If you’re a fan of the spine-tingling horror flick Sinister, then you’re probably always on the hunt for more movies that will give you those same eerie, unsettling vibes. Sinister, directed by Scott Derrickson and starring Ethan Hawke, follows a true-crime writer who moves his family into a house where a gruesome murder took place, only to discover a box of disturbing home movies that unleash a supernatural horror on his own family.
The film is known for its creepy atmosphere, shocking jump scares, and terrifying depiction of the ancient pagan deity Bughuul. Sinister is a modern horror classic that will stick with you long after the credits roll. So if you’re craving more of the same, here are 14 movies that capture a similar tone and are sure to give you a good scare:
1. Insidious (2010)
Insidious is probably the closest in tone and style to Sinister. Directed by James Wan (Saw, The Conjuring), it tells the story of a couple (Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne) whose son falls into a coma and becomes a vessel for malevolent entities from another realm known as “The Further.” Like Sinister, it deals with a family moving into a new home and being terrorized by supernatural forces.
Insidious relies heavily on a tense, eerie atmosphere and well-timed jump scares to frighten audiences. The scenes of the father venturing into the shadowy purgatory of The Further are particularly chilling. If you enjoyed the haunted house vibes and demonic scares of Sinister, Insidious is a must-watch. It spawned three sequels, but the original remains the best of the bunch.
2. The Conjuring (2013)
The Conjuring is another supernatural horror hit from James Wan, this time focusing on the real-life case files of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga). In the film, the Warrens come to the aid of the Perron family, who are being terrorized by a dark presence in their farmhouse.
Like Sinister, The Conjuring is a slow-burn horror that takes its time building tension and dread before unleashing the full terror of its malevolent entities. The 1970s period setting adds to the eerie atmosphere, and the film benefits from strong performances, especially from Farmiga as the clairvoyant Lorraine. The Conjuring was a box office smash that launched a sprawling cinematic universe, but it remains one of the best of the series.
3. Hereditary (2018)
Hereditary is a deeply unsettling film that, like Sinister, deals with a family being torn apart by tragedy and tormented by supernatural forces beyond their control. When the Graham family matriarch passes away, her daughter (Toni Collette) and grandchildren begin to unravel cryptic and increasingly terrifying secrets about their ancestry.
Directed by Ari Aster in his feature debut, Hereditary is a masterclass in slow-burn horror that burrows under your skin and lingers there long after the movie ends. Collette gives a tour-de-force performance as a woman on the brink, and the film delivers some truly shocking moments of violence and dread. Hereditary is not an easy watch, but it’s one of the most effective horror films in recent memory.
4. The Ring (2002)
Gore Verbinski’s remake of the Japanese horror classic Ringu may not seem to have much in common with Sinister at first glance, but both films deal with cursed media that unleashes a supernatural evil. In The Ring, it’s a videotape that dooms anyone who watches it to die seven days later. Naomi Watts stars as a journalist investigating the urban legend who gets caught up in the curse herself.
The Ring kicked off a wave of American remakes of Asian horror films in the early 2000s, but it remains one of the best of the bunch. It’s a moody, atmospheric chiller with a memorably creepy villain in Samara, the ghostly girl at the center of the mystery. If you liked the “found footage” elements of Sinister, you’ll appreciate how The Ring uses the cursed videotape to similar effect.
5. Oculus (2013)
Oculus is a mind-bending horror film that, like Sinister, centers around a haunted object with a dark history. The object in question is the Lasser Glass, an antique mirror with a long legacy of driving its owners to madness and violence. Karen Gillan stars as a young woman determined to prove that the mirror was responsible for her parents’ deaths years earlier, while her brother (Brenton Thwaites) remains skeptical.
Directed by Mike Flanagan (The Haunting of Hill House), Oculus is a clever and unsettling film that plays with the audience’s perception of reality. As the siblings investigate the mirror, the lines between past and present, fantasy and reality, begin to blur in increasingly disorienting ways. With strong performances and genuine scares, Oculus is an underrated gem of the genre.
6. The Taking of Deborah Logan (2014)
The Taking of Deborah Logan is a found footage horror film that, like Sinister, slowly reveals the terrifying truth behind a seemingly normal family. Mia Medina (Michelle Ang) is a student making a documentary about Alzheimer’s patients and their caregivers. Her main subject is Deborah Logan (Jill Larson), an elderly woman whose condition is rapidly deteriorating. But as Mia digs deeper, she realizes that something far more sinister than Alzheimer’s is at work.
The Taking of Deborah Logan is a slow burn that builds to a truly unsettling climax, anchored by a phenomenal performance from Larson. The found footage conceit works well here, adding a layer of realism to the proceedings. Like Sinister, it taps into the fear of the unknown and the dread of watching a normal family slowly unravel in the face of an unstoppable evil.
7. The Babadook (2014)
On the surface, The Babadook may not seem to have much in common with Sinister. It’s a psychological horror film about a single mother, Amelia (Essie Davis), struggling to raise her troubled young son, Samuel (Noah Wiseman), after the death of her husband. But when a mysterious children’s book about a monster called the Babadook appears in their home, it unleashes a terrifying supernatural force that feeds on grief and resentment.
Like Sinister, The Babadook is a masterfully crafted horror film that uses its supernatural scares as a metaphor for very real human emotions and traumas. Davis gives a powerhouse performance as a woman barely holding it together, and the film’s depiction of the Babadook itself is truly chilling. It’s a deeply unsettling film that will linger with you long after it’s over.
8. It Follows (2014)
It Follows is a modern horror classic that, like Sinister, creates an atmosphere of unrelenting dread and paranoia. The film follows Jay (Maika Monroe), a teenage girl who, after a sexual encounter, finds herself stalked by a malevolent entity that can take the form of anyone. The only way to get rid of it is to pass it on to someone else through sex.
Writer-director David Robert Mitchell crafts a film that feels like a waking nightmare, with a palpable sense of unease that builds to a terrifying climax. Like Sinister, It Follows taps into primal fears – in this case, the fear of being followed and the anxiety surrounding sex and intimacy. It’s a smart, stylish horror film that will make you think twice about every stranger you pass on the street.
9. The Conjuring 2 (2016)
The sequel to James Wan’s 2013 hit The Conjuring may not quite reach the heights of the original, but it’s still a worthy follow-up that delivers plenty of scares. This time, paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) travel to London to help a single mother and her four children who are being terrorized by a malevolent spirit.
Like the first film, The Conjuring 2 is based on a real-life case investigated by the Warrens – in this case, the infamous Enfield Poltergeist. Wan once again proves himself a master of horror, crafting setpieces that are both terrifying and emotionally resonant. Wilson and Farmiga continue to anchor the series with their strong performances, and the film expands on the mythology established in the first film in intriguing ways.
10. Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016)
A prequel to the 2014 film Ouija, Ouija: Origin of Evil is a surprisingly effective horror film that, like Sinister, slowly builds dread before unleashing hell in its final act. Set in 1967 Los Angeles, it follows a widowed mother (Elizabeth Reaser) and her two daughters who run a seance scam business. But when they incorporate a Ouija board into their act, they accidentally invite a malevolent spirit into their home.
Directed by Mike Flanagan (Oculus, The Haunting of Hill House), Ouija: Origin of Evil is a stylish and creepy film that far surpasses its mediocre predecessor. Reaser gives a strong performance as a mother struggling to protect her daughters, and the period setting adds to the eerie atmosphere. Like Sinister, it’s a slow burn that takes its time setting up the characters and the stakes before delivering the scares.
11. The Ritual (2017)
The Ritual is a British horror film that, like Sinister, deals with ancient pagan deities and the terror they can unleash on the unsuspecting. The film follows a group of friends who embark on a hiking trip in Sweden in memory of their recently deceased friend. But when they take a shortcut through a forest, they find themselves stalked by a malevolent presence.
Based on the novel by Adam Nevill, The Ritual is a tense and atmospheric horror film that makes excellent use of its isolated forest setting. The characters are well-drawn and the performances are strong across the board, particularly Rafe Spall as the guilt-ridden protagonist. Like Sinister, it taps into the fear of the unknown and the dread of being hunted by something you can’t understand or escape.
12. The Lodge (2019)
The Lodge is a chilling psychological horror film that, like Sinister, traps its characters in a isolated location with a malevolent force. The film follows a soon-to-be stepmom (Riley Keough) who is snowed in with her fiancé’s two children at a remote holiday village. Cut off from the outside world, the trio are soon haunted by the woman’s dark past and an evil presence lurking in the lodge.
Directed by Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz (Goodnight Mommy), The Lodge is a slow-burn horror that builds an almost unbearable sense of dread and claustrophobia. Keough gives a mesmerizing performance as a woman teetering on the edge of sanity, and the film’s icy, minimalist aesthetic adds to the unsettling atmosphere. Like Sinister, it’s a film that will chill you to the bone.
13. Antlers (2021)
Antlers is a supernatural horror film that, like Sinister, deals with ancient, malevolent forces preying on a small town. Keri Russell stars as a schoolteacher in a remote Oregon town who becomes concerned about one of her students (Jeremy T. Thomas). As she digs deeper into his dark home life, she discovers a terrifying supernatural creature tied to the local legend of the Wendigo.
Produced by Guillermo del Toro and directed by Scott Cooper (Crazy Heart), Antlers is a moody, atmospheric horror film that takes its time building dread before unleashing hell in its climax. Russell gives a strong performance as a woman haunted by her own trauma, and the creature design is truly horrifying. Like Sinister, it taps into the fear of the unknown and the terror of facing an ancient evil.
14. Speak No Evil (2022)
Speak No Evil is a Danish psychological horror film that, like Sinister, slowly reveals the sinister truth lurking beneath the surface of a seemingly normal family. The film follows a Danish family who, while on holiday in Tuscany, befriend a Dutch family and later visit them in their countryside home. But what starts as an idyllic weekend soon turns into a nightmare as the hosts’ true nature is revealed.
Directed by Christian Tafdrup, Speak No Evil is a masterclass in slow-burn horror that builds an almost unbearable sense of dread and unease. The performances are uniformly excellent, particularly Morten Burian and Sidsel Siem Koch as the increasingly horrified Danish couple. Like Sinister, it’s a film that will make you question the true nature of the people around you and the evil that can lurk behind a friendly face.
These 14 films all capture the same sense of dread, unease, and terror that made Sinister such a memorable horror experience. From haunted houses to ancient demons to cursed objects, these movies will keep you up at night and make you think twice about turning off the lights. So if you’re a fan of Sinister and looking for your next horror fix, give these chilling films a watch – if you dare.
