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Movies that feel like The Old Dark House (1932)

If you loved The Old Dark House, the closest films we have are Frankenstein (1931), The Black Cat (1934) and The Invisible Man (1933). All three share The Old Dark House's dread and unsettling feel, which is what we rank on before quality. 9 of the 12 picks below are included with a subscription right now on HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video and Peacock Premium and others, checked against today's data.

In a remote region of Wales, five travelers beset by a relentless storm find shelter in an old mansion.

πŸ… 97% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 7 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. James Whalecontemplativedreadunsettlingtensedarkly funnylonely
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If The Old Dark House hit the spot, these will too

Frankenstein poster
Frankenstein
1931 Β· dir. James Whale
πŸ… 94%β˜… 7.7drama Β· horror Β· science fiction

James Whale directing both, with the same fingerprints on each

The difference: Not nearly as tense as The Old Dark House

Henry Frankenstein pieces together body parts in the hope of bringing a human-like creature to life. The mad scientist’s dreams are shattered by his monstrous creation awakening with rage to a world that hates and fears him.

Feels alike?
The Black Cat poster
The Black Cat
1934 Β· dir. Edgar G. Ulmer
πŸ… 89%β˜… 6.9horror Β· thriller

Both are working the same pair: black and white, pre-code

The difference: None of the stillness The Old Dark House is built on

After a road accident in Hungary, the American honeymooners Joan and Peter and the enigmatic Dr. Werdegast find refuge in the house of the famed architect Hjalmar Poelzig, who shares a dark past with the doctor.

Feels alike?
The Invisible Man poster
The Invisible Man
1933 Β· dir. James Whale
πŸ… 95%β˜… 7.6horror Β· science fiction

Both are James Whale's work, and they rhyme

The difference: Sits closer to science fiction than The Old Dark House does

After experimenting on himself and becoming invisible, scientist Jack Griffin, now aggressive due to the drug's effects, seeks a way to reverse the experiment at any cost.

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White Zombie poster
White Zombie
1932 Β· dir. Victor Halperin
πŸ… 77%β˜… 6.2horror

The same preoccupation in both: black and white

A wealthy landowner living in Haiti convinces a sorcerer to lure the woman he has fallen for away from her fiancΓ©. The madman later betrays their agreement by keeping the woman for himself…as a zombie.

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Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde poster
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
1931 Β· dir. Rouben Mamoulian
πŸ… 91%β˜… 7.6horror Β· science fiction Β· drama

One thread runs through both: pre-code

Dr. Henry Jekyll believes that there are two distinct sides to men: one that is good and one that is evil. He believes that by separating the two, man can become liberated. He succeeds in his experiments with chemicals to accomplish this and transforms into Hyde to commit horrendous crimes. When he discontinues use of the drug, it is already too late.

Feels alike?
Bride of Frankenstein poster
Bride of Frankenstein
1935 Β· dir. James Whale
πŸ… 98%β˜… 7.8horror Β· science fiction

Dread-soaked where it counts, unsettling underneath

Dr. Frankenstein and his monster both turn out to be alive after being attacked by an angry mob. The now-chastened scientist attempts to escape his past, but a former mentor forces him to assist with the creation of a new creature.

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The Most Dangerous Game poster
The Most Dangerous Game
1932 Β· dir. Irving Pichel
πŸ… 100%β˜… 7.1thriller Β· adventure Β· horror

Tense horror in both cases

When legendary hunter Bob Rainsford is shipwrecked on the perilous reefs surrounding a mysterious island, he finds himself the guest of the reclusive and eccentric Count Zaroff. While he is very gracious at first, Zaroff eventually forces Rainsford and two other shipwreck survivors, brother and sister Eve and Martin Towbridge, to participate in a sadistic game of cat and mouse in which they are the prey and he is the hunter.

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The Changeling poster
The Changeling
1980 Β· dir. Peter Medak
πŸ… 85%β˜… 7.1horror

Both keep coming back to the same thing: isolated house

The difference: Made in the 1980s, in a different era of the craft

After a tragic event happens, composer John Russell moves to Seattle to try to overcome it and build a new and peaceful life in a lonely big house that has been uninhabited for many years. But, soon after, the obscure history of such an old mansion and his own past begin to haunt him.

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The Wolf Man poster
The Wolf Man
1941 Β· dir. George Waggner
πŸ… 91%β˜… 7.2horror Β· drama

Common ground: wales

After his brother's death, Larry Talbot returns home to his father and the family estate. Events soon take a turn for the worse when Larry is bitten by a werewolf.

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Repulsion poster
Repulsion
1965 Β· dir. Roman Polanski
πŸ… 96%β˜… 7.6drama Β· thriller Β· horror

Contemplative and lonely in the same breath

Beautiful young manicurist Carole suffers from androphobia (the pathological fear of interaction with men). When her sister and roommate, Helen, leaves their London flat to go on an Italian holiday with her married boyfriend, Carole withdraws into her apartment. She begins to experience frightful hallucinations, her fear gradually mutating into madness.

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The Phantom of the Opera poster
The Phantom of the Opera
1925 Β· dir. Rupert Julian
πŸ… 90%β˜… 7.5horror

Drama built on dread, twice over

The deformed Phantom who haunts the Paris Opera House causes murder and mayhem in an attempt to make the woman he loves a star.

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Island of Lost Souls poster
Island of Lost Souls
1932 Β· dir. Erle C. Kenton
πŸ… 88%β˜… 7.4science fiction Β· horror

Unsettling thriller, and it commits to that

An obsessed scientist conducts profane experiments in evolution, eventually establishing himself as the self-styled demigod to a race of mutated, half-human abominations.

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In the mood for more contemplative?

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The best-reviewed films that share The Old Dark House’s defining feeling.