Movies Like Child of God (2014)

Child of God is a 2014 crime, drama, thriller film from James Franco with a MovieMagicScore of 4.8/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with The Devil All the Time and The Silencing.

Crime Drama Thriller

The Devil All the Time

2020

In Knockemstiff, Ohio and its neighboring backwoods, sinister characters converge around young Arvin Russell as he fights the evil forces that threaten him and his family.

7.2

MagicScore

The Silencing

2020

A reformed hunter becomes involved in a deadly game of cat and mouse when he and the local sheriff set out to track a vicious killer who may have kidnapped his daughter years ago.

6.4

MagicScore

Bone Tomahawk

2015

During a shootout in a saloon, Sheriff Hunt injures a suspicious stranger. The doctor's assistant, wife of the local foreman, tends to him in prison. That night, the town is attacked and they both disappear—only the arrow of a cannibal tribe is found. Hunt and a few of his men go in search of the prisoner and the foreman's wife.

6.9

MagicScore

In the Heat of the Night

1967

African-American Philadelphia police detective Virgil Tibbs is arrested on suspicion of murder by Bill Gillespie, the racist police chief of tiny Sparta, Mississippi. After Tibbs proves not only his own innocence but that of another man, he joins forces with Gillespie to track down the real killer. Their investigation takes them through every social level of the town, with Tibbs making enemies as well as unlikely friends as he hunts for the truth.

7.6

MagicScore

Macon County Line

1974

A vengeful Southern sheriff is out for blood after his wife is brutally killed by a pair of drifters. Low-budget film set in Georgia in 1953 and at the time of release, purported to be based on a true story.

5.7

MagicScore

Rust Creek

2019

When an overachieving college senior makes a wrong turn, her road trip becomes a life-changing fight for survival in rural Kentucky.

6.3

MagicScore

The Flim-Flam Man

1967

Mordecai Jones, a silver-tongued swindler and self-proclaimed “M.B.S., C.S., D.D.—Master of Back-Stabbing, Cork-Screwing and Double-Dealing,” has made a career out of charming and cheating his way through life. Played with devilish charm by George C. Scott, Jones takes on a new protégé in Curley, a wide-eyed Army deserter eager for direction. Together, they crisscross the backroads of the rural South, pulling off a string of homespun cons while staying one step ahead of a relentless local sheriff. Along the way, Curley falls for Bonnie Lee Packard, a rebellious heiress who joins their misadventures. But as the scams grow riskier, Curley begins to wonder whether a life of flimflam is worth the price. With its colorful characters, offbeat humor, and standout performance by Scott, The Flim-Flam Man is a rollicking Southern caper about cons, conscience, and unlikely camaraderie.

7.0

MagicScore

Sweet Virginia

2017

A former rodeo star, now a motel manager, meets a young man who is responsible for the violence that suddenly has seized his small town.

5.9

MagicScore

Clown in a Cornfield

2025

Quinn and her father have just moved to the quiet town of Kettle Springs hoping for a fresh start. Instead, she discovers a fractured community that has fallen on hard times after the treasured Baypen Corn Syrup Factory burned down. As the locals bicker amongst themselves and tensions boil over, a sinister, grinning figure emerges from the cornfields to cleanse the town of its burdens, one bloody victim at a time.

6.1

MagicScore

#10

Straw Dogs

2011

A young couple moves to a quaint southern town. Soon their perfect getaway turns out to become a living hell when dark secrets and lethal passions spiral out of control.

5.9

MagicScore

#11

Charley Varrick

1973

Charley Varrick robs a bank in a small town with his friends, but instead of obtaining a small amount of money, they discover they stole a very large amount of money belonging to the mob. Charley must now come up with a plan to not only evade the police but the mob as well.

7.3

MagicScore

#12

Mean Dreams

2016

When two youngsters meet and fall for each other, they must go on the run from the girl's corrupt father, who is also the sheriff of the town.

6.4

MagicScore

#13

Brigham City

2001

Wes Clayton is a lawman and a bishop in a Mormon community called Brigham. The town is shaken when a woman from California is found murdered. Clayton and his young deputy work with an FBI agent sent to investigate. As a civil and spiritual leader in the frightened town, Clayton must uncover the town's deepest secrets, find the murderer and keep Brigham from ripping itself apart.

6.4

MagicScore

#14

Clay Pigeons

1998

Clay is a young man in a small town who witnesses his friend, Earl, kill himself because of the ongoing affair that Clay was having with the man's wife, Amanda. Feeling guilty, Clay now resists the widow when she presses him to continue with the affair. Clay unknowingly befriends a serial killer named Lester Long who murders the widow in an attempt to "help" his "fishing buddy."

6.2

MagicScore

#15

Berserker

1987

Six young adults in the woods run afoul of a berserker, a viking warrior who dons the fur and snout of a bear, and are slain in turn by him.

4.5

MagicScore

#16

Fire in the Sky

1993

After clearing brush for the government, a group of men return to town claiming their friend was abducted. Despite no apparent motive or evidence of foul play, no-one believes their story and his disappearance is treated as murder.

6.7

MagicScore

#17

Eddington

2025

In May of 2020, a standoff between a small-town sheriff and mayor sparks a powder keg as neighbor is pitted against neighbor in Eddington, New Mexico.

6.4

MagicScore

#18

The California Kid

1974

A sadistic small-town sheriff has a habit of deliberately forcing speeders to their deaths on the mountain roads leading into town. The brother of one of the victims rolls into town in his hot rod to investigate his brother's death.

6.2

MagicScore

#19

Traffik

2018

A couple off for a romantic weekend in the mountains are accosted by a biker gang. Alone in the mountains, Brea and John must defend themselves against the gang, who will stop at nothing to protect their secrets.

6.1

MagicScore

#20

The Integrity of Joseph Chambers

2023

Fearing the apocalypse, an insurance salesman sets off into the woods on a solo hunting experiment.

5.0

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Child of God?

The top films similar to Child of God by MovieMagicScore are The Devil All the Time (7.2), The Silencing (6.4), Bone Tomahawk (6.9). Each shares crime/drama/thriller themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Child of God worth watching?

Child of God holds a MovieMagicScore of 4.8/10 from 88 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Child of God?

Child of God (2014) is a crime, drama, thriller film directed by James Franco, starring Scott Haze, Wade Hunt Williams, James Franco.

Where can I find more recommendations like Child of God?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more crime recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like The Devil All the Time Movies like The Silencing Movies like Bone Tomahawk Movies like In the Heat of the Night Movies like Macon County Line Movies like Rust Creek

About movies like Child of God

This ranked list pairs Child of God (2014), a crime and drama and thriller film from James Franco, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Scott Haze take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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