Movies Like Nightmares (1983)

Nightmares is a 1983 horror, science fiction film from Joseph Sargent with a MovieMagicScore of 5.6/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Screams of a Winter Night and He Knows You're Alone.

Horror Science Fiction

Screams of a Winter Night

1979

Ten college friends take a winter weekend camping trip to Lake Durand. The group holes up in an old cabin where the original owners were once found dead, with local Native Americans suspecting they were the victims of a spirit called Shataba. As the group nestles in for the night, they start telling each other scary stories.

4.7

MagicScore

He Knows You're Alone

1980

A reluctant bride-to-be is stalked by a serial killer who only kills brides and the people around them. While her friends get whacked one by one, a hard-boiled renegade cop whose bride had been killed years before tries to hunt the killer down before it is too late.

5.0

MagicScore

Don't Go in the House

1979

As a child, Donald was tormented by his mother who used fire as a punishment. Now a deranged adult, Donald stalks women at clubs, then takes them home where he kills them with a flamethrower.

5.7

MagicScore

Of Unknown Origin

1983

A man who recently completed rebuilding a townhouse becomes obsessed with a rat infestation until it becomes an interspecies duel.

5.8

MagicScore

City of the Living Dead

1980

A woman seemingly dies of fright after participating in a séance where she sees a vision of a Dunwich priest hanging himself in a church cemetery. New York City reporter Peter Bell investigates and learns that the priest's suicide has somehow opened a portal to Hell and must be sealed by All Saints Day, or else the dead will overtake humanity.

6.4

MagicScore

The Nun

2018

A priest with a dark past and a novice nearing her final vows are sent by the Vatican to Romania to investigate a nun's death and face a demonic force.

5.9

MagicScore

Dark Angel: The Ascent

1994

A bored female demon ventures to the surface world to punish the wicked before they enter her hellish domain.

5.4

MagicScore

Sometimes They Come Back... Again

1996

Jon Porter returns to his hometown after the sudden and bizarre death of his mother. He hopes to leave as soon as the funeral is over but it's too late. The sinister forces that caused his sister's brutal murder 30 years ago are back. Jon knows the nightmare can't continue. He must stand up to his fear and exorcise the demons who have risen again to take posession of his beautiful teenage daughter - body and soul.

4.8

MagicScore

The Dark Tapes

2017

A genre-defying mixture of horror, sci-fi, myth, mystery and thrills told as four interlocking tales in one intelligent anthology. Ghosts, spirits, creatures, demons and more from the paranormal world collide with rational curiosity.

5.3

MagicScore

#10

The Field Guide to Evil

2019

A feature-length anthology film. They are known as myths, lore, and folktales. Created to give logic to mankind’s darkest fears, these stories laid the foundation for what we now know as the horror genre.

5.5

MagicScore

#11

Valerie and Her Week of Wonders

1970

Valerie, a Czechoslovakian teenager living with her grandmother, is blossoming into womanhood, but that transformation proves secondary to the effects she experiences when she puts on a pair of magic earrings. Now seeing the world around her in a different light, Valerie must endure her sexual awakening while attempting to discern reality from fantasy as she encounters lecherous priest Gracian, a vampire-like stranger and otherworldly carnival folk.

6.9

MagicScore

#12

Patient Seven

2016

Dr. Marcus, a renowned psychiatrist, has selected 6 severe mentally ill and dangerous patients from the Spring Valley Mental Hospital to interview as part of research for his new book. As Dr. Marcus interviews each patient, one by one the horrors they have committed begin to unfold. However, Dr. Marcus soon learns that there is one patient who ties them all together - Patient Seven.

5.2

MagicScore

#13

Creepozoids

1987

Five Army deserters wander the post-apocalyptic, post-industrial LA landscape seeking shelter from an increasingly toxic environment and poisonous rain.

4.5

MagicScore

#14

Lee Cronin's The Mummy

2026

The young daughter of a journalist disappears into the desert without a trace—eight years later, the broken family is shocked when she is returned to them, as what should be a joyful reunion turns into a living nightmare.

7.9

MagicScore

#15

Lady Frankenstein

1971

When Dr. Frankenstein is killed by a monster he created, his daughter and his lab assistant continue his experiments.

5.4

MagicScore

#16

Silent Hill

2006

Rose, a desperate mother, takes her adopted daughter, Sharon, to the town of Silent Hill in an attempt to cure her of her ailment. After a violent car crash, Sharon disappears, and Rose embarks on a horrific journey to get her back and begins to uncover the truth behind the apocalyptic disaster that burned the town 30 years earlier.

6.6

MagicScore

#17

Trick 'r Treat

2007

Four interwoven stories that occur on Halloween: an everyday high school principal has a secret life as a serial killer; a college virgin might have just met the one guy for her; a group of teenagers pull a mean prank, and a bitter old recluse receives an uninvited guest.

7.0

MagicScore

#18

The Demon

1979

Random people are terrorized by a malevolent man who brings their worst fears to life.

4.2

MagicScore

#19

Absurd

1981

A priest-doctor chasing a man with supernatural regenerative abilities, who has recently escaped from a medical lab, reaches a small town where the mutant goes on a killing spree.

5.5

MagicScore

#20

Nightbreed

1990

A troubled young man is drawn to a mythical place called Midian where a variety of friendly monsters are hiding from humanity. Meanwhile, a sadistic serial killer is looking for a patsy.

6.4

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Nightmares?

The top films similar to Nightmares by MovieMagicScore are Screams of a Winter Night (4.7), He Knows You're Alone (5.0), Don't Go in the House (5.7). Each shares horror/science fiction themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Nightmares worth watching?

Nightmares holds a MovieMagicScore of 5.6/10 from 88 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Nightmares?

Nightmares (1983) is a horror, science fiction film directed by Joseph Sargent, starring Cristina Raines, Emilio Estevez, Lance Henriksen.

Where can I find more recommendations like Nightmares?

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

Keep exploring

Movies like Screams of a Winter Night Movies like He Knows You're Alone Movies like Don't Go in the House Movies like Of Unknown Origin Movies like City of the Living Dead Movies like The Nun

About movies like Nightmares

This ranked list pairs Nightmares (1983), a horror and science fiction film from Joseph Sargent, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Cristina Raines 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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