12 Movies Like First Reformed You Need to Watch
Find 12 tense, thoughtful picks similar to First Reformed, from Hereditary and Pyewacket to Jackals, I Remember You, and more today.
If you came here for movies like First Reformed, you probably want more than a slow burn—you want unease, moral weight, and a story that keeps pressing on your mind after the credits. This list brings together tense dramas, bleak mysteries, and unsettling horror, with titles such as Hereditary, Pyewacket, I Remember You, and The Unholy. You’ll also find darker, more reflective picks like Jackals, Mountain Top, and Little Siberia, which lean into isolation, faith, grief, and hidden truths. Whether you’re drawn to spiritual crisis, family strain, or a haunting atmosphere that never lets up, these films cover that same uneasy territory in different ways.
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01
Jackals
drama · horror · mystery · thriller
Set in the 1980s, an estranged family hires a cult deprogrammer to take back their teenage son from a murderous cult, but find themselves under siege when the cultists surround their cabin, demanding the boy back.
Directed by Kevin GreutertCast Deborah Kara Unger, Ben Sullivan, Chelsea Ricketts, Nick Roux, Johnathon SchaechAmazon Prime Video -
02
Mountain Top
drama · family · mystery
A lawyer-turned-preacher living in a small Appalachian town is pursued by an eccentric man to represent him in court. Now involved in a case that ties into his own small-town life, the former attorney agrees to help a man.
Directed by Gary WheelerCast Barry Corbin, Coby Ryan McLaughlin, Valerie Azlynn, Lin Shaye, Danny VinsonPeacock Premium -
03
Hereditary
drama · horror · mystery · thriller
Following the death of the Leigh family matriarch, Annie and her children uncover disturbing secrets about their heritage. Their daily lives are not only impacted, but they also become entangled in a chilling fate from which they cannot escape, driving them to the brink of madness.
Directed by Ari AsterCast Alex Wolff, Gabriel Byrne, Toni Collette, Milly Shapiro, Christy SummerhaysMax -
04
Little Siberia
comedy · drama · thriller
A pastor's faith turns upside down when a meteorite lands in his small Finnish town, its impact stirring up chaos and criminal intentions.
Directed by Dome KarukoskiCast Eero Ritala, Malla Malmivaara, Tommi Korpela, Rune Temte, Severi SaarinenNetflix -
05
Pyewacket
drama · horror · mystery · thriller
A frustrated, angry teenage girl awakens something in the woods when she naively performs an occult ritual to invoke a witch to kill her mother.
Directed by Adam MacDonaldCast Laurie Holden, Nicole Muñoz, Chloe Rose, Eric Osborne, Romeo CarereAMC+ -
06
I Remember You
drama · horror · mystery · thriller
After an older lady hangs herself in a church, a new psychiatrist discovers she was obsessed with the disappearance of his eight-year-old son, who vanished three years earlier. Meanwhile, three city dwellers are restoring a house when they realize it is haunted.
Directed by Óskar Thór AxelssonCast Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Ágústa Eva Erlendsdóttir, Anna Gunndís Guðmundsdóttir, Thorvaldur Kristjansson, Sara Dögg ÁsgeirsdóttirAMC+ -
07
The Unholy
drama · horror · mystery · thriller
Alice is a young hearing-impaired girl who, after a supposed visitation from the Virgin Mary, is inexplicably able to hear, speak and heal the sick. As word spreads and people from near and far flock to witness her miracles, a disgraced journalist hoping to revive his career visits the small New England town to investigate. When terrifying events begin to happen all around, he starts to question if these phenomena are the works of the Virgin Mary or something much more sinister.
Directed by Evan SpiliotopoulosCast Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Cricket Brown, William Sadler, Katie Aselton, Cary ElwesHulu -
08
Revelations
crime · drama · mystery · thriller
A pastor who believes in divine revelation and a detective haunted by visions pursue a missing person case — exposing their own demons in the process.
Directed by Yeon Sang-hoCast Shin Hyeon-bin, Ryu Jun-yeol, Han Ji-Hyun, Choi Kwang-il, Park Ji-yeonNetflix -
09
Beast
crime · drama · mystery · romance · thriller
A troubled woman living in an isolated community finds herself pulled between the control of her oppressive family and the allure of a secretive outsider suspected of a series of brutal murders.
Directed by Michael PearceCast Jessie Buckley, Geraldine James, Oliver Maltman, Trystan Gravelle, Tim WoodwardAmazon Prime VideoFreevee -
10
White Noise
comedy · drama · horror · mystery
Jack Gladney, professor of Hitler studies at The-College-on-the-Hill, husband to Babette, and father to four children/stepchildren, is torn asunder by a chemical spill from a rail car that releases an "Airborne Toxic Event" forcing Jack to confront his biggest fear - his own mortality.
Directed by Noah BaumbachCast Don Cheadle, Madison Gaughan, Douglas Brodax, Carly Brodax, Jill BrodaxNetflix -
11
The Shack
drama · fantasy
A grieving man receives a mysterious, personal invitation to meet with God at a place called 'The Shack'.
Directed by Stuart HazeldineCast Sam Worthington, Octavia Spencer, Tim McGraw, Radha Mitchell, Megan CharpentierNetflix -
12
Agnes
drama · horror
Rumors of demonic possession at a religious convent prompts a church investigation into the strange goings-on among its nuns. A disaffected priest and his neophyte are confronted with temptation, bloodshed and a crisis of faith.
Directed by Mickey ReeceCast Molly C. Quinn, Sean Gunn, Chris Sullivan, Hayley McFarland, Chris BrowningNetflix
Wrapping Up
What makes this kind of watchlist useful is the range: some picks are more psychological, some are rooted in family tension, and others push harder into horror or mystery. That mix gives you several ways to chase the same somber, reflective mood without ending up with the same story twice. If you’re building a queue for a thoughtful, unnerving night in, bookmark this page and come back when you want a fresh option. It’s updated regularly, so you’ll keep finding new recommendations alongside the older favorites.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes these movies similar to First Reformed?
These picks were matched by tone, themes, and story style using a similarity model trained on plot synopses, genres, and cast — not just shared genre tags — so the connection runs deeper than a simple category match.
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Last updated: September 11, 2026