Movies Like The Old Dark House (1932)

The Old Dark House is a 1932 drama, horror, thriller film from James Whale with a MovieMagicScore of 6.7/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with The Spiral Staircase and The Uninvited.

Drama Horror Thriller

The Spiral Staircase

1946

On a stormy night, the mute servant to an ailing matriarch is stalked by a serial killer.

7.0

MagicScore

The Uninvited

1944

A brother and sister move into an old seaside house that has been abandoned for many years on the Cornwellian coast. They soon discover that it is haunted by the ghost of the mother of their neighbor's granddaughter, with whom the brother has fallen in love.

6.9

MagicScore

We Have Always Lived in the Castle

2019

In Shirleyville, Vermont, during the sixties, sisters Merricat and Constance, along with their ailing uncle Julian, confined to a wheelchair, live isolated in a big mansion located on the hill overlooking the town, tormented by the memories of a family tragedy occurred six years ago. The arrival of cousin Charles will threaten the fragile equilibrium of their minds, haunted by madness, fear and superstition.

5.5

MagicScore

The Blood Spattered Bride

1972

A young newlywed woman begins to have disturbing nightmares just after settling into the old mansion that has belonged to her husband's family for centuries. When her sinister dreams come true, the innocent bride is caught in a maddening maze of unspeakable horrors.

5.7

MagicScore

Maigret and the St. Fiacre Case

1959

Police Commissioner Jules Maigret returns to the small village where he spent his childhood at the request of the Countess of Saint-Fiacre, who has received a disturbing anonymous letter.

6.9

MagicScore

The Last Hurrah

1958

In a changing world where television has become the main source of information, Adam Caulfield, a young sports journalist, witnesses how his uncle, Frank Skeffington, a veteran and honest politician, mayor of a New England town, tries to be reelected while bankers and captains of industry conspire in the shadows to place a weak and manageable candidate in the city hall.

7.2

MagicScore

The Thirteenth Tale

2013

Biographer Margaret Lea travels to the isolated rural mansion of the famous writer Vida Winter, who asks her to write her biography. Although initially she is reluctant, as Vida is known for constantly distorting the facts of her life, Margaret soon becomes fascinated with the story of a dark childhood, a disturbing tale that leads her to finally confront the traumas of her own past.

6.5

MagicScore

I Served the King of England

2007

Prague, Czechoslovakia, during the inter-war period. Jan Dítě, a young and clever waiter who wants to become a millionaire, comes to the conclusion that to achieve his ambitious goal he must be diligent, listen and observe as much as he can, be always discreet and use what he learns to his own advantage; but the turbulent tides of history will continually stand in his way.

6.8

MagicScore

Little Bone Lodge

2023

During a stormy night in the Scottish Highlands, two criminal brothers on the run seek refuge in a desolate farmhouse. But after taking the resident family captive, they find the house holds even darker secrets of its own.

6.6

MagicScore

#10

A Dark Song

2016

A determined young woman and a damaged occultist risk their lives and souls to perform a dangerous ritual that will grant them what they want.

6.3

MagicScore

#11

Smilin' Through

1932

On the day of his wedding, Sir John Carteret's fiancée, Moonyeen, is killed by a jealous rival named Jeremy, leaving him emotionally devastated. Carteret spends three decades in seclusion, mostly communing with the spirit of Moonyeen, until he learns that her niece, Kathleen, has become an orphan. He adopts and raises the child as his own but is alarmed when, as a young woman, she falls in love with the son of Moonyeen's murderer.

5.8

MagicScore

#12

The Nest

2019

Samuel, a boy who lives with his mother Elena in Villa dei Laghi, an isolated manor surrounded by woods, feels trapped in the family routine, growing up seemingly protected, but unsatisfied and restless.

6.3

MagicScore

#13

Darkness

2019

Three sisters, Stella, Luce and Aria, live in an isolated house, immersed in the shadows, submitted by a violent and authoritarian father, a religious fanatic obsessed with the end of the world, who keeps them prisoners behind locks and closed windows, under the pretext that the Apocalypse has finally arrived.

4.9

MagicScore

#14

All Is True

2018

London, June 29th, 1613. The Globe Theater, ran by the famous playwright William Shakespeare, accidentally burns to ashes. Seriously affected, he stops writing and returns to his hometown, where his wife Anne and daughters Judith and Susanna get surprised to hear he intends to stay there definitively, after two decades working in the capital, neglecting his sincere affections for them.

6.0

MagicScore

#15

The Ordinaries

2023

Paula, a young supporting character, studies at the Main Character School and dreams on graduating to become a lead.

6.1

MagicScore

#16

Ladies of Leisure

1930

Kay Arnold is a gold digger who wanders from party to party with the intention of catching a rich suitor. Jerry Strong is a young man from a wealthy family who strives to succeed as an artist. What begins as a relationship of mutual convenience soon turns into something else.

6.1

MagicScore

#17

Dinner at Eight

1933

An ambitious New York socialite plans an extravagant dinner party as her businessman husband, Oliver, contends with financial woes, causing a lot of tension between the couple. Meanwhile, their high-society friends and associates, including the gruff Dan Packard and his sultry spouse, Kitty, contend with their own entanglements, leading to revelations at the much-anticipated dinner.

6.7

MagicScore

#18

Burnt Offerings

1976

A couple and their twelve-year-old son move into a giant house for the summer where things aren’t quite what they seem. Every time someone gets hurt on the grounds, the beat-up house seems to repair itself…

6.5

MagicScore

#19

Night of the Skull

1974

After Lord Archibald Marion is brutally murdered by an unknown assailant, his bitter and feuding family members gather for a reading of the will, setting into motion an increasingly chilling series of deaths when their arrival is marked by a second grisly killing.

6.0

MagicScore

#20

You Should Have Left

2020

In an effort to repair their relationship, a couple books a vacation in the countryside for themselves and their daughter. What starts as a perfect retreat begins to fall apart as one loses their grip on reality, and a sinister force tries to tear them apart.

6.1

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like The Old Dark House?

The top films similar to The Old Dark House by MovieMagicScore are The Spiral Staircase (7.0), The Uninvited (6.9), We Have Always Lived in the Castle (5.5). Each shares drama/horror/thriller themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is The Old Dark House worth watching?

The Old Dark House holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.7/10 from 288 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is The Old Dark House?

The Old Dark House (1932) is a drama, horror, thriller film directed by James Whale, starring Boris Karloff, Melvyn Douglas, Charles Laughton.

Where can I find more recommendations like The Old Dark House?

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 Spiral Staircase Movies like The Uninvited Movies like We Have Always Lived in the Castle Movies like The Blood Spattered Bride Movies like Maigret and the St. Fiacre Case Movies like The Last Hurrah

About movies like The Old Dark House

This ranked list pairs The Old Dark House (1932), a drama and horror and thriller film from James Whale, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Boris Karloff 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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