Films like The Sixth Sense

15 picks with a similar feel

What defines The Sixth Sense, going by its Boxlist taste profile: Expect a heightened, weighty thriller, fresh rather than familiar. Best if you like depth over escapism. Its strongest markers on Boxlist are themes of troubled leads, injustice and vengeance and mysteries that are not what they seem, plus tags such as school play, spiritism and ghost child.

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 Sixth Sense (1999).

  1. 1

    The Housemaid (2025)

    Film7.3

    Why it's like The Sixth Sense: Also inventive and weighty, with themes of troubled leads and mysteries that are not what they seem. Common ground: psychological thriller.

  2. 2

    Ghost (1990)

    Film7.2

    Why it's like The Sixth Sense: Also heightened and weighty, with themes of injustice and vengeance and mysteries that are not what they seem. Common ground: spiritism, afterlife, ghost.

  3. 3

    Hereditary (2018)

    Film7.2

    Why it's like The Sixth Sense: Also heightened and weighty, with themes of troubled leads and injustice and vengeance. Common ground: loss of loved one.

  4. 4

    Memento (2000)

    Film8.2

    Why it's like The Sixth Sense: Also weighty and inventive, with themes of troubled leads and injustice and vengeance. Common ground: psychological thriller.

  5. 5

    Gone Girl (2014)

    Film7.9

    Why it's like The Sixth Sense: Also weighty and intricate, with themes of troubled leads and injustice and vengeance. Common ground: marriage crisis, psychological thriller.

  6. 6

    Vertigo (1958)

    Film8.2

    Why it's like The Sixth Sense: Also inventive and weighty, with themes of troubled leads and mysteries that are not what they seem. Common ground: sense of guilt, psychological thriller.

  7. 7

    Stonehearst Asylum (2014)

    Film6.8

    Why it's like The Sixth Sense: Also inventive and heightened, with themes of troubled leads and mysteries that are not what they seem. Common ground: psychological thriller.

  8. 8

    Unbreakable (2000)

    Film7.1Lighter option

    Why it's like The Sixth Sense: Also heightened and inventive, with themes of troubled leads and mysteries that are not what they seem. Common ground: marriage crisis.

  9. 9

    Us (2019)

    Film7.0

    Why it's like The Sixth Sense: Also heightened and weighty, with themes of troubled leads and mysteries that are not what they seem. Common ground: psychological thriller.

  10. 10

    Misery (1990)

    Film7.7

    Why it's like The Sixth Sense: Also weighty and heightened, with themes of troubled leads and mysteries that are not what they seem. Common ground: psychological thriller.

  11. 11

    Antichrist (2009)

    Film6.7Easier to follow

    Why it's like The Sixth Sense: Also heightened and weighty, with themes of troubled leads and mysteries that are not what they seem. Common ground: psychological thriller.

  12. 12

    Don't Worry Darling (2022)

    Film6.9

    Why it's like The Sixth Sense: Also heightened and inventive, with themes of troubled leads and mysteries that are not what they seem. Common ground: psychological thriller.

  13. 13

    Shutter Island (2010)

    Film8.2

    Why it's like The Sixth Sense: Also weighty and inventive, with themes of troubled leads and mysteries that are not what they seem. Common ground: psychological thriller.

  14. 14

    Arrival (2016)

    Film7.6

    Why it's like The Sixth Sense: Also heightened and weighty, with themes of troubled leads and injustice and vengeance.

  15. 15

    Get Out (2017)

    Film7.6Lighter option

    Why it's like The Sixth Sense: Also heightened and inventive, with themes of troubled leads and injustice and vengeance. Common ground: psychological thriller.

Boxlist compares The Sixth Sense 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.

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Questions

What should I watch if I like The Sixth Sense?
Picks with a similar feel include The Housemaid, Ghost, Hereditary and Memento. Each shares part of The Sixth Sense's taste profile, themes or tags; the full list has 15 films.
How are these films like The Sixth Sense chosen?
Boxlist compares The Sixth Sense 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 Sixth Sense?
Unbreakable has a similar feel but scores lighter on Boxlist's weightiness scale.

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