12 Movies Like The Wicker Man You Need to Watch
Craving eerie cult horror and tense mysteries? Explore films inspired by The Wicker Man, from The Pyx to The Crazies, plus more dark favorites.
If you want movies like The Wicker Man, start with folk-horror, cult tension, and stories where charm slowly gives way to dread. This list mixes eerie mysteries, brutal thrillers, and unsettling crime dramas, so there is plenty here whether you want slow-burn atmosphere or a sharper shock. Try The Pyx for a grim occult puzzle, The Crazies for panic and paranoia, and And Then There Were None for a classic locked-room mystery with a lethal edge. If you prefer something more unsettling and offbeat, Don’t Torture a Duckling, Sisters, and The Satanic Rites of Dracula all bring their own brand of menace. You can also branch out with Terminal Island and The Wicker Man itself, if you want to revisit the benchmark while exploring its darker cousins.
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01
The Pyx
crime · drama · mystery · thriller
A detective investigating the death of a heroin-addicted prostitute uncovers evidence pointing to the existence of a murderous devil cult.
Directed by Harvey HartCast Karen Black, Christopher Plummer, Donald Pilon, Jean-Louis Roux, Yvette Brind'amourFreevee -
02
Terminal Island
action · drama · thriller
After the U.S. Supreme Court banishes the death penalty, California decides to exile all convicted murderers to the remote island of San Bruno, overseen by a tyrannical camp leader who forces all female inmates into sex slavery.
Directed by Stephanie RothmanCast Don Marshall, Phyllis Davis, Ena Hartman, Marta Kristen, Barbara LeighAMC+ -
03
The Crazies
action · horror · sci-fi
The military attempts to contain a manmade virus causing death and permanent insanity in those infected, as it overtakes a small Pennsylvania town.
Directed by George A. RomeroCast Lane Carroll, Will MacMillan, Harold Wayne Jones, Lloyd Hollar, Lynn LowryAMC+ -
04
And Then There Were None
crime · drama · mystery · thriller
Ten strangers are summoned to a remote island and while they are waiting for the mysterious host to appear, a recording levels serious accusations at each of the guests. Soon they start being murdered, one by one. As the survivors try to keep their wits, they reach a disturbing conclusion: one of them must be the killer.
Directed by René ClairCast Barry Fitzgerald, Walter Huston, Louis Hayward, Roland Young, June DuprezFreevee -
05
Don't Torture a Duckling
horror · mystery · thriller
A reporter and a promiscuous young woman try to solve a series of child killings in a remote southern Italian town rife with superstition and a distrust of outsiders.
Directed by Lucio FulciCast Florinda Bolkan, Barbara Bouchet, Tomas Milian, Irene Papas, Marc PorelAMC+ -
06
Sisters
horror · mystery · thriller
Inquisitive journalist Grace Collier is horrified when she witnesses her neighbor, fashion model Danielle Breton, violently murder a man. Panicking, she calls the police. But when the detective arrives at the scene and finds nothing amiss, Grace is forced to take matters into her own hands. Her first move is to recruit private investigator Joseph Larch, who helps her to uncover a secret about Danielle's past that has them both seeing double.
Directed by Brian De PalmaCast Margot Kidder, Jennifer Salt, Charles Durning, William Finley, Lisle WilsonMax -
07
The Satanic Rites of Dracula
drama · horror
The police and British security forces call in Professor Van Helsing to help them investigate Satanic ritual which has been occurring in a large country house, and which has been attended by a government minister, an eminent scientist and secret service chief. The owner of the house is a mysterious property tycoon who is found to be behind a sinister plot involving a deadly plague. It is in fact Dracula who, sick of his interminable existence, has decided that he must end it all in the only possible way- by destroying every last potential victim.
Directed by Alan GibsonCast Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Michael Coles, William Franklyn, Freddie JonesFreevee -
08
Apostle
drama · fantasy · horror · mystery · thriller
In 1905, a man travels to a remote island in search of his missing sister who has been kidnapped by a mysterious religious cult.
Directed by Gareth EvansCast Dan Stevens, Richard Elfyn, Paul Higgins, Bill Milner, Catrin AaronNetflix -
09
The Death Wheelers
adventure · horror
A gang of young people call themselves the Living Dead. They terrorize the population from their small town. After an agreement with the devil, if they kill themselves firmly believing in it, they will survive and gain eternal life. Following their leader, they commit suicide one after the other, but things don't necessarily turn out as expected...
Directed by Don SharpCast George Sanders, Beryl Reid, Nicky Henson, Mary Larkin, Roy HolderAMC+ -
10
Horror Express
adventure · horror · sci-fi · thriller
Mysterious and unearthly deaths start to occur while Professor Saxton is transporting the frozen remains of a primitive humanoid creature he found in Manchuria back to Europe.
Directed by Eugenio MartínCast Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Alberto de Mendoza, Telly Savalas, Silvia TortosaAmazon Prime Video -
11
Lady Snowblood
action · crime · drama · thriller
Yuki's family is nearly wiped out before she is born due to the machinations of a band of criminals. These criminals kidnap and brutalize her mother but leave her alive. Later her mother ends up in prison with only revenge to keep her alive. She creates an instrument for this revenge by purposefully getting pregnant. Yuki never knows the love of a family but only killing and revenge.
Directed by Toshiya FujitaCast Meiko Kaji, Toshio Kurosawa, Masaaki Daimon, Miyoko Akaza, Shinichi UchidaMax -
12
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+
Wrapping Up
This collection works because it captures what made The Wicker Man so memorable: a mix of beauty, menace, and the feeling that something is terribly wrong just beneath the surface. Whether you lean toward horror, mystery, thriller, crime, or drama, these picks give you a range of moods without losing that uneasy pull. Bookmark this page if you like building a watchlist around a single mood or theme, and check back when you want another round of strange, tense, and unforgettable cinema. The page is updated regularly, so there is always something new to revisit or discover.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes these movies similar to The Wicker Man?
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 21, 2026