Movies Like Nell (1994)

Nell is a 1994 drama, thriller film from Michael Apted with a MovieMagicScore of 6.6/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Wolfwalkers and The Last House on the Left.

Drama Thriller

Wolfwalkers

2020

In a time of superstition and magic, when wolves are seen as demonic and nature an evil to be tamed, a young apprentice hunter comes to Ireland with her father to wipe out the last pack. But when she saves a wild native girl, their friendship leads her to discover the world of the Wolfwalkers and transform her into the very thing her father is tasked to destroy.

8.2

MagicScore

The Last House on the Left

2009

When athletic teen Mari Collingwood opts to hang out with her friend Paige in town rather than spend an evening in with her parents vacationing at the family's remote lake house, it marks the beginning of a night no one is going to forget.

6.5

MagicScore

Human Nature

2001

Obsessive scientist Nathan and his lover, the naturalist Lila, discover Puff: a man born and raised in the wild. As Nathan trains the wild man in the civilized ways of the world, Lila fights to preserve the man’s natural state. In the power struggle that ensues, an unusual love triangle emerges.

6.0

MagicScore

Kiss the Girls

1997

Forensic psychologist and detective Alex Cross travels to North Carolina and teams with escaped kidnap victim Kate McTiernan to hunt down "Casanova," a serial killer who abducts strong-willed women and forces them to submit to his demands. The trail leads to Los Angeles, where the duo discovers that the psychopath may not be working alone.

6.5

MagicScore

Tethered

2022

Miles from civilization, a blind teenager and the hunter he befriends are tormented by a mysterious creature lurking in the woods.

4.7

MagicScore

Feral

2012

A wild boy is found in the woods by a solitary hunter and brought back to civilization. Alienated by a strange new environment, the boy tries to adapt by using the same strategies that kept him safe in the forest.

7.0

MagicScore

Surviving with Wolves

2007

In 1942, the young Jewish girl Misha, her Russian mother Gerusha and her German father Reuven hide from the Germans in a small house in Ardennes, Belgium. Misha is very connected to her mother that advises her that if one day a person comes to her saying "love of my life", she would follow him or her without any question. When her parents are captured by the Nazis, Misha is delivered to a German family and the abusive matriarch gives a bad treatment to the girl. However, she finds support in the family of Ernest and his deranged wife Marthe that supplies groceries to foster family. Misha loves Ernest's dogs and the old man gives a compass to her and tells that her parents have been sent to East to forced labor. When the old couple is denounced for sheltering the girl and arrested by the Germans, Misha flees through the woods heading east. Along her journey seeking out her parents...

6.2

MagicScore

Mercury Rising

1998

Renegade FBI agent Art Jeffries protects a nine-year-old autistic boy who has cracked the government's new "unbreakable" code.

6.3

MagicScore

Stuck in Love

2013

An acclaimed writer, his ex-wife, and their teenaged children come to terms with the complexities of love in all its forms over the course of one tumultuous year.

7.4

MagicScore

#10

Eden Lake

2008

When a young couple goes to a remote wooded lake for a romantic getaway, their quiet weekend is shattered by an aggressive group of local kids. Rowdiness quickly turns to rage as the teens terrorize the couple in unimaginable ways, and a weekend outing becomes a bloody battle for survival.

6.8

MagicScore

#11

Distance

2001

On the third anniversary of a cult's failed chemical attack on Tokyo and their subsequent mass suicide, family members of those affected gather at the cult's former base on the shores of a lake to observe the anniversary of their loved ones' deaths.

6.6

MagicScore

#12

Into the Forest

2016

Tom (8) and Benjamin (11) travel to Stockholm to spend the summer with their father, whom they have barely seen since he divorced their mother. Tom, in particular, knows next to nothing about this strange, solitary man who seems never to sleep. When he suggests they spend a few days at his cabin in the country, the boys are delighted. But the cabin is totally isolated in the middle of a huge forest, a place both beautiful and troubling.

5.4

MagicScore

#13

Solaris

2002

A troubled psychologist is sent to investigate the crew of an isolated research station orbiting a bizarre planet.

5.9

MagicScore

#14

Daylight

2013

Young lawyer Iris discovers that she has an older, autistic half-brother Ray, who is in prison for the atrocious murder of his neighbour and her five-year-old daughter. When she meets Ray he reminds her a lot of her own son Aron, who also is autistic, and she starts to believe that he is innocent.

6.7

MagicScore

#15

Rain Man

1988

When car dealer Charlie Babbitt learns that his estranged father has died, he returns home to Cincinnati, where he discovers that he has a savant older brother named Raymond and that his father's $3 million fortune is being left to the mental institution in which Raymond lives. Motivated by his father's money, Charlie checks Raymond out of the facility in order to return with him to Los Angeles. The brothers' cross-country trip ends up changing both their lives.

7.8

MagicScore

#16

White Frog

2013

Story of a neglected teen with mild Asperger’s syndrome whose life is changed forever when tragedy hits his family.

5.9

MagicScore

#17

The Toxic Avenger Unrated

2025

When a downtrodden janitor, Winston Gooze, is exposed to a catastrophic toxic accident, he’s transformed into a new kind of hero: The Toxic Avenger. Now, Toxie must rise from outcast to savior, taking on ruthless corporate overlords and corrupt forces who threaten his son, his friends, and his community.

6.0

MagicScore

#18

Dead in 3 days

2006

When Nina and her high school friends receive eerie text messages declaring that they will all die within three days, they dismiss it as a hokey prank - until one by one, the pals start turning up dead in the alpine countryside. With the cops stymied, Nina and her remaining friends must scour their past for clues to identify the madman before he kills them all.

5.3

MagicScore

#19

Wrong Turn 6: Last Resort

2014

A sudden and mysterious inheritance brings Danny and his friends to Hobb Springs, a forgotten resort deep in the West Virginia hills. Hobb Springs is being looked after under the watchful care of Jackson and Sally, a socially awkward couple who introduce Danny to the long lost family he's never known. A clan by the name of Hillicker. But soon Danny learns his relatives have a different way of living, that for generations, the Hillickers have observed ancient traditions rooted in cannibalism and other taboo rituals.

5.4

MagicScore

#20

Lake Bodom

2016

Four friends are spending the night at Lake Bodom, where unsolved murders took place many years ago. The young men are determined to venture into the dense forest to solve the mystery.

5.3

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Nell?

The top films similar to Nell by MovieMagicScore are Wolfwalkers (8.2), The Last House on the Left (6.5), Human Nature (6.0). Each shares drama/thriller themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Nell worth watching?

Nell holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.6/10 from 530 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Nell?

Nell (1994) is a drama, thriller film directed by Michael Apted, starring Jodie Foster, Liam Neeson, Natasha Richardson.

Where can I find more recommendations like Nell?

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

Keep exploring

Movies like Wolfwalkers Movies like The Last House on the Left Movies like Human Nature Movies like Kiss the Girls Movies like Tethered Movies like Feral

About movies like Nell

This ranked list pairs Nell (1994), a drama and thriller film from Michael Apted, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Jodie Foster 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.

← Back to Nell