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Knowing poster

Movies that feel likeKnowing (2009)

A teacher opens a time capsule that has been dug up at his son's elementary school; in it are some chilling predictions -- some that have already occurred and others that are about to -- that lead him to believe his family plays a role in the events that are about to unfold.

If you loved Knowing, the closest films we have are Contagion (2011), Fracture (2007) and Disclosure Day (2026). All three share Knowing's tense and melancholy feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Paradise (2023).

πŸ… 35% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 6.2 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Alex Proyascerebraltensemelancholy
10 of 12 streaming nowNetflix Β· HBO Max Β· FXNow

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If Knowing hit the spot, these will too

Contagion poster
Contagion
2011 Β· dir. Steven Soderbergh
πŸ… 85%β˜… 6.8drama Β· thriller Β· science fictionMax

The same mix in both: ideas, then tension

The difference: Critics rated this one higher still

As an epidemic of a lethal airborne virus - that kills within days - rapidly grows, the worldwide medical community races to find a cure and control the panic that spreads faster than the virus itself.

Fracture poster
Fracture
2007 Β· dir. Gregory Hoblit
πŸ… 72%β˜… 7.2thriller

Melancholy thriller in both cases

The difference: Takes it somewhere less cerebral than Knowing does

A husband is on trial for the attempted murder of his wife, in what is seemingly an open/shut case for the ambitious district attorney trying to put him away. However, there are surprises for both around every corner, and, as a suspenseful game of cat-and-mouse is played out, each must manipulate and outwit the other.

Disclosure Day poster
Disclosure Day
2026 Β· dir. Steven Spielberg
πŸ… 79%β˜… 6.4science fiction Β· thrillerRent or buy

The same preoccupation in both: alien

A cybersecurity expert becomes a whistleblower after uncovering secrets about aliens, putting him on the run from a corporation. Meanwhile, a meteorologist experiencing strange phenomena joins forces with him to prove there's life beyond our understanding.

Fall poster
Fall
2022 Β· dir. Scott Mann
πŸ… 80%β˜… 6.4thrillerRent or buy

Science fiction with a pulse of tension, in both cases

For best friends Becky and Hunter, life is all about conquering fears and pushing limits. But after they climb 2,000 feet to the top of a remote, abandoned radio tower, they find themselves stranded with no way down. Now Becky and Hunter's expert climbing skills will be put to the ultimate test as they desperately fight to survive the elements, a lack of supplies, and vertigo-inducing heights.

Paradise poster
Paradise
2023 Β· dir. Boris Kunz
πŸ… 100%β˜… 6.3science fiction Β· thrillerNetflix

Science fiction built on ideas, twice over

A man sees the dark side of the time-manipulating biotech company he works for when a crushing debt forces his wife to give up 40 years of her own life.

Predestination poster
Predestination
2014 Β· dir. Michael Spierig
πŸ… 84%β˜… 7.4science fiction Β· thriller

Cerebral thriller, and it commits to that

Predestination chronicles the life of a Temporal Agent sent on an intricate series of time-travel journeys designed to prevent future killers from committing their crimes. Now, on his final assignment, the Agent must stop the one criminal that has eluded him throughout time and prevent a devastating attack in which thousands of lives will be lost.

The Happening poster
The Happening
2008 Β· dir. M. Night Shyamalan
πŸ… 17%β˜… 5thriller Β· science fiction

Both lean on melancholy more than on science fiction

When a deadly airborne virus threatens to wipe out the northeastern United States, teacher Elliot Moore and his wife Alma flee from contaminated cities into the countryside in a fight to discover the truth. Is it terrorism, the accidental release of some toxic military bio weapon -- or something even more sinister?

Self/less poster
Self/less
2015 Β· dir. Tarsem Singh
πŸ… 18%β˜… 6.5science fiction Β· action Β· thriller

Thriller built on tension, twice over

The difference: Leans harder into action than Knowing does

An extremely wealthy elderly man dying from cancer undergoes a radical medical procedure that transfers his consciousness to the body of a healthy young man but everything may not be as good as it seems when he starts to uncover the mystery of the body's origins and the secret organization that will kill to keep its secrets.

Looper poster
Looper
2012 Β· dir. Rian Johnson
πŸ… 93%β˜… 7.4action Β· thriller Β· science fictionStarz

The shared currency is melancholy

In the year 2044, time travel has not yet been invented but in 30 years it will have been. When the mob wants to get rid of someone, they will send their target into the past where a looper, a hired gun, like Joe is waiting to mop up. Joe is getting rich and life is good until the day the mob decides to close the loop, sending back Joe's future self for assassination.

Under the Skin poster
Under the Skin
2014 Β· dir. Jonathan Glazer
πŸ… 83%β˜… 6.3thriller Β· science fiction Β· dramaNetflix

Common ground: alien

A seductive stranger prowls the streets of Glasgow in search of prey: unsuspecting men who fall under her spell.

Maze Runner: The Death Cure poster
Maze Runner: The Death Cure
2018 Β· dir. Wes Ball
πŸ… 43%β˜… 6.3science fiction Β· action Β· adventureMax

Science fiction approached the same way

Thomas leads his group of escaped Gladers on their final and most dangerous mission yet. To save their friends, they must break into the legendary Last City, a WCKD-controlled labyrinth that may turn out to be the deadliest maze of all. Anyone who makes it out alive will get answers to the questions the Gladers have been asking since they first arrived in the maze.

Predators poster
Predators
2010 Β· dir. NimrΓ³d Antal
πŸ… 66%β˜… 6.4science fiction Β· action Β· thriller

Both are thriller through and through

A group of cold-blooded killers find themselves trapped on an alien planet to be hunted by extraterrestrial Predators.

In the mood for more cerebral?

all cerebral movies β†’

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