Best movies like Perfect Blue
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
A retired pop singer turned actress' sense of reality is shaken when she is stalked by an obsessed fan and seemingly a ghost of her past.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 91000
Genere: Animation, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 81 min
Plot tags: surreal, suspense, adult animation, anime, suspenseful, scary, atmospheric, tense, realistic, disturbing
Best tv shows and movies like Perfect Blue (1997):
Similar in 77%
Ichi the Killer: Episode Zero (2002)
Plot Summary:
A masochistic mobster meets his match in the dark streets of Tokyo. His nemesis, Ichi, is a psychopathic killer with an unrelenting thirst for bloodshed. A horrifying secret burns in his mind, and his hands deal death without mercy. At last, the shrouds of mystery are parted to reveal the origin of the monster. The city will know its greatest fear at the unveiling of Ichi the Killer.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 812
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Horror
Country: Japan
Duration: 46 min
Plot tags: anime, adult anime, adult animation, disturbing, crying
Similar in 84%
Boogiepop Never Laughs: Boogiepop Phantom (2000)
Plot Summary:
Boogiepop Phantom is a twelve-episode anime television series produced by Madhouse Studios, based on the Boogiepop light novel series by Kouhei Kadono, particularly that of Boogiepop and Others and Boogiepop At Dawn. The series is directed by Takashi Watanabe, from a screenplay by Sadayuki Murai, with original character designs by novel illustrator Kouji Ogata, and sound direction by Yota Tsuruoka. The story takes place in an unnamed Japanese city, a month after a pillar of light appeared in the night sky and five years after a string of serial killings. Boogiepop Phantom follows an ensemble cast of characters, mostly high school students, who are witnesses to the incident and its consequences. At the time of the series, high school students have started to disappear again and the blame is placed on Boogiepop, an urban legend who is said to be the personification of Death. Each episode centers on different characters who sometimes have just a short involvement in the major events of the series. For this reason, many scenes are seen twice, from different perspectives, and some episodes are out of sequence, although there is a slow general time progression. An unusual visual style is employed wherein, for all but the last episode, a much reduced color palette is used in conjunction with a vignette effect. The sound design features many varied music genres from Gregorian to electronic, and even some sounds that appear to be unique to the show. Through the non-linear style of the series, the characters are used to develop the central themes of the series: Change, Escapism, Memory, and Relationships.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Animation, Drama, Horror, Mystery
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, scary, atmospheric, bleak, suspenseful, psychological horror, adult anime, seinen, detective, serious
Similar in 75%
Mind Game (2004)
Plot Summary:
The film follows Nishi, a loser who has a crush on his childhood girlfriend. After an encounter with the Japanese mafia, the film follows Nishi as he journeys to heaven and back, and ends up trapped in an even more unlikely place.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Mystery, Romance
Country: Japan
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: anime, surreal, atmospheric, stylized, psychedelic, touching, humorous, cerebral, mindfuck, adult animation
Similar in 87%
Lesson Faust (1994)
Plot Summary:
A very free adaptation of Marlowe's 'Doctor Faustus', Goethe's 'Faust' and various other treatments of the old legend of the man who sold his soul to the devil. Svankmajer's Faust is a nondescript man who, after being lured by a strange map into a sinister puppet theatre, finds himself immersed in an indescribably weird version of the play, blending live actors, clay animation and giant puppets.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Animation, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Country: Czech Republic, France, UK, Germany
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: surreal, art house, experimental, philosophical, dark, claymation, cerebral, mindfuck, atmospheric, stylized
Similar in 83%
Waltz with Bashir (2008)
Plot Summary:
Much awarded animated documentary, in which director and Israeli army veteran Ari Folman interviews friends and former soldiers about their memories of the 1982 Lebanon war and especially the Sabra and Shatila massacre in Beirut. The usage on animation enabled Folman to illustrate their personal memories and dreams.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 60000
Genere: Documentary, Animation, Biography, Drama, History, Mystery, War
Country: Israel, France, Germany, USA, Finland, Switzerland, Belgium, Australia
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: rough, disturbing, adult animation, psychological, serious, atmospheric, bleak, realistic, surreal, political
Similar in 78%
Paranoia Agent (2004)
Plot Summary:
The infamous Shounen Bat (Lil' Slugger) is terrorizing the residents of Musashino City. Flying around on his rollerblades and beating people down with a golden baseball bat, the assailant seems impossible to catch—much less understand. His first victim, the well-known yet timid character designer Tsukiko Sagi, is suspected of orchestrating the attacks. Believed only by her anthropomorphic pink stuffed animal, Maromi, Tsukiko is just one of Shounen Bat's many victims. As Shounen Bat continues his relentless assault on the town, detectives Keiichi Ikari and Mitsuhiro Maniwa begin to investigate the identity of the attacker. However, more and more people fall victim to the notorious golden bat, and news of the assailant begins circulating around the town. Paranoia starts to set in as chilling rumors spread amongst adults and children alike. Will the two detectives be able to unravel the truth behind Shounen Bat, or will the paranoia get to them first?.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 14000
Genere: Animation, Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 25 min
Plot tags: anime, psychological, mind bending, suspenseful, disturbing, scary, bleak, serious, surreal, adult animation
Similar in 78%
Waking Life (2001)
Plot Summary:
Waking Life is about a young man in a persistent lucid dream-like state. The film follows its protagonist as he initially observes and later participates in philosophical discussions that weave together issues like reality, free will, our relationships with others, and the meaning of life.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 66000
Genere: Animation, Drama, Fantasy
Country: USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: philosophical, spiritual, psychedelic, surreal, psychological, stylized, clever, adult animation, mindfuck, intellectual
Similar in 84%
Elfen Lied (2004)
Plot Summary:
The Diclonius, a mutated homo sapien that is said to be selected by God and will eventually become the destruction of mankind, possesses two horns in their heads, and has a "sixth sense" which gives it telekinetic abilities. Due to this dangerous power, they have been captured and isolated in laboratories by the government. Lucy, a young and psychotic Diclonius, manages to break free of her confines and brutally murder most of the guards in the laboratory, only to get shot in the head as she makes her escape. She survives and manages to drift along to a beach, where two teenagers named Kouta and Yuka discovers her. Having lost her memories, she was named after the only thing that she can now say, "Nyuu," and the two allow her to stay at Kouta's home. However, it appears that the evil "Lucy" is not dead just yet.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 36000
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, suspenseful, disturbing, rough, bleak, manga, seinen, psychological, semi serious, mind twisting
Similar in 81%
Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2001)
Plot Summary:
Mars. Days before Halloween 2071. Villains blow up a tanker truck on Highway One, releasing a deadly virus that kills hundreds. Fearing a bigger, even more devastating biochemical attack, an astronomical reward is offered for the arrest and capture of the person behind the destruction. On the space ship "Bebop," Spike Spiegel and his crew of bounty hunters (Jet Black, Faye Valentine, Ed and Ein) are bored and short of cash. But with the news of the reward, everything changes.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 52000
Genere: Animation, Action, Crime, Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan, USA
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: anime, atmospheric, witty, adult anime, adult animation, exciting, surreal, manga, serious, suspenseful
Similar in 76%
Millennium Actress (2001)
Plot Summary:
Documentary filmmaker Genya Tachibana has tracked down the legendary actress Chiyoko Fujiwara, who mysteriously vanished at the height of her career. When he presents her with a key she had lost and thought was gone forever, the filmmaker could not have imagined that it would not only unlock the long-held secrets of Chiyoko’s life... but also his own.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 31000
Genere: Animation, Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Country: Japan
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: anime, surreal, touching, tense, atmospheric, emotional, talky, serious, adult animation, cult classic
Similar in 82%
Belladonna of Sadness (1973)
Plot Summary:
A peasant woman is banished from her village and makes a deal with the devil to gain magical powers.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Animation, Drama, Fantasy
Country: Japan
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: anime, psychedelic, hentai, adult animation, experimental, adult anime, mind bending, surreal, psychological, retro
Similar in 90%
Serial Experiments Lain (1998)
Plot Summary:
Strange events begin to occur as a withdrawn girl named Lain becomes obsessed with interconnected virtual realm of "The Wired".
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Animation, Drama, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 316 min
Plot tags: psychological, anime, surreal, mind bending, atmospheric, bleak, serious, cyber, psychological horror, manga
Similar in 85%
It's Such a Beautiful Day (2012)
Plot Summary:
Bill struggles to put together his shattered psyche, in this new feature film version of Don Hertzfeldt's animated short film trilogy.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 15000
Genere: Animation, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 62 min
Plot tags: philosophical, surreal, adult animation, thought provoking, atmospheric, experimental, enigmatic, depressing, bleak, melancholic
Similar in 77%
Monster (2004)
Plot Summary:
Kenzou Tenma, a Japanese brain surgeon in Germany, finds his life in utter turmoil after getting involved with a psychopath that was once a former patient.
IMDB Rating: 8.7
IMDB Votes: 41000
Genere: Animation, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, psychological, realistic, suspenseful, captivating, serious, rough, manga, adult animation, depressing
Similar in 81%
Anomalisa (2015)
Plot Summary:
A man crippled by the mundanity of his life experiences something out of the ordinary.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 75000
Genere: Animation, Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: surreal, adult animation, depressing, atmospheric, art house, psychological, emotional, melancholic, meditative, philosophical
Similar in 77%
Paprika (2006)
Plot Summary:
When a machine that allows therapists to enter their patient's dreams is stolen, all hell breaks loose. Only a young female therapist can stop it: Paprika.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 93000
Genere: Animation, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: surreal, psychological, psychedelic, anime, philosophical, enigmatic, atmospheric, mind bending, mindfuck, adult animation
Similar in 82%
Blue Velvet (1986)
Plot Summary:
The discovery of a severed human ear found in a field leads a young man on an investigation related to a beautiful, mysterious nightclub singer and a group of criminals who have kidnapped her child.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 212000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: neo noir, surreal, dark, detective, cerebral, disturbing, postmodern, controversial, erotic, atmospheric
Similar in 82%
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004)
Plot Summary:
Groundbreaking director Mamoru Oshii continues to push the boundaries of art and anime with this universally acclaimed cyber thriller following cyborg detective Batou as he tries to unravel the reasons for a murderous robot revolt in the year 2032. A quest for a killer that becomes a mind bending search for the meaning of life.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 40000
Genere: Animation, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: futuristic, anime, philosophical, cyber, atmospheric, enigmatic, surreal, psychological, bleak, serious
Similar in 77%
A Scanner Darkly (2006)
Plot Summary:
An undercover cop in a not-too-distant future becomes involved with a dangerous new drug and begins to lose his own identity as a result.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 116000
Genere: Animation, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: psychedelic, psychological, philosophical, mind bending, bleak, atmospheric, neo noir, depressing, mindfuck, adult animation
Similar in 76%
Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion (1997)
Plot Summary:
The second of two theatrically released follow-ups to the Neon Genesis Evangelion series. Comprising of two alternate episodes which were first intended to take the place of episodes 25 and 26, this finale answers many of the questions surrounding the series, while also opening up some new possibilities.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 62000
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: anime, psychological, mecha, ambiguous ending, surreal, cult classic, adult animation, existential, mindfuck, atmospheric
Similar in 84%
Metropolis (2001)
Plot Summary:
Duke Red has overseen the construction of a massive Ziggurat to extend his power across the whole planet. Tima, a robot-girl built in the image of his deceased daughter, is at the core of these plans. However, after escaping the Duke's clutches in a laboratory fire, she meets and befriends Kenichi, a boy who's traveled to Metropolis with his detective uncle in search of a scientist wanted for organ trafficking. Will her relationship with Kenichi, and the realization of the truth of her existence, change her destiny?.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 22000
Genere: Animation, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: anime, futuristic, atmospheric, bleak, cyber, exciting, suspenseful, manga, adult animation, stylized
Similar in 89%
Memories (1995)
Plot Summary:
In this anime trilogy, a salvage ship crew happens upon a haunted vessel in Magnetic Rose; a cold tablet turns a lab worker into a biological weapon in Stink Bomb; and an urban populace carries on an endless war with an unseen foe in Cannon Fodder. Three years in the making, the thought-provoking anthology features eye-popping action and directorial work by a trio of genre geniuses: Kôji Morimoto, Tensai Okamura and Katsuhiro Ôtomo. "Memories" is made up of three separate science-fiction stories. In the first, "Magnetic Rose," four space travelers are drawn into an abandoned spaceship that contains a world created by one woman's memories. In "Stink Bomb," a young lab assistant accidentally transforms himself into a human biological weapon set on a direct course for Tôkyô. The final episode, "Cannon Fodder," depicts a day in the life of a city whose entire purpose is the firing of cannons at an unseen enemy.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 21000
Genere: Animation, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: surreal, anime, anthology, futuristic, exciting, enigmatic, cult classic, mind twisting, atmospheric, stylized
Similar in 89%
Akira (1988)
Plot Summary:
Childhood friends Tetsuo and Kaneda are pulled into the post-apocalyptic underworld of Neo-Tokyo and forced to fight for their very survival. Kaneda is a bike gang leader, and Tetsuo is a member of a tough motorcycle crew who becomes involved in a covert government project called Akira. But a bloody battle ensues when Kaneda sets out to save his friend.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 200000
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 124 min
Plot tags: anime, surreal, futuristic, atmospheric, serious, adult animation, manga, cyber, talky, visual
Similar in 75%
Ghost in the Shell (1995)
Plot Summary:
In the year 2029, the barriers of our world have been broken down by the net and by cybernetics, but this brings new vulnerability to humans in the form of brain-hacking. When a highly-wanted hacker known as 'The Puppetmaster' begins involving them in politics, Section 9, a group of cybernetically enhanced cops, are called in to investigate and stop the Puppetmaster.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 153000
Genere: Animation, Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Japan, UK
Duration: 83 min
Plot tags: anime, futuristic, mind bending, philosophical, surreal, atmospheric, exciting, adult animation, manga, cerebral
Similar in 75%
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992)
Plot Summary:
In the questionable town of Deer Meadow, Washington, FBI Agent Desmond inexplicably disappears while hunting for the man who murdered a teen girl. The killer is never apprehended, and, after experiencing dark visions and supernatural encounters, Agent Dale Cooper chillingly predicts that the culprit will claim another life. Meanwhile, in the more cozy town of Twin Peaks, hedonistic beauty Laura Palmer hangs with lowlifes and seems destined for a grisly fate.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 103000
Genere: Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: France, USA
Duration: 134 min
Plot tags: surreal, psychological, dark, atmospheric, psychedelic, mind bending, avant garde, cerebral, scary, art house
Similar in 77%
Coraline (2009)
Plot Summary:
When Coraline moves to an old house, she feels bored and neglected by her parents. She finds a hidden door with a bricked up passage. During the night, she crosses the passage and finds a parallel world where everybody has buttons instead of eyes, with caring parents and all her dreams coming true. When the Other Mother invites Coraline to stay in her world forever, the girl refuses and finds that the alternate reality where she is trapped is only a trick to lure her.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 257000
Genere: Animation, Drama, Family, Fantasy
Country: USA, Japan
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: gothic, surreal, dark fantasy, dark, scary, stylized, bleak, offbeat, disturbing, visually appealing
Similar in 83%
Mulholland Drive (2001)
Plot Summary:
After a car wreck on the winding Mulholland Drive renders a woman amnesic, she and a perky Hollywood-hopeful search for clues and answers across Los Angeles in a twisting venture beyond dreams and reality.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 377000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: France, USA
Duration: 147 min
Plot tags: surreal, psychological, art house, neo noir, atmospheric, mind bending, disturbing, cerebral, surprise ending, enigmatic
Similar in 84%
The Machinist (2004)
Plot Summary:
The Machinist is the story of Trevor Reznik, a lathe-operator who is dying of insomnia. In a machine shop, occupational hazards are bad enough under normal circumstances; yet for Trevor the risks are compounded by fatigue. Trevor has lost the ability to sleep. This is no ordinary insomnia.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 410000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: Spain, France, UK, USA
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: psychological, twist ending, surprise ending, depressing, mind bending, surreal, bleak, neo noir, enigmatic, atmospheric
Similar in 86%
Se7en (1995)
Plot Summary:
Two homicide detectives are on a desperate hunt for a serial killer whose crimes are based on the "seven deadly sins" in this dark and haunting film that takes viewers from the tortured remains of one victim to the next. The seasoned Det. Sommerset researches each sin in an effort to get inside the killer's mind, while his novice partner, Mills, scoffs at his efforts to unravel the case.
IMDB Rating: 8.6
IMDB Votes: 18000000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 127 min
Plot tags: surprise ending, detective, suspenseful, disturbing, neo noir, suspense, scary, tense, bad ending, atmospheric