12 Movies Like Stranger Things You Need to Watch
Craving eerie mysteries, sci-fi twists, and supernatural drama? Explore 12 picks, from Stranger Things to Dark and The Kettering Incident, now.
If you’re hunting for movies like Stranger Things, the best picks usually mix eerie small-town secrets, teen or family drama, and a mystery that keeps tightening its grip. This list brings together standouts such as The Kettering Incident, Dark, Without Name, Cold Moon, and The Midnight Man, each offering its own spin on suspense, sci-fi, fantasy, or horror. You’ll also find emotionally rich stories like The Leftovers and genre favorites like Shadowhunters, which lean into larger mythologies without losing the human side. Whether you want time-bending puzzles, supernatural chill, or a moody coming-of-age edge, these titles capture a similar feeling in different ways.
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01
The Kettering Incident
crime · drama · horror · mystery · sci-fi · thriller
Anna Macy left Kettering when she was just 14, shortly after her best friend, Gillian Baxter mysteriously disappeared. The two girls had been playing in the forbidden forests outside Kettering when they saw strange lights in the sky. Eight hours later, Anna was found alone, terrified and covered in blood. 15 years on, Anna returns to find the town struggling to survive. The forests have been marked for logging and the community is being torn apart by passionate but violent clashes between environmentalists and the local loggers.
Directed by Tony Krawitz, Rowan WoodsCast Elizabeth Debicki, Matthew Le Nevez, Henry Nixon, Anthony Phelan, Damon GameauAmazon Prime VideoPeacock Premium -
02
Dark
crime · drama · mystery · sci-fi · thriller
A missing child causes four families to help each other for answers. What they could not imagine is that this mystery would be connected to innumerable other secrets of the small town.
Directed by Baran bo OdarCast Louis Hofmann, Karoline Eichhorn, Lisa Vicari, Maja Schöne, Jördis TriebelNetflix -
03
Without Name
drama · horror · mystery · thriller
A land surveyor working in an unnamed woodland area is disturbed and beguiled by a strange silhouette that moves amongst the trees.
Directed by Lorcan FinneganCast Alan McKenna, Niamh Algar, James Browne, Olga Wehrly, Brandon MaherAMC+ -
04
The Leftovers
drama · fantasy · mystery · thriller
When 2% of the world's population abruptly disappears without explanation, the world struggles to understand just what they're supposed to do about it. This is the story of the people who didn't make the cut.
Directed by Mimi Leder, Carl Franklin, Keith Gordon, Craig Zobel, Daniel SackheimCast Justin Theroux, Amy Brenneman, Christopher Eccleston, Chris Zylka, Carrie CoonMax -
05
Shadowhunters
action · drama · fantasy · romance
When Clary Fray's mother has disappeared, Clary joins a band of Shadowhunters; demon killing hunters, and gets caught up in a plan to save the world.
Directed by Matthew Hastings, J. Miles Dale, Joshua Butler, Amanda Row, Andy WolkCast Katherine McNamara, Dominic Sherwood, Alberto Rosende, Matthew Daddario, Emeraude ToubiaHulu -
06
Cold Moon
crime · drama · horror · mystery · thriller
Cold Moon takes place in tiny Babylon, Fla., where the granddaughter of Clark’s character is murdered by a mysterious assailant, her body sunk into the black waters of the Styx River — the river where her parents disappeared from their boat a decade earlier. Suspicion falls on a duplicitous banker and his wealthy father, played by Stewart and Lloyd.
Directed by Griff FurstCast Josh Stewart, Candy Clark, Robbie Kay, Frank Whaley, Christopher LloydAmazon Prime VideoFreevee -
07
The Midnight Man
fantasy · horror · mystery
A girl and her friends find a game in the attic that summons a creature known as The Midnight Man, who uses their worst fears against them.
Directed by Travis ZariwnyCast Summer H. Howell, Keenan Lehmann, Meredith Rose, Kyle Strauts, Gabrielle HaughAMC+ -
08
NOS4A2
drama · fantasy · horror · mystery · thriller
A young Victoria "Vic" McQueen discovers she has the power to unlock portals that help her find lost objects. As she delves further into this hidden universe, she encounters many other "inscape travelers" - some benevolent, and some who have been corrupted by their power. When Vic encounters Charlie Manx, an immortal who stays that way by feeding off of the souls of children, she makes a sworn enemy of Manx.
Directed by John Shiban, Hanelle M. Culpepper, Kari Skogland, Tim Southam, Jeremy WebbCast Ashleigh Cummings, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Jahkara Smith, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Virginia KullAMC+ -
09
Freakish
science-fiction · mystery & thriller · action & adventure · drama · horror
A group of students trapped in a high school must fight for survival when predatory mutant freaks take over after a meltdown at the local chemical plant.
Directed by Chris Grismer, Michael A. Allowitz, Tony Solomons, Craig Wallace, Heather CappielloCast Leo Howard, Liza Koshy, Adam Hicks, Meghan Rienks, Tyler ChaseHuluParamount Plus -
10
Glitch
drama · horror · sci-fi · thriller
A police officer and a doctor face an emotionally charged mystery when seven local residents inexplicably return from the dead in peak physical form.
Directed by Emma Freeman, Tony KrawitzCast Patrick Brammall, Emma Booth, Sean Keenan, Hannah Monson, John LearyNetflix -
11
Caddo Lake
drama · mystery · sci-fi · thriller
When an 8-year-old girl disappears on Caddo Lake, a series of past deaths and disappearances begin to link together, altering a broken family's history.
Directed by Logan George, Celine HeldCast Dylan O'Brien, Eliza Scanlen, Caroline Falk, Lauren Ambrose, Sam HenningsMax -
12
Van Helsing
action · drama · fantasy · horror
Vanessa Helsing, the daughter of famous vampire hunter and Dracula nemesis Abraham Van Helsing is resurrected five years in the future to find out that vampires have taken over the world and that she possesses unique power over them. She is humanity’s last hope to lead an offensive to take back what has been lost.
Directed by Jonathan Scarfe, Michael Nankin, David Winning, Jacquie Gould, Jason PriestleyCast Kelly Overton, Jonathan Scarfe, Aleks Paunovic, Rukiya Bernard, Vincent GaleAmazon Prime VideoFreevee
Wrapping Up
These picks give you a broad range of eerie, emotional, and mind-bending stories, from the haunted atmosphere of Without Name to the time-loop tension of Dark. If you love shows and films that blend mystery with supernatural stakes, this page should help you find your next obsession without endless scrolling. Bookmark it and come back whenever you want a fresh watchlist, because we update this page regularly to keep the recommendations useful. As new releases arrive and older favorites stay relevant, the mix here will continue to evolve.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes these movies similar to Stranger Things?
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