Movies Like Cul-de-sac (1966)

Cul-de-sac is a 1966 comedy, crime, drama, thriller film from Roman Polanski with a MovieMagicScore of 6.7/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with I Know Where I'm Going! and Hour of the Wolf.

Comedy Crime Drama Thriller

I Know Where I'm Going!

1945

Plucky Englishwoman Joan Webster travels to the remote islands of the Scottish Hebrides in order to marry a wealthy industrialist. Trapped by inclement weather on the Isle of Mull and unable to continue to her destination, Joan finds herself charmed by the straightforward, no-nonsense islanders around her, and becomes increasingly attracted to naval officer Torquil MacNeil, who holds a secret that may change her life forever.

7.0

MagicScore

Hour of the Wolf

1968

While vacationing on a remote German island with his younger pregnant wife, an artist has an emotional breakdown while confronting his repressed desires.

7.4

MagicScore

Reign of Fire

2002

In post-apocalyptic England, an American volunteer and a British survivor team up to fight off a brood of fire-breathing dragons seeking to return to global dominance after centuries of rest underground. The Brit -- leading a clan of survivors to hunt down the King of the Dragons -- has much at stake: His mother was killed by a dragon, but his love is still alive.

6.2

MagicScore

Sherlock Holmes Faces Death

1943

During WWII several murders occur at a convalescent home where Dr. Watson has volunteered his services. He summons Holmes for help and the master detective proceeds to solve the crime from a long list of suspects including the owners of the home, the staff and the patients recovering there.

6.8

MagicScore

Summer of '42

1971

Over the summer of 1942 on Nantucket Island, three friends -- Hermie, Oscy and Benjie -- are more concerned with getting laid than anything else. Hermie falls in love with the married Dorothy, whose husband is an army pilot recently sent to the battlefront of World War II.

6.7

MagicScore

Death at a Funeral

2007

A myriad of outrageous calamities befalls an eccentric English clan with more than a few skeletons in its closets when the family's patriarch dies an unexpected death.

6.9

MagicScore

American Gothic

1987

When six friends fly off on a weekend getaway and are suddenly plagued by engine trouble, they're forced to land on a remote island. Looking for shelter, they're grateful to encounter Ma and Pa and their children - an eccentric family living in the island's backwoods. But what begins as simple hospitality turns into a terrifying race for survival as the friends start disappearing one by one ... and turning up dead.

5.9

MagicScore

Terror from the Year 5000

1958

Prof. Erling and his financial backer Victor build a prototype time machine to snatch objects from the past. Latest find, a statuette, radiometrically dates to 5200 AD! When this draws colleague Richard Hedges to the island lab, Erling reveals that 20th-century objects put in the machine seem to be "traded" for analogous future objects by intelligent life. And on the sly, Victor's been trying to get a living visitor. Does the future need help, or is the present in danger?

3.5

MagicScore

The Apartment

1960

Bud Baxter is a minor clerk in a huge New York insurance company, until he discovers a quick way to climb the corporate ladder. He lends out his apartment to the executives as a place to take their mistresses. Although he often has to deal with the aftermath of their visits, one night he's left with a major problem to solve.

8.2

MagicScore

#10

American Beauty

1999

Lester Burnham, a depressed suburban father in a mid-life crisis, decides to turn his hectic life around after developing an infatuation with his daughter's attractive friend.

8.0

MagicScore

#11

Just Married

2003

Although Tom Leezak and Sarah McNerney come from different worlds, they are both unexpectedly swept off their feet after their first meeting. They quickly fall in love and plan to get married, despite opposition from Sarah's uptight, rich family. After their wedding, the happy couple sets off - with the highest of hopes and ideals about love and marriage - on what they expect will be the perfect honeymoon in Italy. Thanks to a relentless string of bad luck with one disaster after another, and an impromptu visit from Sarah's wealthy one-time ex-lover Peter Prentiss, the newlyweds experience the honeymoon from hell that tests the limits of their young love. Is it worth throwing away their love and marriage?

5.8

MagicScore

#12

The Trouble with Jessica

2024

Sarah and Tom are in terrible financial trouble. On the brink of losing everything, they’ve managed to find a buyer for their stylish London home. When their best friends Richard and Beth come round for a final dinner, an uninvited old friend, Jessica, tags along.

6.1

MagicScore

#13

Gone in the Night

2022

Upon arriving at a remote cabin in the redwoods, Kath and her boyfriend find a mysterious younger couple already there — the rental has apparently been double-booked. They decide to share the cabin with these strangers until the next morning, but her boyfriend disappears with the young woman, which sends Kath in a spiral to find an explanation for their sudden breakup — but the truth is far stranger than she could have imagined.

5.5

MagicScore

#14

Ikiru

1952

Kanji Watanabe is a middle-aged man who has worked in the same monotonous bureaucratic position for decades. Learning he has cancer, he starts to look for the meaning of his life.

8.3

MagicScore

#15

The Ninth Configuration

1980

Army psychiatrist Colonel Kane is posted to a secluded gothic castle housing a military asylum. With a reserved calm, he indulges the inmates' delusions, allowing them free rein to express their fantasies.

6.4

MagicScore

#16

Lover for a Day

2017

After a bad breakup, a college-aged Parisian moves into her father's flat only to discover that he is living with his new girlfriend - a young woman her age.

6.2

MagicScore

#17

Tarantula

1955

A rogue scientist near a small desert town arouses the suspicion of the town's doctor when his lab assistant is found dead from a case of acromegaly, which took only four days to develop. As the doctor investigates, aided by the scientist's new female assistant, they discover that something is devouring local cattle and humans in increasingly large quantities.

6.5

MagicScore

#18

Game Night

2018

Max and Annie's weekly game night gets kicked up a notch when Max's brother Brooks arranges a murder mystery party -- complete with fake thugs and federal agents. So when Brooks gets kidnapped, it's all supposed to be part of the game. As the competitors set out to solve the case, they start to learn that neither the game nor Brooks are what they seem to be. The friends soon find themselves in over their heads as each twist leads to another unexpected turn over the course of one chaotic night.

6.8

MagicScore

#19

Brad's Status

2017

Although Brad has a satisfying career, a sweet wife and a comfortable life in suburban Sacramento, things aren't quite what he imagined during his college glory days. When he accompanies his musical prodigy son on a university tour, he can't help comparing his life with those of his four best college friends who seemingly have more wealthy and glamorous lives. But when circumstances force him to reconnect with his former friends, Brad begins to question whether he has really failed or if their lives are actually more flawed than they appear.

6.2

MagicScore

#20

Happily

2021

Tom and Janet have been happily married for years. But a visit from a mysterious stranger leads to a dead body, a lot of questions, and a tense couples' trip with friends who may not actually be friends at all.

5.8

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Cul-de-sac?

The top films similar to Cul-de-sac by MovieMagicScore are I Know Where I'm Going! (7.0), Hour of the Wolf (7.4), Reign of Fire (6.2). Each shares comedy/crime/drama/thriller themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Cul-de-sac worth watching?

Cul-de-sac holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.7/10 from 290 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Cul-de-sac?

Cul-de-sac (1966) is a comedy, crime, drama, thriller film directed by Roman Polanski, starring Lionel Stander, Donald Pleasence, Françoise Dorléac.

Where can I find more recommendations like Cul-de-sac?

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 I Know Where I'm Going!Movies like Hour of the Wolf Movies like Reign of Fire Movies like Sherlock Holmes Faces Death Movies like Summer of '42 Movies like Death at a Funeral

About movies like Cul-de-sac

This ranked list pairs Cul-de-sac (1966), a comedy and crime and drama and thriller film from Roman Polanski, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Lionel Stander 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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