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Absentia poster

Movies that feel likeAbsentia (2011)

Tricia's husband has been missing for seven years. Her younger sister Callie comes to live with her as the pressure mounts to finally declare him 'dead in absentia'. Tricia is reluctant, always holding out hope, but Callie is practical and wants her to move on. As Tricia sifts through the wreckage and tries to move on with her life, Callie finds herself drawn to an ominous tunnel near the house.

If you loved Absentia, the closest films we have are The Lodge (2020), A Dark Song (2016) and The Ritual (2017). All three share Absentia's dread and unsettling feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is The Borderlands (2014).

πŸ… 87% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 5.8 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Mike Flanagandreadunsettlingtwistymelancholy
8 of 12 streaming nowNetflix Β· Amazon Prime Video Β· Paramount Plus Premium

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See it on the Mood Map

If Absentia hit the spot, these will too

The Lodge poster
The Lodge
2020 Β· dir. Severin Fiala
πŸ… 75%β˜… 6horror Β· mystery

Dread-soaked and unsettling in the same breath

When a father is forced to abruptly depart for work, he leaves his children, Aidan and Mia, at their holiday home in the care of his new girlfriend, Grace. Isolated and alone, a blizzard traps them inside the lodge as terrifying events summon specters from Grace's dark past.

A Dark Song poster
A Dark Song
2016 Β· dir. Liam Gavin
πŸ… 91%β˜… 6.2horror Β· fantasy Β· mystery

The same mix in both: twists, then melancholy

The difference: Leans harder into fantasy than Absentia does

A determined young woman and a damaged occultist risk their lives and souls to perform a dangerous ritual that will grant them what they want.

The Ritual poster
The Ritual
2017 Β· dir. David Bruckner
πŸ… 74%β˜… 6.4horror Β· mysteryNetflix

Both keep coming back to the same thing: grief

A group of college friends reunite for a trip to the forest, but encounter a menacing presence in the woods that's stalking them.

The Borderlands poster
The Borderlands
2014 Β· dir. Elliot Goldner
πŸ… 83%β˜… 5.8horror

Dread-soaked horror in both cases

The difference: Trades the twists of Absentia for an angle of its own

Vatican investigators are sent to the British West Country to investigate paranormal activity, and they find the events are more disturbing than they first imagined.

The Little Stranger poster
The Little Stranger
2018 Β· dir. Lenny Abrahamson
πŸ… 64%β˜… 5.5mystery Β· horror

Mystery built on unease, twice over

In a dusty post-war summer in rural Warwickshire, a doctor is called to a patient at lonely Hundreds Hall. Home to the Ayres family for over two centuries, the Georgian house is now in decline. But are the Ayreses haunted by something more sinister than a dying way of life?

Hellhole poster
Hellhole
2022 Β· dir. Bartosz M. Kowalski
πŸ… 67%β˜… 5.8horror Β· mysteryNetflix

Both lean on twists more than on horror

In a monastery cut off from the world, the monks run a clinic for the possessed. One day, a young policeman Marek comes to the convent. Posing as a clergyman, he penetrates monastic life and tries to explain the recent, mysterious disappearance of several tormented inmates. It turns out, however, that there is no way out of the monastery.

Alone poster
Alone
2007 Β· dir. Banjong Pisanthanakun
β˜… 6.4horror Β· mystery Β· drama

Melancholy mystery, and it commits to that

The difference: Sits closer to drama than Absentia does

When Pim and Ploy, twins conjoined at the stomach, are separated, the operation leaves Pim the surviving sister, haunted by Ploy's vengeful ghost.

Jigsaw poster
Jigsaw
2017 Β· dir. Michael Spierig
πŸ… 32%β˜… 5.7horror Β· mystery

Horror with a pulse of dread, in both cases

The difference: The critics' underdog of the pair

Law enforcement finds itself chasing the ghost of a man dead for over a decade, embroiled in a diabolical new game that's only just begun.

Smile 2 poster
Smile 2
2024 Β· dir. Parker Finn
πŸ… 86%β˜… 6.7horror Β· mysteryNetflixPrime Video

Unsettling mystery, and it commits to that

About to embark on a new world tour, global pop sensation Skye Riley begins experiencing increasingly terrifying and inexplicable events. Overwhelmed by the escalating horrors and the pressures of fame, Skye is forced to face her dark past to regain control of her life before it spirals out of control.

Lights Out poster
Lights Out
2016 Β· dir. David F. Sandberg
πŸ… 74%β˜… 6.3horror Β· mystery

Both sit in the same twisty register

Rebecca must unlock the terror behind her little brother's experiences that once tested her sanity, bringing her face to face with a supernatural spirit attached to their mother.

1408 poster
1408
2007 Β· dir. Mikael HΓ₯fstrΓΆm
πŸ… 80%β˜… 6.8horror Β· mystery

Both run melancholy where it counts

A man who specializes in debunking paranormal occurrences checks into the fabled room 1408 at the Dolphin Hotel. Soon after settling in, he confronts genuine terror.

The Eyes of My Mother poster
The Eyes of My Mother
2016 Β· dir. Nicolas Pesce
πŸ… 78%β˜… 6.2drama Β· horror

Horror of the same temperament

A young, lonely woman is consumed by her deepest and darkest desires after tragedy strikes her quiet country life.

In the mood for more dread?

all dread movies β†’

The best-reviewed films that share Absentia’s defining feeling.