Movies Like A Stranger Is Watching (1982)

A Stranger Is Watching is a 1982 drama, horror, thriller film from Sean S. Cunningham with a MovieMagicScore of 4.5/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with The Candy Snatchers and 'R Xmas.

Drama Horror Thriller

The Candy Snatchers

1973

A nonverbal autistic boy stumbles upon a teenage heiress who has been kidnapped by a trio of young psychopaths, who are intent on extorting diamonds from her stepfather.

6.3

MagicScore

'R Xmas

2001

A New York drug dealer is kidnapped, and his wife must try to come up with the money and drugs to free him from his abductors before Christmas.

6.2

MagicScore

Oxygen

1999

When housewife Frances Hannon is abducted and buried alive, detective Madeline Foster is brought in. With only 24 hours before Frances' oxygen runs out, Madeline pursues the trail laid by a killer calling himself Harry Houdini. After capturing him, Madeline brings Harry back to the police station, but is unable to get him to confess where Frances is buried. As time runs down, Harry gets inside the head of unstable, alcoholic Madeline.

6.0

MagicScore

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three

1974

In New York, armed men hijack a subway car and demand a ransom for the passengers. Even if it's paid, how could they get away?

7.5

MagicScore

The Black Windmill

1974

A British agent's son is kidnapped and held for a ransom of diamonds. The agent finds out that he can't even count on the people he thought were on his side to help him, so he decides to track down the kidnappers himself.

6.2

MagicScore

House on the Edge of the Park

1980

A posh couple experience car trouble on their way to a villa party and stop into a local mechanic's shop for assistance, unaware of his shady background. After he and his mentally challenged assistant fix the car, the couple invite them to the party to return the favor, leading to an evening of mayhem.

5.9

MagicScore

Midori

1992

After losing her parents, young flower selling Midori is put up by a fairground group. She is abused and forced to slavery, until the arrival of an enigmatic magician of short stature, who gives her hope for a better future.

6.1

MagicScore

Exposed

2016

After witnessing a miracle, a young Latina woman experiences strange things as a police detective searches for the truth behind his partner's death.

4.9

MagicScore

Not Forgotten

2009

Set in a Tex-Mex border town, Not Forgotten is a classic psychological thriller about Jack and Amaya Bishop, a couple who must come to terms with their tortured pasts in order to save their kidnapped daughter. It is a tale taut with intrigue and steeped in Latino mysticism, where the line between what's real and what's imagined becomes hopelessly blurred.

5.0

MagicScore

#10

High and Low

1963

A Yokohama shoe executive faces a wrenching choice when kidnappers mistakenly seize his chauffeur’s son but demand the ransom anyway.

8.4

MagicScore

#11

Fargo

1996

Jerry, a small-town Minnesota car salesman is bursting at the seams with debt... but he's got a plan. He's going to hire two thugs to kidnap his wife in a scheme to collect a hefty ransom from his wealthy father-in-law. It's going to be a snap and nobody's going to get hurt... until people start dying. Enter Police Chief Marge, a coffee-drinking, parka-wearing - and extremely pregnant - investigator who'll stop at nothing to get her man. And if you think her small-time investigative skills will give the crooks a run for their ransom... you betcha!

7.8

MagicScore

#12

Ransom!

1956

A wealthy business man stuns his wife and town with a televised response to his son's kidnappers.

7.2

MagicScore

#13

Seance on a Wet Afternoon

1964

Working-class British housewife Myra Savage reinvents herself as a medium, holding seances in the sitting room of her home with the hidden assistance of her under-employed, asthmatic husband, Billy. In an attempt to enhance her credibility as a psychic, Myra hatches an elaborate, ill-conceived plot to kidnap a wealthy couple's young daughter so that she can then help the police "find" the missing girl.

7.2

MagicScore

#14

Breakdown

1997

On their cross-country drive, a married couple, Jeff and Amy Taylor, experience car trouble after their SUV breaks down. Stranded in the New Mexico desert, the two catch a break when a passing truck driver offers Amy a ride to a nearby café to call for help. Meanwhile, Jeff is able to fix the car and make his way to the café, but Amy isn't there. He tracks down the trucker ― who tells the police he's never seen Jeff or his wife before. Jeff then begins a desperate, frenzied search for Amy.

6.9

MagicScore

#15

Abigail

2024

A group of criminals kidnap a teenage ballet dancer, the daughter of a notorious gang leader, in order to obtain a ransom of $50 million, but over time, they discover that she is not just an ordinary girl. After the kidnappers begin to diminish, one by one, they discover, to their increasing horror, that they are locked inside with no normal little girl.

6.7

MagicScore

#16

Suicide Kings

1997

Carlo, a former mobster, is abducted by five privileged young men desperate to raise a $2 million ransom to save the sister of a friend. As Carlo plays mind games, however, his captors splinter -- each wondering whether one of their own had a hand in the crime.

6.6

MagicScore

#17

The Disappearance of Alice Creed

2009

A rich man's daughter is held captive in an abandoned apartment by two former convicts who abducted her and hold her ransom in exchange for her father's money.

6.4

MagicScore

#18

The Way of the Gun

2000

Two criminal drifters without sympathy get more than they bargained for after kidnapping and holding for ransom the surrogate mother of a powerful and shady man.

6.3

MagicScore

#19

The Saratov Approach

2013

An inspirational true story. On what seemed like any other day, Elders Travis Tuttle (Corbin Allred) and Andrew Propst (Maclain Nelson) are approached by Nikolai (Nikita Bogolyubov) to teach a friend. But then the missionaries experience the unimaginable - they are kidnapped, beaten, and held for ransom. While their families, friends, and the world pray for their safe release, Tuttle and Propst are tested physically, emotionally, and most of all spiritually.

6.1

MagicScore

#20

The Clearing

2004

When affluent executive Wayne Hayes is kidnapped by a disgruntled employee and held for ransom in a forest, Wayne’s wife is forced to reckon with the FBI agents as they negotiate with the kidnapper.

5.8

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like A Stranger Is Watching?

The top films similar to A Stranger Is Watching by MovieMagicScore are The Candy Snatchers (6.3), 'R Xmas (6.2), Oxygen (6.0). Each shares drama/horror/thriller themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is A Stranger Is Watching worth watching?

A Stranger Is Watching holds a MovieMagicScore of 4.5/10 from 22 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is A Stranger Is Watching?

A Stranger Is Watching (1982) is a drama, horror, thriller film directed by Sean S. Cunningham, starring Kate Mulgrew, Rip Torn, James Naughton.

Where can I find more recommendations like A Stranger Is Watching?

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 The Candy Snatchers Movies like 'R Xmas Movies like Oxygen Movies like The Taking of Pelham One Two Three Movies like The Black Windmill Movies like House on the Edge of the Park

About movies like A Stranger Is Watching

This ranked list pairs A Stranger Is Watching (1982), a drama and horror and thriller film from Sean S. Cunningham, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Kate Mulgrew 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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