30 Movies Like The Shining Fans Need To See

No matter how Stephen King may feel about Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining," it's a certified horror classic. And with good reason, as it's one of the best horror movies that operates on multiple levels: It both inspires scares and raises questions about the dangers of misogyny, alcoholism, isolation, and paranoia. It also explores the relationships between men and women, and parents and their children, in its intense horror setting. It's no wonder that over forty years later, it still has fans discussing theories about the details and mysteries of the Overlook Hotel. 

"The Shining" has also become a cultural touchstone outside the world of horror: An early "Treehouse of Horror" special on "The Simpsons" parodied the film as "The Shinning" and more recently, the film contributed a host of memes to the internet. "The Shining" also produced one of the boldest of the recent legacy sequel or "requel" movies in "Doctor Sleep," which sought to bring together the tones of Kubrick's film and King's novel for a continuation of both.

Suffice to say that "The Shining" is a big deal, which is why we're taking a look at 30 movies that fans of this classic will love. We're not claiming any of the movies on this list are better than "The Shining," but we do think that each of them can scratch a similar itch for different reasons. While the majority of the movies below are horror movies, some are sci-fi flicks and others are crime thrillers that we think address some of the same themes and evoke the same types of claustrophobic and paranoid feelings of watching "The Shining." So, let's take a look at these 30 movies like "The Shining" fans need to see.

"Antichrist" mirrors "The Shining" in some key ways that have landed it on this list. It's about a couple in a strained and potentially dangerous relationship, it takes place entirely in an isolated place cut off from the rest of society, and it can be characterized as a slow burn. "Antichrist" follows characters simply titled She (Charlotte Gainsbourg) and He (Willem Dafoe), who move to a cabin in a forest called "Eden" after the death of their child.

He is a therapist and attempts to counsel his wife through the stages of her powerful grief. He encourages her to discover what her greatest fear is, so that he can help her confront and overcome it. But there's something more going on too. He starts having visions — perhaps in reality, perhaps not — of animals that talk and suffer violently. He also discovers that while conducting research for her thesis on witch hunts and femicide, She became convinced that women are inherently evil.

From here, the film takes a turn into the artfully extreme that even the most dedicated horror fans will likely find difficult to watch. But the extremity of the film never unseats its thematic concerns with gender and the relationships between men and women. Instead, "Antichrist" uses its increasingly violent and chaotic story to thoroughly explore one woman's reaction to the history of women's mistreatment. Like "The Shining," it's a horror movie that simultaneously horrifies and inspires discussions that continue long after the movie ends.

"The Night of the Hunter" received such a poor reception upon its 1955 release that its first-time director — actor Charles Laughton — never directed again.Since then, however, it's become a cultural touchstone: It's been inducted into the Library of Congress, and in 2008, the influential French film journal Cahiers du Cinema named "The Night of the Hunter" as the second best film of all time after "Citizen Kane." And it's easy to see why.

The story, from the novel of the same name by Davis Grubb, follows preacher and serial killer, Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum in one of his greatest roles). Powell shares a jail cell with bank robber Ben Harper (Peter Graves), who regales him with stories of his hidden riches. When Harper is executed, Powell makes it his mission to find the thief's stash of cash. Powell is released from prison and tracks down Harper's widow and children. The story takes a number of twists and turns from there, largely focusing on Powell's attempts to get information on the money's whereabouts from Harper's children, John (Billy Chapin) and Pearl (Sally Jane Bruce).

"The Night of the Hunter" takes place across a number of different locations, while "The Shining" is confined to the Overlook. However, like Kubrick's film, Laughton's masterpiece is also about a dangerous man, who menaces children. And both films' atmospheres envelope the viewer to create the feeling of being slightly removed from reality and unsafe as a result.

"The Machinist" takes us through a number of locations over the course of its story, but it never really allows the audience to feel anything other than the isolation of protagonist Trevor Reznick (Christian Bale). Trevor hasn't slept in over a year — literally — and we can see the toll that this has taken on his body (Bale dropped down to 120 pounds for the role). He goes through the motions of his life as, you guessed it, a machinist, but strange things start to happen.

He meets a man named Ivan (John Sharian), who distracts him at work, leading to an accident in which a coworker loses an arm. Trevor is then told that there is no Ivan at his workplace. He discovers a post-it with a hangman game on his refrigerator. And every so often, his world seems to flicker in and out with visions from another, nearly indistinguishable one. The movie does a fantastic job of bringing the audience into Trevor's fractured headspace and makes us begin to question his reliability as a narrator.

Like "The Shining," "The Machinist" can be considered a "puzzle film" that invites the audience to parse things out and figure out exactly what is going on. Unlike "The Shining" though, "The Machinist" does offer answers by the end, and in doing so, delivers a surprisingly emotional finish for a story that is built on the anxiety of uncertainty and the horror of not being able to trust your own mind. It's also one of the more stylized horror movies around, as almost every shot is done in a stark gray tone with few pops of color. There are also a few frames that don't look quite right and make you question reality, much like Trevor, but their purpose is later revealed once the film comes together.

The isolation of being stuck in a hotel cut off from the rest of society because of a lot of snow is scary, but the isolation of floating through space and heading towards a black hole is absolutely horrifying. "High Life" is about exactly that experience: Monte (Robert Pattinson) is the only surviving member of a prison spacecraft on which everyone has died. But he's not entirely alone, as he is with his daughter Willow, who was born in space and has never known anything else. The movie follows Monte and Willow's life on the ship, as she grows from a baby (​Scarlette Lindsey) into a young teen (Jessie Ross), and we discover the events that led to Monte being the only surviving crew member.

"High Life" isn't exactly a horror movie, but the isolation and overwhelming sense of dread that the movie instills in the viewer makes it feel like one. But it's more than just the specific horror of isolation that makes "High Life" like "The Shining." It's the fact that both movies focus on how that isolation affects parents' relationships with their children. In "The Shining," Jack is driven mad and wants to eliminate his wife and child, but in "High Life," Willow is all Monte has, and he seems to cherish her and the fact that her birth saved him from being alone.

"Phantom Thread" may seem out of place on a list of movies like "The Shining" since it's not a genre movie. Or at least it isn't a genre movie on the surface. Alma Elson (Vicky Krieps) moves in with dressmaker Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day Lewis) and his sister Cyril (Lesley Manville) to serve as Reynolds' muse. While this plot, combined with the period and cultural setting in the dressmaking world of the 1950s, might lead viewers to believe "Phantom Thread" is a straightforward drama, it's anything but.

The majority of the film takes place within the confines of the Woodcock home, which – like the Overlook in "The Shining" — is a building with personality: It's filled with dark rooms, high ceilings, and long stairwells. And though it isn't the focus of the film, Reynolds has an obsession with his dead mother that leads him to believe her ghost is haunting the home. The film neither confirms nor denies this (we do see her once), but it's unclear if this is real or simply a trick that Reynold's mind plays on him.

The relationships between the three leads are so alternately hostile and loving that it's impossible for viewers to ever feel comfortable while watching the film. In fact, there's a sense that something can go wrong at any moment. It's not just cruel words and shouting matches that make up this intense environment: Alma discovers a surprisingly violent key to saving her relationship with Reynolds. It's an uncomfortable and tense movie that is sure to please fans of "The Shining," even if no one is killed with an axe here.

"The Devil's Candy" may be one of the scariest movies to come out in the last ten years. The story centers on Ray (Pruitt Taylor Vince), a man driven by the Devil to kill children (the titular "devil's candy"), who returns to his old home that's now occupied by the Hellmans. The Hellmans are artist dad Jesse (Ethan Embry), mom Astrid (Shiri Appleby), and tween daughter Zooey (Kiara Glasco), whom Ray targets because the Devil wants her.

"The Devil's Candy" focuses on the horror of the Devil — or rather, the horror of a man, who believes he hears the Devil and attempts to kidnap and kill an innocent person to obey this evil force. This alone would be enough to land this film a place among movies like "The Shining." However, "The Devil's Candy" goes further, as it shows us Jesse's descent into a potentially demonic madness as well. After moving into Ray's old home, Jesse begins to hear voices and is inspired to paint, almost as if it's out of his control. But his art is grotesque and horrifying, as it depicts children (including Zooey) in disturbing scenarios like being devoured by monsters and getting burned alive. 

This makes it unclear whether it's Ray or the house that is the true evil in the film. It's an uncertainty that creates both horror and a strange sense of sadness for Ray, who genuinely does not seem to want to hurt anyone but must obey the horrible commands spoken to him. "The Devil's Candy" is a seriously disturbing movie that we can only recommend to the bravest fans of "The Shining."

"Nocturnal Animals" is both based on a book ("Tony and Susan" by Austin Wright), and is also largely about a book. In this second film directed by fashion designer Tom Ford, gallery owner Susan (Amy Adams) receives a manuscript of her ex-husband's new novel, which sucks her into its narrative, and causes her to reflect on their relationship. While it can easily (and correctly) be described as "a movie about a woman reading a book," "Nocturnal Animals" is so much more than that.

We are brought into the world of the book, which becomes its own movie within the movie. And while the story of Susan reading the book and attending social gatherings and gallery meetings is grounded firmly in the mundane (or at least the mundane of wealthy people in the art world), the story of the novel is pure pulp revenge thriller. The novel follows Tony (Jake Gyllenhaal, who also plays Susan's ex-husband Edward), who works with a tough and not-always-by-the-book sheriff (Michael Shannon) to avenge the kidnapping and murder of his wife and daughter.

"Nocturnal Animals" lands on this list of movies like "The Shining" for its genre thrills, but also for the way that it portrays Susan's isolation. We see how alone Susan is in her large home, as well as how disconnected she is, even when she is interacting with others. The film also centers around the violence, both physical and psychological, that men and women can inflict on one another. The film explores this pain and suffering on multiple levels: There's the violent pulpy narrative of the book, and flashbacks to Susan and Edward's relationship, which inspires some aspects of the book.

Denis Villeneuve may now be considered mostly a science fiction director after his work on "Arrival," "Blade Runner 2049," and "Dune." But before turning his attention towards distant planets and potential futures, Villeneuve broke into Hollywood with 2013's "Prisoners," a disturbing thriller about the extreme lengths parents will go to for their children.

The movie begins when the daughters of the Dovers — Keller (Hugh Jackman) and Grace (Maria Bello) — and the Birches — Franklin (Terrence Howard) and Eliza (Zoë Soul) — are kidnapped. After police detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) arrests and releases Alex Jones (Paul Dano), a young man whose van was near the last known location of the girls, Keller becomes convinced of Alex's guilt and kidnaps him. Keller then tortures Alex, demanding answers on the whereabouts of his and the Birches' daughters. 

Similarly to "The Shining," "Prisoners" is concerned with what parents will do for their children, and it is also interested in the violence that adults can take out on children. Unlike "The Shining" though, it takes place entirely in the real world, where the only horrors are committed by humans (rather than supernatural forces). This may make it an even more frightening watch, even though "Prisoners" is a thriller and not a horror film.

"House on Haunted Hill" is one of the few movies on this list that can be characterized as fun. It's certainly a horror movie, as it's set at an isolated mansion filled with potential ghosts and a substantial death toll by the end. But director William Castle — perhaps best known for his gimmicks like the "fright break" in his later film "Homicidal" — renders the tone of the movie as something closer to an Agatha Christie murder mystery. Here, the audience's attempts to figure out what's happening aren't based in fear and anxiety, but rather in a more joyous curiosity about the machinations of the story.

The plot is an old familiar one: An eccentric millionaire invites a group of people to a party at a supposedly haunted mansion, and soon after the guests arrive, spooky things begin to happen. Despite the tonal differences between "House on Haunted Hill" and "The Shining," it's the setting and questions that arise in the former that make us feel like fans of "The Shining" will find a lot to love in this mysterious house on the hill. It also helps that Vincent Price has an incredible star presence as the millionaire Frederick Loren. In a simultaneously similar and different way from Jack Nicholson's work in "The Shining," Price makes it impossible to take your eyes off of him.

The third movie in "The Exorcist" franchise is the first to be directed by the source novels' author, William Peter Blatty. Also known as "The Exorcist III: Legion," this 1990 movie is again based on Blatty's own novel, but ignores the events of the panned second film "The Heretic," in which Blatty wasn't involved. In many ways, "The Exorcist III" feels like a standalone film with some connections to the original "Exorcist," but that's not really a bad thing.

"The Exorcist III" follows Lieutenant William F. Kinderman (George C. Scott), as he investigates a series of murders that match the modus operandi of the serial "Gemini Killer" (Brad Dourif), who was executed years ago. It's a movie that seamlessly mixes a crime mystery with horror: The deeper that Kinderman's investigation goes, the more it seems that there is a supernatural evil involved.

We think fans of "The Shining" will appreciate the ever-present sense of otherworldly evil that permeates "The Exorcist III," and the flashes of that evil breaking into our reality. The movies don't have similar plots by any means, but they do evoke kindred senses of horror.

We've covered movies that take place in mansions, strange hotels, and even one that takes place on a spaceship, but "Dawn of the Dead" is the only movie on this list that takes place in a mall. And as the second movie in George A. Romero's long-running "Dead" zombie franchise, it's also the only movie on this list about zombies.

"The Shining" isn't by any means a zombie movie, so it's not the threat of the undead (or the "living dead") that lands "Dawn of the Dead" on this list. Rather, it's the aforementioned setting. While a mall is a very different space from a hotel, they are both large public spaces that are hardly — if ever — empty, and seeing them as such can create a deep sense of unease. Quite simply, "Dawn of the Dead" is about a group of people, who hole up in a mall to survive a growing zombie threat in the world outside.

Long-seen as a biting commentary on materialism and consumer culture, "Dawn of the Dead" is on our list thanks to its portrayal of the strange isolation of four people living in an empty mall. It mirrors the solitary experience of Jack and his family in the massive Overlook hotel in a way that makes us think that any fan of "The Shining" will appreciate "Dawn of the Dead." And if that similarity isn't enough, we also think it's one of the best zombie movies of all time, which should pique any horror fan's interest.

"Session 9" is directed by Brad Anderson, who also directed "The Machinist," so it may be fair to say that generally, his work is inspired by both Kubrick and "The Shining." In fact, "Session 9" has quite clear connections to "The Shining," which some critics have pointed out and even argued make it scarier than "The Shining."

The story follows an asbestos abatement crew, who take on a job at an abandoned psychiatric hospital. Not surprisingly, tensions start to rise and strange things begin to happen in this very creepy location. "Session 9" follows in the footsteps of "The Shining" by locating an evil in a place that drives visitors into a violent madness. However, it differs in that the location is a hospital specifically suited to address violent madness. The movie's title refers to a number of recorded sessions with a former patient at the hospital, which one of the crew members finds. The horrors that this patient describes begin to resemble the increasingly frightening experiences of the crew, who begin to question what's real and what isn't.

What makes "Session 9" even scarier is the fact that it was filmed at the real Danvers State Hospital, the abandoned asylum that inspired the Arkham Sanitarium in H. P. Lovecraft's work (which in turn inspired the Arkham in Batman's Gotham). The sanitarium has since been mostly demolished and turned into apartments (we have to imagine only the brave rent there), but the location adds a significant spooky factor to "Session 9" in a way that Kubrick would admire.

Master of Suspense Alfred Hitchcock brings us the 1940 classic "Rebecca," which is based on Daphne du Maurier's book of the same name. "Rebecca" is the only movie directed by Hitchcock to ever win the Academy Award for Best Picture. While Hitchcock directed arguably more iconic movies later in his career, it's not hard to see why "Rebecca" remains so beloved.

"Rebecca" takes place in an isolated mansion called Manderley, where a young woman known only as the second Mrs. de Winter (Joan Fontaine) moves in after a whirlwind romance with wealthy Maxim de Winter (Laurence Olivier). Like some other movies on this list, "Rebecca" boasts an iconic villain in the form of Mrs. Danvers (Judith Anderson), who runs Manderley. Mrs. Danvers makes the second Mrs. de Winter's life miserable and takes every opportunity to remind the young woman that she will never amount to Rebecca, Maxim's first wife.

What makes "Rebecca" unique on this list is the way that it treats the specter of Rebecca. She is a constant presence in the movie: Mrs Danvers frequently invokes her greatness, while Maxim deals with his complicated feelings about her, which inform his relationship with the second Mrs. de Winter. In fact, the entire movie seems to live in the shadow of Rebecca. But there is never a question of a literal ghost haunting the home, as there is in some of the other movies like "Phantom Thread," "Gozu," or "House on Haunted Hill." This alone makes "Rebecca" worth seeking out to see just how Hitchcock deals with it.

"Under the Shadow," like "The Babadook," focuses on the relationship between a mother and child and the ways in which people experience trauma or PTSD. But unlike that movie, the backdrop for "Under the Shadow" is not one of individual grief over the loss of a husband, but rather the collective grief over living in a war zone since the film is set in the 1980s during the Iran-Iraq War. In the midst of an intensifying military conflict, Medical student Shideh (Narges Rashidi) chooses to remain in Tehran with her daughter Dorsa (Avin Manshadi). Shideh's husband Iraj (Bobby Naderi) is called into military service and pleads for Shideh to get out of the city, but she doesn't want to leave their home.

The already present dangers of the war take an even darker turn when a young boy moves with Shideh's neighbors after losing his parents in an attack. The boy warns Dorsa about Djinns, evil spirits that bring misfortune and can take possession of humans. Soon, both Dorsa and Shideh begin to experience nightmares and frightening hallucinations that only become more real as the film goes on. Eventually, all the other tenants of the building flee the city, leaving mother and daughter alone with a malevolent spirit that can take possession of either of them and create illusions to make them trick each other.

It's in its final stretch that "Under the Shadow" most reflects "The Shining." But overall, the film's exploration of the all-too-human threats of war combined with the supernatural terror of the Djinn make "Under the Shadow" a movie that any fans of "The Shining" or horror should watch.

"Crimson Peak," from Academy Award-winning director and devoted monster-lover Guillermo del Toro, is a movie that takes place in an isolated mansion that holds secret horrors. But unlike the other films on this list, it's fundamentally a romance movie (albeit a gothic romance).

"Crimson Peak" follows Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska), who is whisked off her feet by English baronet Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston). Thomas and his sister Lucille (Jessica Chastain in a deliciously villainous role) are anxious to raise capital for one of Thomas' inventions because despite the fancy title, they're broke. It's no matter for love-stricken Edith, who accompanies Thomas back to Allerdale Hall, his family's run-down mansion. Shortly after arriving at the estate, Edith begins to be plagued by nightmares and visions of sinewy ghosts, and discovers information about Thomas' previous wife, whom he had not told her about. All the while, Edith's childhood friend Alan (Charlie Hunnam) — who is desperately in love with her, of course — is conducting his own investigation and ends up following her to Allerdale Hall just in time for a wild finale.

"Crimson Peak" is an astoundingly beautiful movie that mixes horror, romance, and mystery to deliver a wonderfully creepy (and sometimes just plain icky) movie that will thrill fans of "The Shining," who are looking for something sumptuous and romantic.