Best tv shows like Bates Motel
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
A "contemporary prequel" to the 1960 film Psycho, depicting the life of Norman Bates and his mother Norma prior to the events portrayed in Hitchcock's film, albeit in a different fictional town and in a modern setting. The series begins after the death of Norma's husband, when she purchases a motel located in a coastal Oregon town so she and Norman can start a new life.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 115000
Genere: Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, suspenseful, tense, psychological, serious, slasher, psychological thriller, spooky, realistic, thrilling
Best tv shows and movies like Bates Motel (2013):
Similar in 88%
The Dark Secret of Harvest Home (1978)
Plot Summary:
A young couple moves to a quiet New England village, only to soon find themselves mixed up in mysterious rituals.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 300 min
Plot tags: gothic, slasher, satanic, spooky, thrilling, scary, tense, atmospheric, rough, mind bending
Similar in 78%
Freddy's Nightmares (1988)
Plot Summary:
Freddy's Nightmares is an American horror anthology series, which aired in syndication from October 1988 until March 1990. A spin-off from the Nightmare on Elm Street series, each story was introduced by Freddy Krueger. This format is essentially the same as that employed by Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Tales from the Crypt, or The Twilight Zone. The pilot episode was directed by Tobe Hooper, and begins with Freddy Krueger's acquittal of the child-murdering charges due to his officer's lack of reviewing the Miranda warning at the time of Freddy's arrest. A mob of parents eventually corners Freddy in a power plant, leading to him being torched by the police officer, dying and gaining his familiar visage. The series was produced by New Line Television, producers of the film series. It was originally distributed by Lorimar-Telepictures. However, Warner Bros. Television would assume syndication rights after acquiring Lorimar-Telepictures.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Horror, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: slasher, scary, anthology, atmospheric, suspenseful, exciting, bleak, stylized, spooky, psychological
Similar in 90%
Twisted (2013)
Plot Summary:
A one-hour mystery full of twists and turns that follows Danny Desai, a charismatic 16-year-old with a troubled past who returns to his hometown after spending five years in juvenile detention. Immediately branded an outcast, Danny attempts to reconnect with his two childhood best friends, Jo and Lacey. But when a fellow student is found dead in her home, Danny instantly becomes the prime suspect and town spirals into a frenzy of suspicion and mystery. Jo and Lacey must decide if their childhood friend is unforgivable, or if he's really a victim being persecuted for his own twisted secrets.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, serious, enigmatic, suspense, detective, teen, realistic, odd
Similar in 86%
The Bleeding House (2011)
Plot Summary:
The Smiths -- a family with a secret past -- are visited by a sweet-talking southern gentleman who is looking for small town humanity. But they'll soon find out that kindness towards strangers is not always rewarded, and the secretive stranger will find redemption does not always come easy.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, rough, scary, serious, psychological, depressing, mysterious, surreal, mumblecore, southern gothic
Similar in 87%
Born to Kill (2017)
Plot Summary:
A seemingly ordinary, well behaved teenager's latent psychopathic desires rise to the surface when a new girl arrives in town.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 180 min
Plot tags: disturbing, psychological, suspense, suspenseful, slasher, thrilling, psychological thriller
Similar in 85%
The Returned (2012)
Plot Summary:
In the shadow of an enormous hydraulic dam, the lives of the residents of a small French town are changed to their core when hundreds of previously dead relatives all return home on the same day.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 21000
Genere: Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery
Country: France
Duration: 52 min
Plot tags: mind bending, atmospheric, surreal, captivating, touching, suspenseful, serious, exciting, enigmatic, sexy
Similar in 84%
Happy Town (2010)
Plot Summary:
The residents of Haplin, Minnesota - also known as "Happy Town" - have enjoyed an uneasy peace while haunted by a number of unsolved kidnappings. Now facing a disturbing new crime that brings unresolved fears to the surface, Haplin's most prominent citizens come under scrutiny as their own secrets are revealed.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: tense, realistic, atmospheric, serious, suspenseful, detective, sweet, offbeat
Similar in 76%
Harper's Island (2009)
Plot Summary:
A group of family and friends travels to a secluded island for a destination wedding. They've come to laugh... to love... and, though they don't know it... to die. As the wedding festivities begin, friendships are tested and secrets exposed as a murderer claims victims, one by one, transforming the wedding week of fun and celebration into a terrifying struggle for survival.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 27000
Genere: Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 40 min
Plot tags: tense, suspenseful, scary, serious, atmospheric, realistic, exciting, detective, psychological, anime
Similar in 80%
American Horror Stories (2021)
Plot Summary:
An anthology series of stand alone episodes delving into horror myths, legends and lore.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 25000
Genere: Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: anthology, atmospheric, scary, tense, suspenseful, serious, stylized, dark drama
Similar in 81%
Scream: The TV Series (2015)
Plot Summary:
What starts as a YouTube video going viral, soon leads to problems for the teenagers of Lakewood and serves as the catalyst for a murder that opens up a window to the town's troubled past. Everyone has secrets. Everyone tells lies. Everyone is fair game.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 44000
Genere: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: slasher, scary, suspenseful, semi serious, realistic, anthology, horror comedy, spooky, psychological, sitcom
Similar in 90%
There's Someone Inside Your House (2021)
Plot Summary:
As the countdown to graduation begins, students at Osborne High are being stalked by a maniac intent on exposing their darkest secrets to the entire town, terrorizing victims while wearing a life-like mask of their own face. With a mysterious past of her own, Makani and her friends must discover the killer's identity before they become victims themselves.
IMDB Rating: 4.9
IMDB Votes: 19000
Genere: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: slasher, suspense, scary, tense, suspenseful, spooky, bloody, perverse, slasher horror, dark
Similar in 85%
Wayward Pines (2015)
Plot Summary:
Imagine the perfect American town... beautiful homes, manicured lawns, children playing safely in the streets. Now imagine never being able to leave. You have no communication with the outside world. You think you're going insane. You must be in Wayward Pines.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 59000
Genere: Drama, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: tense, mind bending, serious, captivating, psychological thriller, exciting, retro, surprise ending, thought provoking, mysterious
Similar in 78%
Pretty Little Liars (2010)
Plot Summary:
Based on the Pretty Little Liars series of young adult novels by Sara Shepard, the series follows the lives of four girls — Spencer, Hanna, Aria, and Emily — whose clique falls apart after the disappearance of their queen bee, Alison. One year later, they begin receiving messages from someone using the name "A" who threatens to expose their secrets — including long-hidden ones they thought only Alison knew.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 176000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Romance, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 44 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, serious, realistic, teen, soap opera, slasher, saga, relaxing, thrilling, teen horror
Similar in 82%
Psycho II (1983)
Plot Summary:
After years of treatment at a mental institution for the criminally insane, serial killer Norman Bates is finally released. Deciding to move back into his long-dead mother's infamous old house, he soon finds himself tormented by "her" demands and begins to question his own sanity.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 30000
Genere: Crime, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: slasher, scary, psychological, twist ending, suspense, bloody, splatter, surprise ending, suspenseful, psychological thriller
Similar in 79%
They Look Like People (2015)
Plot Summary:
Suspecting that people around him are turning into evil creatures, a troubled man questions whether to protect his only friend from an impending war, or from himself.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 80 min
Plot tags: psychological, scary, tense, suspenseful, atmospheric, stylized, disturbing, mumblecore, mind bending, philosophical
Similar in 88%
Psycho (1998)
Plot Summary:
Criminal on the run, Marion Crane takes refuge at the motel operated by Norman Bates - a troubled man whose victims encounter a grisly fate at the hands of his "mother." Marion soon becomes the next victim and her disappearance prompts inquiries from her sister and a private investigator. They both soon discover the morbid bond linking Norman to his mysterious "mother" at the Bates Motel.
IMDB Rating: 4.6
IMDB Votes: 50000
Genere: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: scary, suspenseful, slasher, psychological, bleak, cult classic, psychological thriller, atmospheric, mystical, brutal
Similar in 75%
Psycho III (1986)
Plot Summary:
Norman Bates is still running his little motel, and he has kept the dressed skeleton he calls mother. One of his guests is a young girl who has left the convent where she lived. To get some help he employs a young man. One day a nosey journalist comes to see him to ask questions about his past.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: slasher, suspense, bloody, psychological thriller, cult horror, psychological, surprise ending, scary, atmospheric, serious
Similar in 84%
American Horror Story (2011)
Plot Summary:
American Horror Story is an anthology horror drama series.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 338000
Genere: Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: anthology, psychological, atmospheric, scary, tense, captivating, unusual plot structure, bad ending, offbeat, slasher
Similar in 77%
The Bridge (2013)
Plot Summary:
A murdered body on a bridge between El Paso and Juarez bring together El Paso detective Sonya Cross and Chihuahua State Police detective Marco Ruiz.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 20000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 43 min
Plot tags: tense, atmospheric, detective, serious, suspenseful, psychological thriller, sexy, bleak, crime drama, captivating
Similar in 85%
Castle Rock (2018)
Plot Summary:
Based on the stories of Stephen King, the series intertwines characters and themes from the fictional town of Castle Rock.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 50000
Genere: Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: bleak, suspenseful, enigmatic, anthology, rough, supernatural thriller, suspense, spooky, psychological, psychological thriller
Similar in 78%
White Bird in a Blizzard (2014)
Plot Summary:
Kat Connors is 17 years old when her perfect homemaker mother, Eve, disappears. Having lived for so long in an emotionally repressed household, she barely registers her mother's absence and certainly doesn't blame her doormat of a father, Brock, for the loss. But as time passes, Kat begins to come to grips with how deeply Eve's disappearance has affected her. Returning home on a break from college, she finds herself confronted with the truth about her mother's departure, and her own denial about the events surrounding it.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 30000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: France, USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: sexy, suspenseful, surreal, stylized, independent film, cynical, humorous, semi serious, grindhouse, teen
Similar in 81%
I See You (2019)
Plot Summary:
When a 12-year-old boy goes missing, lead investigator Greg Harper struggles to balance the pressure of the investigation and troubles with his wife, Jackie. Facing a recent affair, great strain is put on the family that slowly gnaws away at Jackie's grip on reality. But after a malicious presence manifests itself in their home and puts their son, Connor, in mortal danger, the cold, hard truth about evil in the Harper household is finally uncovered.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 64000
Genere: Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: surprise ending, suspense, psychological thriller, suspenseful, tense, bleak, detective, twisted, scary, slasher
Similar in 75%
The Zodiac (2005)
Plot Summary:
An elusive serial killer known as the Zodiac terrorizes the San Francisco Bay in the late 1960s, while detectives aim to stop him before he claims more victims. Based on a true story.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 158 min
Plot tags: rough, psychological, bleak, scary, serious, suspenseful, neo noir, detective, independent film, realistic
Similar in 87%
Dream House (2011)
Plot Summary:
Publisher, Will Atenton quits a lucrative job in New York to relocate his wife, Libby and their daughters to a quaint town in New England. However, as they settle into their home the Atentons discover that a woman and her children were murdered there, and the surviving husband is the town's prime suspect. With help from a neighbor who was close to the murdered family, Will pieces together a horrifying chain of events.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 69000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: surprise ending, twist ending, suspenseful, suspense, tense, psychological, scary, serious, enigmatic, intense
Similar in 82%
The Killing (2011)
Plot Summary:
The Killing is an American crime drama television series based upon the Danish television series Forbrydelsen. Set in Seattle, Washington, the series follows the various murder investigations by homicide detectives Sarah Linden and Stephen Holder.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 120000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: psychological, gloomy, neo noir, tense, serious, detective, suspenseful, atmospheric, realistic, dark
Similar in 86%
Hannibal (2013)
Plot Summary:
Both a gift and a curse, Graham has the extraordinary ability to think like his prey—he sees what they see, feels what they feel. But while Graham is pursuing an especially troubling, cannibalistic murderer, Special Agent Jack Crawford teams him with a highly respected psychiatrist – a man with a taste for the criminal minded – Dr. Hannibal Lecter.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 271000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 1680 min
Plot tags: psychological, scary, tense, suspenseful, atmospheric, serious, stylized, rough, psychological thriller, detective
Similar in 78%
Orphan (2009)
Plot Summary:
A married couple with a rocky past adopt 9-year old, Esther to fill the void created by a recently-stillborn baby. However, Esther is not quite who she seems.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 247000
Genere: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, Canada, Germany, France
Duration: 123 min
Plot tags: suspense, scary, psychological, twist ending, suspenseful, surprise ending, frightening, creepy, disturbing, serious
Similar in 79%
Criminal Minds (2005)
Plot Summary:
An elite team of FBI profilers analyze the country's most twisted criminal minds, anticipating their next moves before they strike again. The Behavioral Analysis Unit's most experienced agent is David Rossi, a founding member of the BAU who returns to help the team solve new cases.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 214000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 42 min
Plot tags: psychological, exciting, serious, rough, detective, intellectual, thrilling, psychological thriller, bloody, dramatic
Similar in 76%
True Detective (2014)
Plot Summary:
An American anthology police detective series utilizing multiple timelines in which investigations seem to unearth personal and professional secrets of those involved, both within or outside the law.
IMDB Rating: 8.9
IMDB Votes: 618000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 55 min
Plot tags: neo noir, serious, atmospheric, anthology, gloomy, realistic, southern gothic, clever, stylized, captivating
Similar in 83%
Dexter (2006)
Plot Summary:
Dexter is an American television drama series. The series centers on Dexter Morgan, a blood spatter pattern analyst for 'Miami Metro Police Department' who also leads a secret life as a serial killer, hunting down criminals who have slipped through the cracks of justice.
IMDB Rating: 8.7
IMDB Votes: 753000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 5076 min
Plot tags: captivating, clever, serious, stylized, tense, atmospheric, disturbing, bloody, suspenseful, offbeat