Movies Like Svengali (1931)

Svengali is a 1931 drama, horror, romance film from Archie Mayo with a MovieMagicScore of 6.1/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Extraordinary Tales and The Blue Angel.

Drama Horror Romance

Extraordinary Tales

2013

Five tales by Edgar Allan Poe come to life thanks to a pictorical style animation, five tales that exude madness, pestilence, murder and torture.

6.4

MagicScore

The Blue Angel

1930

Prim professor Immanuel Rath finds some of his students ogling racy photos of cabaret performer Lola Lola and visits a local club, The Blue Angel, in an attempt to catch them there. Seeing Lola perform, the teacher is filled with lust, eventually resigning his position at the school to marry the young woman. However, his marriage to a coquette -- whose job is to entice men -- proves to be more difficult than Rath imagined.

7.3

MagicScore

Michael

1924

A gay art student is accused of causing the death of the renowned painter who secretly loved him.

6.2

MagicScore

Of Human Bondage

1934

A young man finds himself attracted to a cold and unfeeling waitress who may ultimately destroy them both.

6.5

MagicScore

Death Takes a Holiday

1934

After years of questioning why people fear him, Death takes on human form so he can mingle among the mortals and find an answer. However, events soon spiral out of control as he falls in love with the beautiful young Grazia, the only woman not afraid of him. As he falls in love with her, her father sees him for what he is and begs him to return to his duties. Death must decide whether or not to seek his own happiness or sacrifice it so that Grazia may live.

6.3

MagicScore

Morning Glory

1933

Wildly optimistic chatterbox Eva Lovelace is a would-be actress trying to crash the New York stage. She attracts the interest of a paternal actor, a philandering producer, and an earnest playwright. Is she destined for stardom, or will she fade like a morning glory after its brief blooming?

6.1

MagicScore

Heroes for Sale

1933

World War I veteran Tom Holmes is marked by the unbearable suffering caused by his battle wounds. Over the years, he comes to experience both the pain of misfortune and a love for other human beings.

7.0

MagicScore

Platinum Blonde

1931

Ann Schuyler is an upper-crust socialite who bullies her reporter husband into conforming to her highfalutin ways. The husband chafes at the confinement of high society, though, and yearns for a creative outlet. He decides to write a play and collaborates with a fellow reporter.

6.6

MagicScore

Magic

1978

A ventriloquist is at the mercy of his vicious dummy while he tries to renew a romance with his high school sweetheart.

6.8

MagicScore

#10

Queer

2024

In 1950s Mexico City, William Lee, an American ex-pat in his late forties, leads a solitary life amidst a small American community. However, the arrival in town of Eugene Allerton, a young student, stirs William into finally establishing a meaningful connection with someone.

6.5

MagicScore

#11

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

#12

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

1939

Paris, France, 1482. Frollo, Chief Justice of benevolent King Louis XI, gets infatuated by the beauty of Esmeralda, a young Romani girl. The hunchback Quasimodo, Frollo's protege and bell-ringer of Notre Dame, lives in peace among the bells in the heights of the immense cathedral until he is involved by the twisted magistrate in his malicious plans to free himself from Esmeralda's alleged spell, which he believes to be the devil's work.

7.3

MagicScore

#13

The Shining

1980

Jack Torrance accepts a caretaker job at the Overlook Hotel, where he, along with his wife Wendy and their son Danny, must live isolated from the rest of the world for the winter. But they aren't prepared for the madness that lurks within.

8.2

MagicScore

#14

The Fury

1978

When a devious plot separates CIA agent Peter Sandza from his son, Robin, the distraught father manages to see through the ruse. Taken because of his psychic abilities, Robin is being held by Ben Childress, who is studying people with supernatural powers in hopes of developing their talents as weapons. Soon Peter pairs up with Gillian, a teen who has telekinesis, to find and rescue Robin.

6.3

MagicScore

#15

A Boy and His Dog

1975

Set in the year 2024 in post-apocalyptic America, 18-year old Vic and his telepathic dog, Blood, are scavengers in the desolate wilderness ravaged by World War IV, where survivors must battle for food and shelter in the desert-like wasteland. Vic and Blood eke out a meager existence, foraging for food and fighting gangs of cutthroats.

6.3

MagicScore

#16

Firestarter

1984

Charlene "Charlie" McGee has the amazing ability to start fires with just a glance. Can her psychic power and the love of her father save her from the threatening government agency which wants to destroy her?

6.3

MagicScore

#17

Firestarter

2022

For more than a decade, parents Andy and Vicky have been on the run, desperate to hide their daughter Charlie from a shadowy federal agency that wants to harness her unprecedented gift for creating fire into a weapon of mass destruction. Andy has taught Charlie how to defuse her power, which is triggered by anger or pain. But as Charlie turns 11, the fire becomes harder and harder to control. After an incident reveals the family's location, a mysterious operative is deployed to hunt down the family and seize Charlie once and for all. Charlie has other plans.

5.5

MagicScore

#18

Spasms

1983

A gigantic serpent is captured on a remote island and shipped to an American college for experimentation.

4.4

MagicScore

#19

Flipped

2010

When Juli meets Bryce in the second grade, she knows it's true love. After spending six years trying to convince Bryce the same, she's ready to give up - until he starts to reconsider.

8.0

MagicScore

#20

The Prisoner of Zenda

1937

A kingdom's ascending heir, marked for assassination, switches identities with a lookalike, who takes his place at the coronation. When the real king is kidnapped, his followers try to find him, while the stand-in falls in love with the king's intended bride, the beautiful Princess Flavia.

7.5

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Svengali?

The top films similar to Svengali by MovieMagicScore are Extraordinary Tales (6.4), The Blue Angel (7.3), Michael (6.2). Each shares drama/horror/romance themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Svengali worth watching?

Svengali holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.1/10 from 50 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Svengali?

Svengali (1931) is a drama, horror, romance film directed by Archie Mayo, starring John Barrymore, Marian Marsh, Donald Crisp.

Where can I find more recommendations like Svengali?

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 Extraordinary Tales Movies like The Blue Angel Movies like Michael Movies like Of Human Bondage Movies like Death Takes a Holiday Movies like Morning Glory

About movies like Svengali

This ranked list pairs Svengali (1931), a drama and horror and romance film from Archie Mayo, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of John Barrymore 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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