Movies Like Don't Bother to Knock (1952)

Don't Bother to Knock is a 1952 drama, thriller film from Roy Ward Baker with a MovieMagicScore of 6.6/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Psycho and Perfect Blue.

Drama Thriller

Psycho

1960

When larcenous real estate clerk Marion Crane goes on the lam with a wad of cash and hopes of starting a new life, she ends up at the notorious Bates Motel, where manager Norman Bates cares for his housebound mother.

8.4

MagicScore

Perfect Blue

1998

Rising pop star Mima Kirigoe quits singing to pursue a career as an actress. After she takes up a role on a popular detective show, her handlers and collaborators begin turning up murdered. Harboring feelings of guilt and haunted by visions of her former self, Mima's reality and fantasy meld into a frenzied paranoia.

8.3

MagicScore

The Moustache

2005

One day, on a whim, Marc decides to shave off the moustache he's worn all of his adult life. He waits patiently for his wife's reaction, but neither she nor his friends seem to notice. Stranger still, when he finally tells them, they all insist he never had a moustache. Is Marc going mad? Is he the victim of some elaborate conspiracy? Or has something in the world's order gone terribly awry?

6.1

MagicScore

Singapore Sling

1990

Singapore Sling is chasing after Laura, a romantic memory from his past. One night he finds himself in a mysterious villa, watching two women bury a body. He falls into their trap and, in an atmosphere of isolation and decadence, the trio act out insane pleasure games and a ritual of blood and murder.

6.5

MagicScore

Bloody New Year

1987

Six shipwrecked English teenagers take refuge in an island hotel that is decorated for New Years. The problem is, it's early summer, and soon enough, even the walls themselves are striking out against them…

5.2

MagicScore

Insomnia

2002

Two Los Angeles homicide detectives are dispatched to a northern town where the sun doesn't set to investigate the methodical murder of a local teen.

7.0

MagicScore

Horsemen

2009

A recently widowed detective still grieving over his wife's death discovers a shocking connection between himself and the suspects in a serial killing spree linked to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

5.9

MagicScore

Goodbye Lover

1999

Police investigate when a man having an affair with his brother's wife disappears suddenly.

5.6

MagicScore

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

#10

The Case of the Scorpion's Tail

1971

After her husband dies in a freak plane accident, a woman leaves London for Athens to collect his generous life insurance policy. She soon discovers that others besides herself are keen to get their hands on the money - and are willing to kill for it. Meanwhile, a private investigator arrives to investigate irregularities in the claim, teaming up with a beautiful reporter.

6.3

MagicScore

#11

Bad Ronald

1974

When awkward teen Ronald Wilby accidentally kills a young girl whose sister rejected his affections, his overbearing mother decides to hide him from the law by creating a concealed room in their home for him to live.

6.2

MagicScore

#12

Bullitt

1968

Senator Walter Chalmers is aiming to take down mob boss Pete Ross with the help of testimony from the criminal's hothead brother Johnny, who is in protective custody in San Francisco under the watch of police lieutenant Frank Bullitt. When a pair of mob hitmen enter the scene, Bullitt follows their trail through a maze of complications and double-crosses. This thriller includes one of the most famous car chases ever filmed.

7.2

MagicScore

#13

True Romance

1993

Clarence marries hooker Alabama, steals cocaine from her pimp, and tries to sell it in Hollywood, while the owners of the coke try to reclaim it.

7.5

MagicScore

#14

The Fifth Cord

1971

A journalist finds himself on the trail of a murderer who's been targeting people around him, while the police are considering him a suspect in their investigation.

6.5

MagicScore

#15

Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 1980

2009

After 6 years of brutal murders, the West Yorkshire Police fear that they may have already interviewed The Ripper and let him back into the world to continue his reign of terror upon the citizens of Yorkshire. Assistant Chief Constable of the Manchester Police, Peter Hunter, is called in to oversee the West Yorkshire Police's Ripper investigation and see what they could have missed.

6.9

MagicScore

#16

You Were Never Really Here

2017

A traumatized veteran, unafraid of violence, tracks down missing girls for a living. When a job spins out of control, his nightmares begin to overtake him, and a conspiracy is uncovered—leading to what may be his death trip or his awakening.

6.5

MagicScore

#17

Cure

1997

A detective starts spiraling out of control when a wave of gruesome murders with seemingly similar bizarre circumstances is sweeping Tokyo.

7.5

MagicScore

#18

Killing Them Softly

2012

Jackie Cogan is an enforcer hired to restore order after three dumb guys rob a Mob protected card game, causing the local criminal economy to collapse.

6.0

MagicScore

#19

Jigsaw

1962

A woman is found murdered in a seaside house along the coast from Brighton in the county of East Sussex, England. Local D.I. Fred Fellows and D.S. Jim Wilks lead an investigation methodically following up leads and clues mostly in Brighton and Hove but also further afield. _-= Based on the novel "Sleep Long My Love" by Hillary Waugh and Inspired by the Brighton Trunk Murders of the late 1930's =-_

7.3

MagicScore

#20

Monsieur Hulot's Holiday

1953

Monsieur Hulot, Jacques Tati’s endearing clown, takes a holiday at a seaside resort, where his presence provokes one catastrophe after another. Tati’s masterpiece of gentle slapstick is a series of effortlessly well-choreographed sight gags involving dogs, boats, and firecrackers; it was the first entry in the Hulot series and the film that launched its maker to international stardom.

6.9

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Don't Bother to Knock?

The top films similar to Don't Bother to Knock by MovieMagicScore are Psycho (8.4), Perfect Blue (8.3), The Moustache (6.1). Each shares drama/thriller themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Don't Bother to Knock worth watching?

Don't Bother to Knock holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.6/10 from 155 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Don't Bother to Knock?

Don't Bother to Knock (1952) is a drama, thriller film directed by Roy Ward Baker, starring Richard Widmark, Marilyn Monroe, Anne Bancroft.

Where can I find more recommendations like Don't Bother to Knock?

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 Psycho Movies like Perfect Blue Movies like The Moustache Movies like Singapore Sling Movies like Bloody New Year Movies like Insomnia

About movies like Don't Bother to Knock

This ranked list pairs Don't Bother to Knock (1952), a drama and thriller film from Roy Ward Baker, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Richard Widmark 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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