Movies Like Fade to Black (1980)

Fade to Black is a 1980 comedy, drama, horror, thriller film from Vernon Zimmerman with a MovieMagicScore of 5.6/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Scream 3 and The People vs. George Lucas.

Comedy Drama Horror Thriller

Scream 3

2000

While Sidney Prescott and her friends visit the Hollywood set of Stab 3, the third film based on the Woodsboro murders, another Ghostface killer rises to terrorize them.

6.0

MagicScore

The People vs. George Lucas

2010

The passion the original Star Wars trilogy inspires in its fans is unparalleled; but when it comes to George Lucas himself, many have found their ardor has cooled into a complicated love-hate relationship. This hilarious, heartfelt documentary delves deep into Lucas’s cultural legacy, asking all the tough questions. Has Lucas betrayed his masterwork? Should he just have left the original trilogy alone? Is The Phantom Menace so bad it should carry a health warning? Utilizing interviews taken from over 600 hours of footage, and peppered with extraordinary Star Wars and Indiana Jones recreations lovingly immortalized in song, needlepoint, Lego, claymation, puppets and paper-mâché, above all this film asks the question: who truly owns that galaxy far, far away—the man who created it, or the fans who worship it?

6.4

MagicScore

Helter Skelter

1976

The investigation of two horrific mass murders leads to the capture and trial of the psychotic pseudo-hippie Charles Manson and his "family".

6.8

MagicScore

MaXXXine

2024

In 1980s Hollywood, adult film star and aspiring actress Maxine Minx finally gets her big break. But as a mysterious killer stalks the starlets of Hollywood, a trail of blood threatens to reveal her sinister past.

6.3

MagicScore

Prevenge

2017

A pregnant widow, believing herself to be guided by her unborn child, embarks on a homicidal rampage.

5.5

MagicScore

New Nightmare

1994

A demonic force has chosen Freddy Krueger as its portal to the real world. Can Heather Langenkamp play the part of Nancy one last time and trap the evil trying to enter our world?

6.5

MagicScore

The 'Burbs

1989

When secretive new neighbors move in next door, suburbanite Ray Peterson and his friends let their paranoia get the best of them as they start to suspect the newcomers of evildoings and commence an investigation. But it's hardly how Ray, who much prefers drinking beer, reading his newspaper and watching a ball game on the tube expected to spend his vacation.

6.8

MagicScore

In a Violent Nature

2024

The enigmatic resurrection, rampage, and retribution of an undead monster in a remote wilderness unleashes an iconic new killer after a locket is removed from a collapsed fire tower that entombed its rotting corpse.

5.6

MagicScore

Out of the Dark

1988

A deranged killer wearing a clown mask begins preying on a group of young women working at a phone-sex company.

5.5

MagicScore

#10

Sorority House Massacre II

1990

Five college women buy the old Hokstedter place for their new sorority house. They got it cheap because of the bloody incidents from five years before. They decide to stay in it for the night so they can meet the movers in the morning, but begin to get the creeps when the weird neighbor Orville Ketchum starts poking around. Shortly after the women take showers and consult a Ouija board they begin experiencing an attrition problem.

5.3

MagicScore

#11

Silent Night

2012

As their small Midwestern town prepares for its annual Christmas Eve parade, a sheriff and his deputy discover that a maniac in a Santa suit is murdering those he judges as naughty.

5.2

MagicScore

#12

Cheerleader Camp

1988

A cheerleader named Alison is plagued by nightmares about the upcoming all-state finals and attends a summer training camp with her teammates. When a number of deaths start occurring at the camp, Alison's nightmares turn twisted and brutal, and she begins to believe that she may be responsible for the mayhem.

5.0

MagicScore

#13

L.A. Slasher

2015

Incensed by the tabloid culture which celebrates it, the L.A. Slasher publicly abducts a series of reality TV stars, while the media and general public in turn begin to question if society is better off without them. A biting, social satire about reality TV and the glorification of people who are famous for simply being famous, "L.A. Slasher" explores why it has become acceptable and even admirable for people to become influential and wealthy based on no merit or talent - purely through notoriety achieved through shameful behavior.

4.8

MagicScore

#14

Founders Day

2024

A small town is shaken by a series of ominous killings in the days leading up to a heated mayoral election.

4.8

MagicScore

#15

Black Serenade

2001

Students of the university of Salamanca are brutally murdered by a black masked minstrel. Alex, an architecture student who has recently moved to Salamanca discovers a pattern behind the killings; it seems as if the killer strikes regularly after the exams to free the campus from lousy students.

4.6

MagicScore

#16

No Smoking

2007

A heavily addicted smoker is unprepared for the true price he must pay when he asks a guru's help to kick the habit.

7.0

MagicScore

#17

Saint Maud

2020

Having recently found God, self-effacing young nurse Maud arrives at a plush home to care for Amanda, a hedonistic dancer left frail from a chronic illness. When a chance encounter with a former colleague throws up hints of a dark past, it becomes clear there is more to sweet Maud than meets the eye.

6.6

MagicScore

#18

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

#19

The Black Phone

2022

Finney Blake, a shy but clever 13-year-old boy, is abducted by a sadistic killer and trapped in a soundproof basement where screaming is of little use. When a disconnected phone on the wall begins to ring, Finney discovers that he can hear the voices of the killer’s previous victims. And they are dead set on making sure that what happened to them doesn’t happen to Finney.

7.5

MagicScore

#20

Swinging Safari

2018

1975: A 200-ton blue whale gets washed up on a local beach and the kids think it’s the biggest thing that’s ever happened in Australia. Behind closed doors, the Mums and Dads of a quiet suburban street are going to celebrate in their own special way, by joining the sexual revolution and throwing a wife-swapping key party. And like the rotting whale, it’s all about to go spectacularly wrong.

5.2

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Fade to Black?

The top films similar to Fade to Black by MovieMagicScore are Scream 3 (6.0), The People vs. George Lucas (6.4), Helter Skelter (6.8). Each shares comedy/drama/horror/thriller themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Fade to Black worth watching?

Fade to Black holds a MovieMagicScore of 5.6/10 from 85 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Fade to Black?

Fade to Black (1980) is a comedy, drama, horror, thriller film directed by Vernon Zimmerman, starring Dennis Christopher, Tim Thomerson, Gwynne Gilford.

Where can I find more recommendations like Fade to Black?

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

Keep exploring

Movies like Scream 3 Movies like The People vs. George Lucas Movies like Helter Skelter Movies like MaXXXine Movies like Prevenge Movies like New Nightmare

About movies like Fade to Black

This ranked list pairs Fade to Black (1980), a comedy and drama and horror and thriller film from Vernon Zimmerman, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Dennis Christopher 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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