feelsalike.comSign in
Insidious poster

Movies that feel likeInsidious (2011)

A family discovers that dark spirits have invaded their home after their son inexplicably falls into an endless sleep. When they reach out to a professional for help, they learn things are a lot more personal than they thought.

If you loved Insidious, the closest films we have are The Conjuring (2013), Orphan (2009) and Evil Dead Rise (2023). All three share Insidious' dread and unsettling feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Lake Mungo (2009).

🍅 66% Rotten Tomatoes★ 6.8 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗dir. James Wandreadunsettlingtense
11 of 12 streaming nowNetflix · HBO Max · Amazon Prime Video

Can't choose? Answer three questions and get one movie for tonight.

Stream it:MGM+ ↗
See it on the Mood Map

When is Insidious streaming? →

If Insidious hit the spot, these will too

Looking for the series itself? Also in this series: Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013) · Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015) · Insidious: The Last Key (2018)

The Conjuring poster
The Conjuring
2013 · dir. James Wan
🍅 86%★ 7.5horror · thrillerMax

Wan's other haunted family — same dread engine, more polish

The difference: Case-file framing, period warmth

Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren work to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in their farmhouse. Forced to confront a powerful entity, the Warrens find themselves caught in the most terrifying case of their lives.

Orphan poster
Orphan
2009 · dir. Jaume Collet-Serra
🍅 59%★ 7horror · thrillerMax

The family unit invaded from within

The difference: Human threat, twist-driven

After losing their baby, a married couple adopt 9-year old Esther, who may not be as innocent as she seems.

Evil Dead Rise poster
Evil Dead Rise
2023 · dir. Lee Cronin
🍅 85%★ 6.5horror · thrillerMax

A family besieged by demonic possession

The difference: Gore-forward, apartment-bound

A reunion between two estranged sisters gets cut short by the rise of flesh-possessing demons, thrusting them into a primal battle for survival as they face the most nightmarish version of family imaginable.

Lake Mungo poster
Lake Mungo
2009 · dir. Joel Anderson
🍅 92%★ 6.2horror · thriller

A family unraveling a haunting that turns out to be about their own grief

The difference: Faux-documentary stillness — unease accumulates, jump scares never come

After 16-year-old Alice Palmer drowns at a local dam, her family experiences a series of strange, inexplicable events centered in and around their home. Unsettled, the Palmers seek the help of a psychic and parapsychologist, who discovers that Alice led a secret, double life. At Lake Mungo, Alice's secret past emerges.

Halloween poster
Halloween
2018 · dir. David Gordon Green
🍅 79%★ 6.5horror · thrillerPeacock

Evil returning for a family that never healed

The difference: Slasher, no astral plane

Laurie Strode comes to her final confrontation with Michael Myers, the masked figure who has haunted her since she narrowly escaped his killing spree on Halloween night four decades ago.

Drag Me to Hell poster
Drag Me to Hell
2009 · dir. Sam Raimi
🍅 92%★ 6.6horror · thrillerParamount+Peacock

A curse escalating with gleeful cruelty

The difference: Raimi carnival tone

After denying a woman the extension she needs to keep her home, loan officer Christine Brown sees her once-promising life take a startling turn for the worse. Christine is convinced she's been cursed by a Gypsy, but her boyfriend is skeptical. Her only hope seems to lie in a psychic who claims he can help her lift the curse and keep her soul from being dragged straight to hell.

Dead Silence poster
Dead Silence
2007 · dir. James Wan
🍅 22%★ 6.2horror

Wan's earlier stab at supernatural menace with its own creepy mythology

The difference: A creaky puppet gimmick — atmosphere without the emotional anchor

Jamie returns to his hometown in search of answers to his wife's murder, which occurred after receiving a weird package containing a ventriloquist dummy named Billy, which may be linked to the legend of ventriloquist Mary Shaw. Destined to find out the truth, Jamie goes to the town of Raven's Fair, where Shaw used to perform and is buried. But Jamie is in for more than he expected.

Friday the 13th poster
Friday the 13th
2009 · dir. Marcus Nispel
🍅 26%★ 5.5horror · thrillerMax

The same preoccupation in both: halloween

The difference: The critics' underdog of the pair

A group of young adults visit a boarded up campsite named Crystal Lake where they soon encounter the mysterious Jason Voorhees and his deadly intentions.

[REC]² poster
[REC]²
2009 · dir. Jaume Balagueró
🍅 67%★ 6.5thriller · horror

Both land dread and unease at once

The action continues from [REC], with the medical officer and a SWAT team outfitted with video cameras are sent into the sealed off apartment to control the situation.

When Evil Lurks poster
When Evil Lurks
2023 · dir. Demián Rugna
🍅 96%★ 6.9horror · thrillerRent or buy

Possession spreading like sickness, with rules that punish every mistake

The difference: Vastly crueler — graphic, nihilistic, and nobody is safe

When brothers Pedro and Jimi discover that a demonic infection has been festering in a nearby farmhouse, they attempt to evict the victim from their land. Failing to adhere to the proper rites of exorcism, their reckless actions inadvertently trigger an epidemic of possessions across their rural community.

30 Days of Night poster
30 Days of Night
2007 · dir. David Slade
🍅 51%★ 6.6horror · thriller

Both lean on tension more than on horror

This is the story of an isolated Alaskan town that is plunged into darkness for a month each year when the sun sinks below the horizon. As the last rays of light fade, the town is attacked by a bloodthirsty gang of vampires bent on an uninterrupted orgy of destruction. Only the small town's husband-and-wife Sheriff team stand between the survivors and certain destruction.

Creep poster
Creep
2014 · dir. Patrick Brice
🍅 91%★ 6.3horror · thrillerNetflixPrime Video

Thriller with a pulse of dread, in both cases

Looking for work, Aaron comes across a cryptic online ad: "$1,000 for the day. Filming service. Discretion is appreciated." Low on cash and full of naiveté, he decides to go for it. He drives to a cabin in a remote mountain town where he meets Josef, his cinematic subject for the day. Josef is sincere and the project seems heartfelt, so Aaron begins to film. But as the day goes on, it becomes clear that Josef is not who he says, and his intentions are not at all pure.

In the mood for more dread?

all dread movies →

The best-reviewed films that share Insidious’ defining feeling.