feelsalike.comSign in

Movies that feel like Case 39 (2009)

If you loved Case 39, the closest films we have are Pandorum (2009), Devil (2010) and Marrowbone (2017). All three share Case 39's dread and unsettling feel, which is what we rank on before quality. 10 of the 12 picks below are included with a subscription right now on Amazon Prime Video, Paramount Plus Premium and Peacock Premium and others, checked against today's data.

In her many years as a social worker, Emily Jenkins believes she has seen it all, until she meets 10-year-old Lilith and the girl's cruel parents. Emily's worst fears are confirmed when the parents try to harm the child, and so Emily assumes custody of Lilith while she looks for a foster family. However, Emily soon finds that dark forces surround the seemingly innocent girl, and the more she tries to protect Lilith, the more horrors she encounters.

πŸ… 22% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 6.2 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Christian Alvartdreadunsettlingtwistytense
See it on the map

When is Case 39 streaming? β†’

If Case 39 hit the spot, these will too

Pandorum poster
Pandorum
2009 Β· dir. Christian Alvart
πŸ… 26%β˜… 6.7action Β· horror Β· mystery

The same hand behind both of them: Christian Alvart

The difference: Sits closer to action than Case 39 does

Two crew members wake up on an abandoned spacecraft with no idea who they are, how long they've been asleep, or what their mission is. The two soon discover they're actually not alone – and the reality of their situation is more horrifying than they could have imagined.

Devil poster
Devil
2010 Β· dir. John Erick Dowdle
πŸ… 49%β˜… 6.3horror Β· mystery Β· thriller

Both are working the same pair: supernatural, murder

The difference: Reviewed even better

A group of people are trapped in an elevator high above Philadelphia, and one of them is the Devil.

Marrowbone poster
Marrowbone
2017 Β· dir. Sergio G. SΓ‘nchez
πŸ… 49%β˜… 6.7thriller Β· horror Β· mystery

The same preoccupation in both: murder

A young man and his three younger siblings are plagued by a sinister presence in the sprawling manor in which they live.

Resolution poster
Resolution
2013 Β· dir. Justin Benson
πŸ… 81%β˜… 6.4horror Β· thriller Β· mystery

The same mix in both: dread, then unease

A man imprisons his estranged junkie friend in an isolated cabin in the boonies of San Diego to force him through a week of sobriety, but the events of that week are being mysteriously manipulated.

House of Wax poster
House of Wax
2005 Β· dir. Jaume Collet-Serra
πŸ… 27%β˜… 5.5horror Β· thriller Β· mystery

Twisty where it counts, tense underneath

A group of unwitting teens are stranded near a strange wax museum and soon must fight to survive and keep from becoming the next exhibit.

Finders Keepers poster
Finders Keepers
2014 Β· dir. Alexander Yellen
πŸ… 98%β˜… 4.3mystery Β· thriller Β· horror

Horror with a pulse of dread, in both cases

A haunted doll teaches one little girl why children shouldn't play with undead things.

Noroi: The Curse poster
Noroi: The Curse
2005 Β· dir. Koji Shiraishi
β˜… 6.8horror Β· mystery Β· thriller

Both lean on unease more than on mystery

A documentary filmmaker explores seemingly unrelated paranormal incidents connected by the legend of an ancient demon.

You're Next poster
You're Next
2013 Β· dir. Adam Wingard
πŸ… 79%β˜… 6.6horror Β· thriller Β· mystery

Twisty thriller, and it commits to that

When the Davison family comes under attack during their wedding anniversary getaway, the gang of mysterious killers soon learns that one of their victims harbors a secret talent for fighting back.

Goodnight Mommy poster
Goodnight Mommy
2015 Β· dir. Severin Fiala
πŸ… 85%β˜… 6.7horror Β· mystery Β· thriller

Tense horror in both cases

In the heat of the summer lays a lonesome house in the countryside where nine year old twin brothers await their mother’s return. When she comes home, bandaged after cosmetic surgery, nothing is like before and the children start to doubt whether this woman is actually who she says she is.

Paranormal Activity 3 poster
Paranormal Activity 3
2011 Β· dir. Henry Joost
πŸ… 68%β˜… 5.8horror Β· mystery

One thread runs through both: supernatural

The difference: None of the tension Case 39 is built on

In 1988, young sisters Katie and Kristi befriend an invisible entity who resides in their home.

The Grudge poster
The Grudge
2004 Β· dir. Takashi Shimizu
πŸ… 41%β˜… 5.9horror Β· mystery Β· thriller

Mystery built on dread, twice over

An American nurse living and working in Tokyo is exposed to a mysterious supernatural curse, one that locks a person in a powerful rage before claiming their life and spreading to another victim.

The Nameless poster
The Nameless
1999 Β· dir. Jaume BalaguerΓ³
πŸ… 20%β˜… 5.8thriller Β· mystery Β· horror

Unsettling thriller in both cases

The difference: Leans harder into drama than Case 39 does

The mutilated body of a six year old girl is found in a water hole. The girl is identified as the missing daughter of Claudia. However, only two peices of evidence could be used to identify her; a bracelet with her name on it near the crime scene, and the fact that her right leg was three inches longer than her left. All other methods of identification were removed from her body. Five years later Claudia, now addicted to tranquilizers, receives a phone call from someone claiming to be her daughter, asking for her mother to come find her before 'they' kill her. Other mysterious clues show up, further indicating that Claudia's daughter is indeed still alive, and very much in danger. Claudia, a run-down ex-cop, and a parapsychology reporter put together the clues to discover Angela's whereabouts

In the mood for more dread?

all dread movies β†’

The best-reviewed films that share Case 39’s defining feeling.