Best movies like Ghosts... of the Civil Dead
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
The inmates and guards of a modern, clean and efficient maximum security wing are slowly and increasingly brutalized until they erupt in violence. Dark and macabre, and based in truth, the story is told in a traditional dramatic style combined with telephone interviews and narration.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: Australia
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: disturbing, sad, cult classic, independent film, rough, thought provoking, bleak, serious, realistic, art house
Best tv shows and movies like Ghosts... of the Civil Dead (1988):
Similar in 82%
The Boys (1998)
Plot Summary:
Brett Sprague is a violent and psychopathic man, who is released on parole after serving a sentence for assault. As he returns to his family house and we watch him and his brothers, Stevie and Glenn, for the next 24 hours, it becomes clear this day will not end well.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: Australia
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: disturbing, grindhouse, independent film, psychological, tense, serious, realistic, suspenseful, rough, thought provoking
Similar in 87%
Lion's Den (2008)
Plot Summary:
Julia, a 25 year-old university student, two weeks pregnant, with no criminal record, is sent to prison. Julia murdered the father of her child. This story addresses maternity, jail and Justice; confinement, guilt and solitude; but above all it deals with Julia and her son, Tomas, born inside an Argentinean prison.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: Argentina, South Korea, Brazil, Spain
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: touching, rough, uplifting, serious, bleak, realistic, gloomy, disgusting
Similar in 77%
Toxic Love (1983)
Plot Summary:
The alienating and repetitive life of a group of heroin junkies in the 1980s Rome.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: Italy
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: rough, bleak, serious, realistic, gloomy, black comedy, dark comedy
Similar in 90%
Prisoner: Cell Block H (1979)
Plot Summary:
Prisoner is an Australian soap opera that is set in the Wentworth Detention Centre, a fictional women's prison. In the United States and United Kingdom it was billed as Prisoner: Cell Block H, and in Canada as Caged Women. The series was produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation in Australia, and aired on Network Ten, running 692 episodes from 27 February 1979 to 11 December 1986, after originally only devised as a 16 part mini-series. The series was inspired by British television drama Within These Walls, which had achieved moderate success in Australia. Prisoner producers even approached Googie Withers of Within These Walls to play the role of Prisoner's governor, an offer that she declined. Because of an injunction brought by UK-based ATV, which considered the title too similar to their own series, The Prisoner, it was originally not possible for overseas broadcasters to screen the show under the Prisoner title, which necessitated a name change. In March 2012, it was announced that the series would be "reimagined" on Foxtel in a new version entitled Wentworth.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: Australia
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: rough, bleak, serious, realistic, suspenseful, disturbing, soap opera
Similar in 85%
The Free Will (2006)
Plot Summary:
After nine years in psychiatric detention Theo, who has brutally assaulted and raped three women, is released. Living in a supervised community, he connects well with his social worker Sascha, finds a job at a print shop and even a girlfriend, Nettie, his principal's brittle and estranged daughter. But even though superficially everything seems to work out Theo's seething rage remains ready to erupt.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: Germany
Duration: 163 min
Plot tags: bleak, psychological, sincere, rough, serious, realistic, depressing, disturbing, controversial, contemplative
Similar in 79%
Women's Prison (1988)
Plot Summary:
A young woman about to get married discovers all too late that her spouse has mafia connections, when violence breaks out during her wedding. Caught up in the crossfire Lynn gets arrested and thrown into a women's prison.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 98
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: rough, bleak, serious, captivating, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 87%
Civil Brand (2002)
Plot Summary:
Forced to work under slave-like conditions in a "prison for profit" program, the inmates of a mostly-African-American female prison, Whitehead Correctional, try to take over the institution. At the core of the story is Frances, who finds herself in prison after being falsely convicted of murder, and who is told that her baby has been murdered, sparking her to lead her fellow inmates in the protest.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 790
Genere: Drama, Thriller, Crime
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: tense, rough, bleak, disturbing, thought provoking, serious, realistic, suspenseful, hood, independent film
Similar in 80%
Screwed (2011)
Plot Summary:
The film is a semi-biographical story based on the experiences of former prison guard Ronnie Thompson who spent seven years working in some of the UK's most dangerous prisons. Based on Thompson's book of the same name, the project stars James D'Arcy (Master & Commander), Noel Clarke (Kidulthood), Frank Harper (The Football Factory), Jamie Foreman (Layer Cake), Andrew Shim (This Is England) and Kate Magowan (Stardust). The story revolves around former soldier Sam Norwood who takes a job as a prison officer when he returns from Iraq and becomes exposed to the underworld of prison culture - including corrupt guards and drug trafficking.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: rough, disturbing, tense, serious, sincere, bleak, captivating, emotional, realistic, cult film
Similar in 84%
The Deathmaker (1995)
Plot Summary:
Fritz Haarmann, who has killed at least 27 boys, is questioned by a psychology professor in order to find out whether he is sane and can be held responsible for his crimes. During this interrogation Haarmann reveals his motives and his killing methods.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: Germany
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: psychological, disturbing, serious, bleak, realistic, suspenseful, rough
Similar in 80%
Stoic (2009)
Plot Summary:
A heated game of poker causes three men incarcerated for nonviolent offenses to brutalize their cellmate before taking drastic measures in order to cover up their crime.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: Canada, Germany
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: disturbing, rough, realistic, suspenseful, psychological thriller, controversial, extreme horror, cerebral, independent film, bleak
Similar in 77%
Stranger Inside (2001)
Plot Summary:
A mother daughter reunion set in the harsh reality of a women's correctional facility.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 592
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: rough, thought provoking, emotional, disturbing, crime drama, independent film, bleak, serious, realistic, surprise ending
Similar in 87%
Execution of Justice (1999)
Plot Summary:
The story of an assassin who killed a mayor in the 1970's in what was known as the "Twinkie Defense".
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 274
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: thought provoking, serious, realistic, suspenseful, disturbing, controversial, surprise ending, queer cinema
Similar in 83%
Sins of the Father (2002)
Plot Summary:
In 1965 a bomb was planted in a Church in Alabama, killing four black girls. Thirty years later, Tom Cherry breaks his silence to discredit his father's alibi for the night in question.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 448
Genere: Drama, Crime
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: rough, emotional, realistic, disturbing, thought provoking, bleak, serious, captivating
Similar in 81%
Pixote (1980)
Plot Summary:
Pixote, a 10-year-old runaway boy, is arrested on the streets of Sao Paulo during a police round-up homeless people. Pixote endures torture, degradation and corruption at a local youth detention center where two of the runaways are murdered by policemen who frame Lilica, a 17-year-old transvesite hustler. Pixote helps Lilica and three other boys escape where they make their living by the life of crime which only escalates to more violence and death.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: Brazil
Duration: 128 min
Plot tags: disturbing, depressing, bleak, realistic, rough, atmospheric, serious, political, controversial, hood
Similar in 75%
Chopper (2000)
Plot Summary:
The true and intense story of Mark 'Chopper' Read, a legendary criminal who wrote his autobiography while serving a jail sentence in prison.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 41000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama
Country: Australia
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: disturbing, dark comedy, rough, cynical, brutal, dark, cult classic, stylized, black comedy, intellectual
Similar in 87%
Carandiru (2003)
Plot Summary:
Carandiru, a story based on real facts and on the book written by the doctor Drauzio Varella, starts when he decides to carry out an AIDS prevention program inside Latin America’s largest prison: the Casa de Detenção de São Paulo, Carandiru, the victim of one of the darkest days in Brazilian History, when the State of São Paulo’s Military Police, with the excuse for law enforcement, shot to death 111 people.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 21000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: Brazil, Argentina, Italy
Duration: 145 min
Plot tags: bleak, compassionate, rough, touching, captivating, realistic, sincere, disturbing, controversial, perverse
Similar in 90%
Starred Up (2013)
Plot Summary:
19-year-old Eric, arrogant and ultra-violent, is prematurely transferred to the same adult prison facility as his estranged father. As his explosive temper quickly finds him enemies in both prison authorities and fellow inmates — and his already volatile relationship with his father is pushed past breaking point — Eric is approached by a volunteer psychotherapist, who runs an anger management group for prisoners. Torn between gang politics, prison corruption, and a glimmer of something better, Eric finds himself in a fight for his own life, unsure if his own father is there to protect him or join in punishing him.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 48000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, serious, depressing, suspenseful, harsh, intense, captivating, rough, brutal
Similar in 87%
Sugar Boxx (2009)
Plot Summary:
Sugar State Women’s Prison. An Everglades hellhole where innocent girls are forced to slave in the swamps by day then turn tricks for the warden by night. A prison camp where corruption, brutality, and sexual abuse are all part of the daily routine. But when reporter Valerie March goes undercover inside Sugar State, that’s when the powder keg really explodes! Follow Valerie through prison life - catfights, knife fights, rape, whippings, prostitution, and the “hot box” - before she and her fellow inmates take bloody, unforgettable revenge on their captors. Inspired by the great women-in-prison films of the past, SUGAR BOXX takes everything one step further. SUGAR BOXX has it all.
IMDB Rating: 3.6
IMDB Votes: 358
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: realistic, suspense, psychological, captivating, retro, independent film, rough, suspenseful, semi serious, campy
Similar in 87%
R: Hit First, Hit Hardest (2010)
Plot Summary:
The R of the title stands for the young protagonist, Rune, fearlessly played by Pilou Asbæk. Imprisoned for violent assault, he's a cocky, good-looking young man placed in the hardcore ward, where his survival depends on quickly learning the prison's parallel world of rules, honor, and obligations. R also stands for Rachid, a young Muslim prisoner who becomes Rune's friend and accomplice, defying the rigid racial stratifications among the inmates.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: Denmark
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: tense, realistic, rough, captivating, disturbing, psychological, suspense, thought provoking, independent film, bleak
Similar in 81%
A Short Film About Killing (1988)
Plot Summary:
Jacek climbs into the taxi driven by Waldemar, tells him to drive to a remote location, then brutally strangles him, seemingly without motive.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 22000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: Poland
Duration: 84 min
Plot tags: disturbing, bleak, contemplative, social, psychological, psychological thriller, philosophical, offbeat, neo noir, sad
Similar in 87%
Blood In, Blood Out (1993)
Plot Summary:
Based on the true life experiences of poet Jimmy Santiago Baca, the film focuses on half-brothers Paco and Cruz, and their bi-racial cousin Miklo. It opens in 1972, as the three are members of an East L.A. gang known as the "Vatos Locos", and the story focuses on how a violent crime and the influence of narcotics alter their lives. Miklo is incarcerated and sent to San Quentin, where he makes a "home" for himself. Cruz becomes an exceptional artist, but a heroin addiction overcomes him with tragic results. Paco becomes a cop and an enemy to his "carnal", Miklo.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 33000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 180 min
Plot tags: intense, bad ending, entertaining, rough, serious, realistic, disturbing, cult classic, inspirational, retro
Similar in 78%
A Prophet (2009)
Plot Summary:
Sentenced to six years in prison, Malik El Djebena (Tahar Rahim) is alone in the world and can neither read nor write. On his arrival at the prison, he seems younger and more brittle than the others detained there. At once he falls under the sway of a group of Corsicans who enforce their rule in the prison. As the 'missions' go by, he toughens himself and wins the confidence of the Corsican group.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 101000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: France, Italy
Duration: 155 min
Plot tags: harsh, tense, bleak, rough, atmospheric, political, dramatic, psychological, breathtaking, realistic
Similar in 85%
Animal Factory (2000)
Plot Summary:
A young man goes to prison and a tough, older convict takes him under his wing as a mentor.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 14000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: tense, realistic, bleak, atmospheric, harsh, disturbing, intense, serious, rough, cult classic
Similar in 89%
Fuehrer Ex (2002)
Plot Summary:
Ingo Hasselbach, whose parents were Communist Party members in East Germany during his childhood, has lived at both ends of the political seesaw. The question of how people reach a change of heart is a profound one; Hasselbach describes the external forces that led to his founding Germany's first neo-Nazi political party and the internal ones that led him away from it five years later.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: Germany, France
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: serious, suspenseful, disturbing, tense, rough, bleak, realistic
Similar in 80%
Dog Pound (2010)
Plot Summary:
Three juvenile delinquents arrive at a correctional center and are put under the care of an experienced guard.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: France, Canada, UK
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: serious, sincere, tense, realistic, independent film, social, crime drama, sexy, disturbing, hood
Similar in 75%
Scum (1979)
Plot Summary:
This is the hard and shocking story of life in a British Borstal for young offenders. The brutal regime made no attempt to reform or improve the inmates and actively encouraged a power struggle between the 'tough' new inmate and the 'old hands'. The film was originally made as a BBC play but it was banned before ever being shown.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: disturbing, rough, tense, serious, controversial, offbeat, depressing, art house, grindhouse, cult classic
Similar in 89%
Black August (2007)
Plot Summary:
The last 14 months of George Jackson's life was an existence under subjective and objective conditions in California's industrial prison complex. George Jackson would spend 11 years in jail (7 of which were in solitary confinement) for a $70 gas station robbery crime in 1960. He was 18 years of age when the sentence of one year-to-life was handed down to him.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 302
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 116 min
Plot tags: rough, thought provoking, serious, realistic, political
Similar in 88%
Brubaker (1980)
Plot Summary:
The new warden of a small prison farm in Arkansas tries to clean it up of corruption after initially posing as an inmate.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 19000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 131 min
Plot tags: realistic, suspense, factual, harsh, serious, captivating, political, tense, psychological, edutainment
Similar in 89%
Dead Man Walking (1995)
Plot Summary:
A justice drama based on a true story about a man on death row who in his last days forms a strong relationship with a nun who teaches him forgiveness and gives him spirituality as she accompanies him to his execution.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 100000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 122 min
Plot tags: touching, psychological, thought provoking, sad, emotional, atmospheric, suspense, depressing, serious, realistic
Similar in 76%
American History X (1998)
Plot Summary:
Derek Vineyard is paroled after serving 3 years in prison for killing two thugs who tried to break into/steal his truck. Through his brother, Danny Vineyard's narration, we learn that before going to prison, Derek was a skinhead and the leader of a violent white supremacist gang that committed acts of racial crime throughout L.A. and his actions greatly influenced Danny. Reformed and fresh out of prison, Derek severs contact with the gang and becomes determined to keep Danny from going down the same violent path as he did.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 12000000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: emotional, dramatic, serious, rough, cerebral, psychological, tense, disturbing, black and white, political