Films like The Silence of the Lambs
15 picks with a similar feel
What defines The Silence of the Lambs, going by its Boxlist taste profile: A weighty horror film that is morally murky, raw and intricate. Best if you like depth over escapism. Its strongest markers on Boxlist are themes of troubled leads, deep rivalry and mysteries that are not what they seem, plus tags such as cannibal, psychological thriller and psychopath.
Here are 15 films with a similar feel, ranked by how closely they match that profile. Treat them as picks to try, not a definitive list.
Based on The Silence of the Lambs (1991).
- 1
American Psycho (2000)
Film7.3Lighter option
Why it's like The Silence of the Lambs: Also dark and inventive, with themes of troubled leads and mysteries that are not what they seem. Common ground: psychological thriller, psychopath, serial killer.
- 2
Misery (1990)
Film7.7
Why it's like The Silence of the Lambs: Also weighty and dark, with themes of troubled leads and mysteries that are not what they seem. Common ground: psychological thriller, psychopath.
- 3
Mr. Brooks (2007)
Film6.9
Why it's like The Silence of the Lambs: Also weighty and dark, with themes of deep rivalry and mysteries that are not what they seem. Common ground: psychopath, serial killer, murder.
- 4
Shutter Island (2010)
Film8.2
Why it's like The Silence of the Lambs: Also weighty and dark, with themes of troubled leads and deep rivalry. Common ground: psychological thriller.
- 5
Funny Games (1997)
Film7.3
Why it's like The Silence of the Lambs: Also dark and weighty, with themes of troubled leads and mysteries that are not what they seem. Common ground: psychological thriller, serial killer.
- 6
Cape Fear (1991)
Film7.3
Why it's like The Silence of the Lambs: Also weighty and dark, with themes of troubled leads and deep rivalry. Common ground: psychological thriller.
- 7
mother! (2017)
Film7.0Slower burn
Why it's like The Silence of the Lambs: Also weighty and dark, with themes of troubled leads and mysteries that are not what they seem. Common ground: cannibal.
- 8
Black Phone 2 (2025)
Film6.7
Why it's like The Silence of the Lambs: Also weighty and dark, with themes of troubled leads and mysteries that are not what they seem. Common ground: horror, serial killer, murder.
- 9
Gone Girl (2014)
Film7.9
Why it's like The Silence of the Lambs: Also weighty and dark, with themes of troubled leads and deep rivalry. Common ground: psychological thriller.
- 10
Us (2019)
Film7.0
Why it's like The Silence of the Lambs: Also weighty and dark, with themes of troubled leads and mysteries that are not what they seem. Common ground: psychological thriller, murder.
- 11
The Shining (1980)
Film8.2
Why it's like The Silence of the Lambs: Also dark and weighty, with themes of troubled leads and mysteries that are not what they seem. Common ground: psychological thriller.
- 12
Joker (2019)
Film8.2
Why it's like The Silence of the Lambs: Also weighty and dark, with themes of troubled leads and deep rivalry. Common ground: psychological thriller, murder.
- 13
The Bone Collector (1999)
Film6.8
Why it's like The Silence of the Lambs: Also weighty and dark, with themes of deep rivalry and mysteries that are not what they seem. Common ground: psychopath, serial killer.
- 14
The House That Jack Built (2018)
Film7.2
Why it's like The Silence of the Lambs: Also dark and weighty, with themes of resilience and survival. Common ground: psychopath, serial killer.
- 15
Gone Baby Gone (2007)
Film7.3
Why it's like The Silence of the Lambs: Also weighty and dark, with themes of troubled leads and deep rivalry. Common ground: kidnapping, murder.
Boxlist compares The Silence of the Lambs with every film in its catalogue on ten taste scores (pace, tone, weight, realism and more), story themes, genres and TMDB keywords, and ranks the closest. Every pick has a TMDB rating of 6.7 or more from at least 1,000 votes, new releases wait until their ratings settle, and only one title per franchise makes the list. It is an approximation of feel, so treat it as a starting point. Ratings are TMDB audience scores out of 10.
Which of these suit you?
Take the taste test and every pick shows how well it matches you.
Take the taste testQuestions
- What should I watch if I like The Silence of the Lambs?
- Picks with a similar feel include American Psycho, Misery, Mr. Brooks and Shutter Island. Each shares part of The Silence of the Lambs's taste profile, themes or tags; the full list has 15 films.
- How are these films like The Silence of the Lambs chosen?
- Boxlist compares The Silence of the Lambs with every film in its catalogue on ten taste scores (pace, tone, weight, realism and more), story themes, genres and TMDB keywords, and ranks the closest. Every pick has a TMDB rating of 6.7 or more from at least 1,000 votes, new releases wait until their ratings settle, and only one title per franchise makes the list. It is an approximation of feel, so treat it as a starting point.
- Is there a lighter film like The Silence of the Lambs?
- American Psycho has a similar feel but scores lighter on Boxlist's weightiness scale.