fantasy, Mystery
Country: Soviet Union
Duration: 150 min
Plot tags: fairy tale, exciting, captivating, folk tale, epic, serious
Similar in 83%
Witchville (2010)
Plot Summary:
When Prince Malachy returns to his father’s kingdom after the Crusades his first impression is that a bad harvest is the reason that the villagers are sick and hungry. But all is not as it seems and a stranger to the village, warns the new king that a dark force is the cause of their ills.
IMDB Rating: 3.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Adventure, Fantasy
Country: USA, China
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, suspenseful, tense, captivating, rough, epic, stylized, hood
Similar in 82%
Arthur the King (1983)
Plot Summary:
Classic tale of King Arthur and how his wife is kidnapped by his evil sister. Lancelot is sent out to try and retrieve the lost queen and unfortunately falls in love with her. Forbidden love, revenge, family rivalry, and magic are all prominent themes.
IMDB Rating: 4.2
IMDB Votes: 443
Genere: Adventure, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance
Country: USA, Yugoslavia
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: fairy tale, arthurian, exciting, semi serious
Similar in 90%
Mystics in Bali (1981)
Plot Summary:
Researching a book that takes her to Bali and the black magic cult of Leák, Cathy meets an evil witch which promises to train her in the dark arts. Tricked, Cathy is turned into a Penanggalan; a flying vampire with internal organs hanging from her neck. It is now up to the local holy men who are then enforced to do battle with the forces of evil.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Fantasy, Horror, Thriller
Country: Indonesia
Duration: 116 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, suspenseful, scary, surreal, cult classic, psychotronic, slasher, disturbing, controversial, dark comedy
Similar in 82%
Dark Woods (2003)
Plot Summary:
The crew of the TV show "Real TV" with controlling boss Gunnar on the front line will soon begin production of a reality show for which participants are selected to survive in the wilderness. Gunnar has gathered a production team of four people: The friends Lasse and Per , the Swedish girl Elin and the new girl Sara. To test his new employees, Gunnar takes them to a log cabin where he used to spend summers as a kid. The cabin is located far away from civilisation, hidden in the dark, mysterious woods. The team has to make it through a weekend, finding food that nature has to offer, and neither cellular phones nor cigarettes are allowed. When Lasse and Per find a dead body in a lake near the cottage, the group is being tested. Gunnar is suggesting that they should continue the weekend without mentioning anything to Sara and Elin about what they found. But soon the team experiences some escalating incidents which lead to paranoia, accusations and mistrust.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Adventure, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Norway
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: scary, suspense, suspenseful, rough, disturbing, splatter, creepy, cult classic, cult horror, serious
Similar in 88%
Merlin and the Book of Beasts (2009)
Plot Summary:
In the twenty years since the fall of Camelot, Merlin has become a recluse known as "the wild man of the woods." He is now summoned by a charge of young knights as they quest to destroy an evil wizard who rules the land from a throne of a "New Camelot.".
IMDB Rating: 3.7
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Fantasy, Thriller
Country: Canada
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: exciting, captivating, arthurian, tense, suspense, atmospheric, offbeat, stylized, semi serious
Similar in 77%
Night Watch (2004)
Plot Summary:
Among normal humans live the "Others" possessing various supernatural powers. They are divided up into the forces of light and the forces of the dark, who signed a truce several centuries ago to end a devastating battle. Ever since, the forces of light govern the day while the night belongs to their dark opponents. In modern day Moscow the dark Others actually roam the night as vampires while a "Night Watch" of light forces, among them Anton, the movie's protagonist, try to control them and limit their outrage.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 55000
Genere: Action, Fantasy, Horror, Thriller
Country: Russia
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, dark fantasy, atmospheric, dark, exciting, stylized, bleak, absurd, serious, confusing
Similar in 82%
Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000)
Plot Summary:
Young adults become fascinated by the events of the three missing filmmakers in Maryland, so they decide to go into the same woods and find out what really happened.
IMDB Rating: 4.0
IMDB Votes: 40000
Genere: Adventure, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: suspense, bleak, scary, slasher, suspenseful, psychological, stylized, demonic, splatter, creepy
Similar in 83%
Tales of an Ancient Empire (2010)
Plot Summary:
A princess is on a quest to unite the five greatest warriors to save her kingdom from a demon sorceress.
IMDB Rating: 2.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Adventure
Country: USA
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: serious, suspenseful, captivating, exciting, tense, suspense, cult classic, bleak
Similar in 88%
Attack of the Gryphon (2007)
Plot Summary:
In a mystical land torn apart by civil war, a warrior princess must team up with a rival warrior prince to hunt down an evil sorcerer who has summoned a giant flying demon which is terrorizing their land.
IMDB Rating: 3.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Country: USA, Romania
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: exciting, epic, serious
Similar in 84%
Dungeons & Dragons: The Book of Vile Darkness (2012)
Plot Summary:
A noble warrior must battle dragons and demons while upholding his moral code as he covertly joins a group of villains to rescue his kidnapped father from Shathrax, the Mind Flayer, who threatens to destroy the world.
IMDB Rating: 4.4
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Country: UK, Bulgaria
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, psychotronic, scenic, anime, fantasy adventure, perverse, cult classic
Similar in 85%
The Hexer (2001)
Plot Summary:
The TV series and the film were loosely based on Andrzej Sapkowski's book series The Witcher (Wiedźmin).
IMDB Rating: 3.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Adventure, Fantasy
Country: Poland
Duration: 130 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, suspenseful, stylized, offbeat
Similar in 85%
Revelation (2001)
Plot Summary:
Since A.D. 50, a mysterious sacred artifact known as the Loculus has been at the center of a bloody clandestine war. Missing for a few hundred years, the puzzling relic has suddenly reappeared in the present day, bringing with it a terrible secret that could spell doom for all of mankind. Now it's up to Magnus Martel (Terence Stamp) to subvert a murderous secret society and uncover the truth behind the ancient treasure.
IMDB Rating: 4.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: tense, serious, suspenseful, psychological, suspense, spiritual, esoteric, mystical, psychotronic
Similar in 78%
Wolfhound (2006)
Plot Summary:
He was doomed to die, but managed to survive, and now his mission is to revenge for the annihilation of his tribe. He is the great warrior who calls himself Volkodav, and is the last man from the tribe of Serie Psi (Grey Hounds). After escaping certain death, Volkodaw — accompanied by Neletuchaya Mysh — is on a mission to kill Ludoed who is responsible to what happened to Serie Psi.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Country: Russia
Duration: 136 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, serious, exciting, stylized, action adventure, fairy tale, dark fantasy, epic, suspenseful
Similar in 88%
Viy (1967)
Plot Summary:
A young priest is ordered to preside over the wake of a witch in the church of a remote village. This means spending three nights alone with the corpse with only his faith to protect him.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Country: Soviet Union
Duration: 77 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, scary, dark fantasy, serious, stylized, gothic, bleak, suspense, surreal, gothic horror
Similar in 83%
Red Riding Hood (2011)
Plot Summary:
Valerie is in love with a brooding outsider, Peter, but her parents have arranged for her to marry another man – who is wealthy. Unwilling to lose each other, Valerie and Peter plan to run away together when they learn that Valerie's older sister has been killed by a werewolf that prowls the dark forest surrounding their village. Hungry for revenge, the people call on famed werewolf hunter, Father Solomon, to help them kill the wolf. But Solomon's arrival brings unintended consequences as he warns that the wolf, who takes human form by day, could be any one of them.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 115000
Genere: Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Romance, Thriller
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: fairy tale, gothic, dark fantasy, suspenseful, gothic horror, surprise ending, scary, romantic, suspense, stylized
Similar in 89%
Sleepy Hollow (2013)
Plot Summary:
Ichabod Crane is resurrected and pulled two and a half centuries through time to unravel a mystery that dates all the way back to the founding fathers.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 64000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Crime, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: gothic, scary, atmospheric, serious, detective, bloody, exciting, suspense, offbeat, dread
Similar in 83%
The Covenant (2006)
Plot Summary:
Four young men who belong to a supernatural legacy are forced to battle a fifth power long thought to have died out. Another great force they must contend with is the jealousy and suspicion that threatens to tear them apart.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 52000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: gothic, atmospheric, teen, fairy tale, exciting, suspense, dark, serious, scary, satanic
Similar in 89%
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Plot Summary:
Ignoring threats to his life, Harry returns to Hogwarts to investigate – aided by Ron and Hermione – a mysterious series of attacks.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 677000
Genere: Adventure, Family, Fantasy, Mystery
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 161 min
Plot tags: fairy tale, entertaining, exciting, dark fantasy, suspense, saga, scenic, stylized, action packed, teen
Similar in 76%
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Plot Summary:
Harry, Ron and Hermione return to Hogwarts for another magic-filled year. Harry comes face to face with danger yet again, this time in the form of escaped convict, Sirius Black – and turns to sympathetic Professor Lupin for help.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 676000
Genere: Adventure, Family, Fantasy, Mystery
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 142 min
Plot tags: gothic, fairy tale, dark fantasy, entertaining, atmospheric, exciting, saga, stylized, serious, visually appealing
Similar in 89%
Van Helsing (2004)
Plot Summary:
Famed monster slayer Gabriel Van Helsing is dispatched to Transylvania to assist the last of the Valerious bloodline in defeating Count Dracula. Anna Valerious reveals that Dracula has formed an unholy alliance with Dr. Frankenstein's monster and is hell-bent on exacting a centuries-old curse on her family.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 281000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Thriller
Country: USA, Czech Republic
Duration: 131 min
Plot tags: gothic, dark fantasy, exciting, scary, suspenseful, fairy tale, gothic horror, entertaining, serious, stylized
Similar in 80%
SAGA: Curse of the Shadow (2013)
Plot Summary:
A secret cabal, The Shadow, works to bring about the return of Goth Azul - the Undead God - in the rich world of SAGA, populated by elves, orcs, dwarves and dragons. A ruthless elven bounty huntress (Nemyt) shoots down the dragon ridden by the fugitive orc shaman, Fangtor Bloodmoon. When Fangtor refuses to surrender quietly, the huntress must battle for her own life against the dangerous villain, and comes away with more than just his head.
IMDB Rating: 4.9
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Country: USA
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, suspenseful, stylized, independent film
Similar in 83%
Seventh Son (2014)
Plot Summary:
John Gregory, who is a seventh son of a seventh son and also the local spook, has protected the country from witches, boggarts, ghouls and all manner of things that go bump in the night. However John is not young anymore, and has been seeking an apprentice to carry on his trade. Most have failed to survive. The last hope is a young farmer's son named Thomas Ward. Will he survive the training to become the spook that so many others couldn't?.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 80000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Country: USA, UK, Canada, China
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: dark fantasy, exciting, fairy tale, epic, absurd, scenic, stylized, satanic, teen, dark comedy
Similar in 80%
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)
Plot Summary:
Harry, Ron and Hermione walk away from their last year at Hogwarts to find and destroy the remaining Horcruxes, putting an end to Voldemort's bid for immortality. But with Harry's beloved Dumbledore dead and Voldemort's unscrupulous Death Eaters on the loose, the world is more dangerous than ever.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 585000
Genere: Adventure, Family, Fantasy, Mystery
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 146 min
Plot tags: dark fantasy, epic, scenic, saga, suspenseful, fairy tale, action packed, teen, sad, fantasy adventure