Movies Like The Thing (2011)

The Thing is a 2011 horror, mystery, science fiction film from Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. with a MovieMagicScore of 6.2/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with The Thing and The Thing from Another World.

Horror Mystery Science Fiction

The Thing

1982

A research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.

8.1

MagicScore

The Thing from Another World

1951

Scientists and US Air Force officials fend off a blood-thirsty alien organism while investigating at a remote arctic outpost.

6.7

MagicScore

The Long Walk

2025

In a dystopian 1970s America, fifty teenage boys take part in a deadly annual walking contest, forced to maintain a minimum pace or be executed, until only one survivor remains.

6.9

MagicScore

Scott of the Antarctic

1948

The true story of the British explorer Robert Falcon Scott and his ill-fated expedition to try to be the first man to discover the South Pole - only to find that the murderously cold weather and a rival team of Norwegian explorers conspire against him

7.2

MagicScore

A Quiet Place Part II

2021

Following the events at home, the Abbott family now face the terrors of the outside world. Forced to venture into the unknown, they realize that the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats that lurk beyond the sand path.

7.5

MagicScore

The End of Oak Street

2026

After a mysterious cosmic event rips Oak Street from suburbia and transports their neighborhood to someplace unknown, the Platt family soon discovers that their very survival depends on them sticking together as they navigate their now unrecognizable surroundings.

6.8

MagicScore

Shaun of the Dead

2004

Shaun lives a supremely uneventful life, which revolves around his girlfriend, his mother, and, above all, his local pub. This gentle routine is threatened when the dead return to life and make strenuous attempts to snack on ordinary Londoners.

7.5

MagicScore

Prey

2007

An American family on holiday in Africa becomes lost in a game reserve and stalked by vicious killer lions.

5.8

MagicScore

Outside

2024

A family retreats to an isolated farm during a zombie outbreak, but years of painful secrets take a toll as they navigate their desolate world.

6.2

MagicScore

#10

Black Swan

2010

The story of a ballerina in a New York City ballet company whose life is completely consumed with dance. Nina lives with her retired ballerina mother who zealously supports her daughter's professional ambition. When the artistic director decides to replace the prima ballerina for the opening production of their new season, Nina is his first choice.

7.7

MagicScore

#11

I'm Thinking of Ending Things

2020

Nothing is as it seems when a woman experiencing misgivings about her new boyfriend joins him on a road trip to meet his parents at their remote farm.

6.6

MagicScore

#12

Encounters at the End of the World

2007

Herzog and cinematographer Peter Zeitlinger go to Antarctica to meet people who live and work there, and to capture footage of the continent's unique locations. Herzog's voiceover narration explains that his film will not be a typical Antarctica film about "fluffy penguins", but will explore the dreams of the people and the landscape.

7.4

MagicScore

#13

The Passenger

2022

Four people traveling in a van run over a lone woman while she is walking in the dark down a country road. After loading her into the vehicle to take her to the nearest hospital, they notice that she is behaving rather strangely. The occupants of the van soon realise that the time has come to fight for their lives, and together they agree on one very simple rule: "do not sit next to her."

5.9

MagicScore

#14

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

1977

After an encounter with UFOs, an electricity linesman feels undeniably drawn to an isolated area in the wilderness where something spectacular is about to happen.

7.3

MagicScore

#15

Downtown Owl

2023

In 1983 Owl, North Dakota, the lives of three residents – elderly Horace, who spends his afternoons reminiscing in the local coffee shop; teenage Mitch, depressed backup quarterback star player-power-horse; and newly appointed high school English teacher Julia – along with those of the town's other residents, are upended by a historic whiteout blizzard.

5.5

MagicScore

#16

Primitive War

2025

During the Vietnam War, a recon unit ventures to an isolated jungle valley to uncover the fate of a missing platoon. They soon find themselves in a fight for their lives against an unexpected enemy — prehistoric dinosaurs.

6.7

MagicScore

#17

The Swarm

1978

Scientist Dr. Bradford Crane and army general Thalius Slater join forces to fight an almost invisible enemy threatening America; killer bees that have deadly venom and attack without reason. Disaster movie-master Irwin Allen's film contains spectacular special effects, including a train crash caused by the eponymous swarm.

5.0

MagicScore

#18

Bird Box

2018

Five years after an ominous unseen presence drives most of society to suicide, a survivor and her two children make a desperate bid to reach safety.

6.8

MagicScore

#19

This Is Not a Test

2026

Sloane and four classmates take cover in Cortege High to escape a world plagued by the infected. As danger relentlessly pounds on the doors, Sloane begins to see the world through the eyes of those who actually want to live and takes matters into her own hands.

5.4

MagicScore

#20

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes

2023

64 years before he becomes the tyrannical president of Panem, Coriolanus Snow sees a chance for a change in fortunes when he mentors Lucy Gray Baird, the female tribute from District 12.

7.0

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like The Thing?

The top films similar to The Thing by MovieMagicScore are The Thing (8.1), The Thing from Another World (6.7), The Long Walk (6.9). Each shares horror/mystery/science fiction themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is The Thing worth watching?

The Thing holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.2/10 from 3,067 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is The Thing?

The Thing (2011) is a horror, mystery, science fiction film directed by Matthijs van Heijningen Jr., starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Joel Edgerton, Ulrich Thomsen.

Where can I find more recommendations like The Thing?

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 The Thing Movies like The Thing from Another World Movies like The Long Walk Movies like Scott of the Antarctic Movies like A Quiet Place Part II Movies like The End of Oak Street

About movies like The Thing

This ranked list pairs The Thing (2011), a horror and mystery and science fiction film from Matthijs van Heijningen Jr., with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Mary Elizabeth Winstead 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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