Best movies like The Returning
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Two different men are possessed by spirits of Native Americans after they separately wander into a sacred burial ground. When John and Sybil come home with their son after a trip to the Mojave Desert, they bring an unusual stone back as a memento of the trip. The stone seems to cause strange noises and other horrible inexplicable phenomena.
IMDB Rating: 3.8
IMDB Votes: 88
Genere: Horror, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags:
Best tv shows and movies like The Returning (1983):
Similar in 77%
Screams of a Winter Night (1979)
Plot Summary:
Ten college students go camping, when they get there, they tell scary stories to each other.
IMDB Rating: 4.8
IMDB Votes: 800
Genere: Horror, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: anthology, psychotronic, dark fairy tale, independent film
Similar in 75%
The Haunting of Marsten Manor (2007)
Plot Summary:
Jill (Brianne Davis), a girl angry about being blind and struggling with her faith, unexpectedly inherits an old mansion from her estranged aunt (Janice Knickrehm, "Halloween 6"). She and her friends go there to check it out. On the way they have a strange encounter with the creepy Hank (Ezra Buzzington, "The Hills Have Eyes"). At the house, unnerving things start happening and Jill starts "seeing" things. Her friends become concerned about her sanity, leaving Jill feeling even more isolated and under the spell of the force in the house. But when Jill disappears, it's too late for her friends to stop what is already in motion. The ghost that brought Jill to the house and a soldier from the past (C. Thomas Howell) are going to reveal their secret, forcing Jill to face her greatest fears, changing her forever.
IMDB Rating: 3.6
IMDB Votes: 293
Genere: Horror, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 89%
Haunted (1977)
Plot Summary:
In Arizona during the Civil War, a woman is accused of witchcraft, tied to a horse and left to die in the desert. One hundred years later, the descendants of the woman's accusers start being killed off, and the townspeople suspect the woman has come back as an evil spirit.
IMDB Rating: 3.4
IMDB Votes: 222
Genere: Horror
Country: USA
Duration: 82 min
Plot tags: independent film, wild
Similar in 85%
Ghosts That Still Walk (1977)
Plot Summary:
A young boy is possessed by the spirit of an Indian medicine man and begins to terrorize the local population.
IMDB Rating: 4.0
IMDB Votes: 187
Genere: Horror
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: slasher, independent film, wild
Similar in 89%
The Cellar (1988)
Plot Summary:
A young boy finds an ancient Comanche monster spirit in the basement of his home. His parents don't believe him, so he must kill the monster alone.
IMDB Rating: 4.6
IMDB Votes: 935
Genere: Horror
Country: USA
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: retro, independent film
Similar in 86%
Encounter with the Unknown (1972)
Plot Summary:
Three eerie tales based on actual events are enacted in this film. First, three college students play a prank on a geeky classmate, who is accidentally shot and killed. His vengeful mother forecasts the deaths of the three young men she holds responsible, on 7, 14, and 21 days hence. And, one by one, her grim predictions come true. Next, a ghoulish sound emanates from a mist-shrouded hole in the Earth near where a Missouri boy has lost his dog. The boy's father is lowered into the hole and lets out an agonizing scream! Finally, a senator returning home from a party finds a lost girl on a bridge and learns from her father that she died years earlier.
IMDB Rating: 4.7
IMDB Votes: 663
Genere: Horror, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: dark fairy tale, psychotronic, independent film, anthology
Similar in 77%
Damned in Venice (1978)
Plot Summary:
A blind boy receives a vision that warn him of the birth of the anti-christ.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 477
Genere: Horror, Mystery
Country: Italy
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: disturbing, controversial
Similar in 84%
The Covenant (2017)
Plot Summary:
After the tragic deaths of her husband and daughter, Sarah Doyle moves back to her childhood home with her estranged brother, Richard. It's not long before Sarah begins to experience supernatural phenomena of a violent and hostile nature.
IMDB Rating: 3.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Horror, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: rough, bleak, suspenseful, disturbing, psychotronic, independent film
Similar in 89%
The Cemetery (2013)
Plot Summary:
Deep in the Pennsylvania hills, a cemetery for those who died during exorcism remains a dark secret for the church. In 1671, hundreds of men, women, and children suffered in bloody, torturous rituals at the hands of priests unable to contain the evil of the possessed. Were these possessions real, or is the story a hoax to cover up the sins of the deranged priests thirsty for human blood? Bill and his team of cynical paranormal investigators plan to find out the truth. Armed with the church's historical record, they set out into the wilderness to uncover this series of forgotten atrocities. Alternately gut-punching hilarious and brutally violent, The Cemetery takes the best elements of the old-school slasher film and pushes them to the edge.
IMDB Rating: 3.9
IMDB Votes: 368
Genere: Horror
Country: USA
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: disturbing, slasher, scary, bleak, suspense, suspenseful, psychotronic, controversial
Similar in 79%
Restoration (2016)
Plot Summary:
During home renovations, a young couple release a fiery spirit seeking retribution. To save themselves and set the spirit free, they must uncover the dire truth. But nothing is as simple as it seems.
IMDB Rating: 4.0
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Horror
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: scary, suspense, suspenseful, disturbing, psychotronic, psychological thriller, mysterious
Similar in 85%
Night of a 1000 Hours (2016)
Plot Summary:
When the ambitious Philip takes over the running of the family business from his father, he finds himself confronted by the mysterious reappearance of his dead ancestors. In the course of a long night, during which there is a murder, an illicit love affair and a game with false identities, Philip uncovers a closely guarded family secret.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 202
Genere: Horror, Mystery
Country: Austria, Luxembourg, Netherlands
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: scary, bleak, suspense, psychotronic
Similar in 83%
The Man in the Maze (2011)
Plot Summary:
While doing research in the woods, four college friends find a mysterious and troublesome trail. Megan, Alex, Christi, and P.T. soon find that they may not be the only ones on the trail and that the dark figure following them is much more than he seems.
IMDB Rating: 3.2
IMDB Votes: 203
Genere: Horror, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 79 min
Plot tags: suspense, scary, rough, independent film
Similar in 82%
Scalps (1983)
Plot Summary:
Silly group of college science students go an dig around in an indian burial ground for artifacts. Unfortunately, one of them becomes possessed by the evil spirit of Black Claw so he must therefore slaughter all of his friends.
IMDB Rating: 3.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Horror
Country: USA
Duration: 82 min
Plot tags: slasher, cult classic, splatter, psychotronic, independent film, spooky, wild, cult film
Similar in 78%
Coin (2012)
Plot Summary:
Four horror stories focusing on a group of neglected children and their unfortunate guardians come to life in this terrifying anthology from Wild Dogs Productions.
IMDB Rating: 4.0
IMDB Votes: 57
Genere: Horror, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: anthology, psychotronic, scary, bleak, suspense, suspenseful, disturbing, 2d animation
Similar in 88%
Echoes of Fear (2018)
Plot Summary:
After inheriting her grandfather's house, a young woman must confront the mystery of his sudden death and the evil that hides inside.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 805
Genere: Horror, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: scary, bleak, unusual plot structure, suspense, suspenseful, psychotronic
Similar in 77%
Maligno (2016)
Plot Summary:
After causing a bloody slaughter in a hospital, the most cruel and powerful forest spirit is trapped in a pavilion, after a ritual of witchcraft. Decades later, the wall is broke, waking the evil force. When a young teen is possessed by the spirit, her mother must find a way to stop him before it takes her life and regain its catastrophic murderous power.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 87
Genere: Horror, Mystery
Country: Peru
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: scary, bleak, suspense, disturbing
Similar in 82%
The Dead Ones (2019)
Plot Summary:
For four outcast teens, summer detention means being assigned to clean their high school after a horrific incident. But they are not alone; a macabre gang wearing guises of The Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse - Famine, Pestilence, War and Death - has locked them inside and is hunting them through the school's ravaged hallways. As the four students battle to survive, each must confront the supernatural echoes of past traumas they have struggled to forget - and may be condemned to relive.
IMDB Rating: 3.4
IMDB Votes: 280
Genere: Horror, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 73 min
Plot tags: psychotronic, scary, suspense, suspenseful, disturbing
Similar in 75%
Anything for Jackson (2020)
Plot Summary:
A bereaved Satanist couple kidnap a pregnant woman so they can use an ancient spellbook to put their dead grandson's spirit into her unborn child, but they end up summoning more than they bargained for.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Horror, Mystery
Country: Canada
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: suspense, tense, suspenseful, psychotronic, scary, psychological, psychological thriller, atmospheric, slasher, disturbing
Similar in 84%
Voodoo Possession (2014)
Plot Summary:
Imagine an insatiable demon that feeds on blood, thrives on pain, and reaches from beyond the grave to torment the living...and the dead. For believers and skeptics alike, there is nothing in this world or the next to rival the relentless evil of a Voodoo Possession. Burdened since childhood with a gnawing sense of guilt, cynical Aiden Chase journeys to a Haitian insane asylum in search of his missing brother. Upon arriving, he discovers all the inmates and the hospital administrator (Danny Trejo, Machete) are seemingly possessed by a bloodthirsty voodoo spirit. Now, Aiden must abandon reality and descend into a terrifying spirit world to try to rescue his brother - or they will both be damned for eternity.
IMDB Rating: 2.6
IMDB Votes: 707
Genere: Drama, Horror, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, serious, tense, suspense, demonic, captivating, psychotronic
Similar in 90%
The Stairs (2021)
Plot Summary:
In 1997, 11 year old Jesse finds a mysterious staircase in the woods and disappears - - 20 years later, a group of hikers, set off into the very same woods. Unfortunately for them, they come face to face with the very same set of stairs Jesse discovered all those years ago.
IMDB Rating: 4.3
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Horror, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: scary, psychological, bleak, suspense, slasher, suspenseful, psychotronic
Similar in 88%
Stigmata (1999)
Plot Summary:
A young woman with no strong religious beliefs, Frankie Paige begins having strange and violent experiences, showing signs of the wounds that Jesus received when crucified. When the Vatican gets word of Frankie's situation, a high-ranking cardinal requests that the Rev. Andrew Kiernan investigate her case. Soon Kiernan realizes that very sinister forces are at work, and tries to rescue Frankie from the entity that is plaguing her.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 71000
Genere: Horror, Mystery
Country: USA, Mexico
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, scary, biblical, satanic, psychological, suspense, spiritual, bleak, intense, psychological thriller
Similar in 90%
Veronica (2017)
Plot Summary:
Madrid, 1990s. After making a Ouija with friends, a teenager is besieged by dangerous supernatural presences that threaten to harm her whole family. Inspired by terrifying police files never solved.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 46000
Genere: Horror, Mystery
Country: Spain
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: scary, suspense, disturbing, psychotronic, serious, suspenseful, demonic, spooky, psychological thriller, retro
Similar in 85%
The Seventh Day (2021)
Plot Summary:
A renowned exorcist teams up with a rookie priest for his first day of training. As they plunge deeper into hell on earth, the lines between good and evil blur, and their own demons emerge.
IMDB Rating: 4.5
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Horror, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: scary, suspense, disturbing, suspenseful, bleak, contemplative
Similar in 78%
Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension (2015)
Plot Summary:
Using a special camera that can see spirits, a family must protect their daughter from an evil entity with a sinister plan.
IMDB Rating: 4.6
IMDB Votes: 30000
Genere: Horror, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: scary, suspense, entertaining, christmas horror, tense, serious, suspenseful, demonic, psychotronic, mockumentary
Similar in 75%
The Woods (2006)
Plot Summary:
Set in 1965 New England, a troubled girl encounters mysterious happenings in the woods surrounding an isolated girls school that she was sent to by her estranged parents.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Horror, Mystery
Country: USA, Germany, Canada
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, scary, tense, suspenseful, dark, psychological, gothic, suspense, creepy, slasher
Similar in 77%
One Missed Call (2008)
Plot Summary:
Several people start receiving voice-mails from their future selves -- messages which include the date, time, and some of the details of their deaths.
IMDB Rating: 4.0
IMDB Votes: 34000
Genere: Horror, Mystery
Country: USA, Japan, Germany, UK
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: scary, suspense, suspenseful, slasher, creepy, psychological, mind bending, dark, mind blowing, terrifying
Similar in 89%
The Omen (1976)
Plot Summary:
Immediately after their miscarriage, the US diplomat Robert Thorn adopts the newborn Damien without the knowledge of his wife. Yet what he doesn’t know is that their new son is the son of the devil. A classic horror film with Gregory Peck from 1976.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 129000
Genere: Horror, Mystery
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, bleak, psychological, scary, satanic, creepy, atmospheric, dark, suspense, slasher
Similar in 75%
We Are Still Here (2015)
Plot Summary:
After the death of their college age son, Anne and Paul Sacchetti relocate to the snowswept New England hamlet of Aylesbury, a sleepy village where all is most certainly not as it seems. When strange sounds and eerie feelings convince Anne that her son's spirit is still with them, they invite an eccentric, New Age couple to help them get to the bottom of the mystery.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 20000
Genere: Horror, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 84 min
Plot tags: dark, atmospheric, scary, suspense, slasher, suspenseful, demonic, romantic, retro, psychological
Similar in 84%
The Ring (2002)
Plot Summary:
It sounded like just another urban legend: A videotape filled with nightmarish images, leading to a phone call foretelling the viewer's death in exactly seven days. As a newspaper reporter, Rachel Keller was naturally skeptical of the story, until four teenagers all met with mysterious deaths exactly one week after watching just such a tape. Allowing her investigative curiosity to get the better of her, Rachel tracks down the video... and watches it. Now she has just seven days to unravel the mystery of the Ring.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 369000
Genere: Horror, Mystery
Country: USA, Japan
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: scary, atmospheric, suspense, suspenseful, gloomy, dark, frightening, twist ending, psychological, disturbing
Similar in 86%
Mirrors (2008)
Plot Summary:
An ex-cop and his family are the target of an evil force that is using mirrors as a gateway into their home.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 113000
Genere: Horror, Mystery
Country: USA, Romania, Germany, France
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: scary, tense, suspenseful, rough, demonic, intense, psychological, creepy, suspense, twist ending