Movies Like Child's Play (1972)

Child's Play is a 1972 drama, mystery, thriller film from Sidney Lumet with a MovieMagicScore of 6.0/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Zero for Conduct and Goodbye, Mr. Chips.

Drama Mystery Thriller

Zero for Conduct

1933

In a repressive boarding school with rigid rules of behavior, four boys decide to rebel against the director on a celebration day.

6.9

MagicScore

Goodbye, Mr. Chips

1969

Academy Award-honoree Peter O'Toole stars in this musical classic about a prim English schoolmaster who learns to show his compassion through the help of an outgoing showgirl. O'Toole, who received his fourth Oscar-nomination for this performance, is joined by '60s pop star Petula Clark and fellow Oscar-nominee Michael Redgrave.

6.6

MagicScore

The Brides of Dracula

1960

A young teacher on her way to a position in Transylvania helps a young man escape the shackles his mother has put on him. In so doing she innocently unleashes the horrors of the undead once again on the populace, including those at her school for ladies. Luckily for some, Dr. Van Helsing is already on his way.

6.7

MagicScore

Absolution

1978

At a Catholic boys' school, domineering disciplinarian Father Goddard rules over his pupils with an iron hand. When one of his teenage charges confesses to murder, the dogmatic but deeply repressed Goddard finds his faith challenged and his life spiralling dangerously out of control.

6.4

MagicScore

The Witches

1966

Following a nervous breakdown, Gwen takes up the job of head teacher in the small village of Haddaby. There she can benefit from the tranquillity and peace, enabling her to recover fully. But under the facade of idyllic country life she slowly unearths the frightening reality of village life in which the inhabitants are followers of a menacing satanic cult with the power to inflict indiscriminate evil and death if crossed.

6.0

MagicScore

Diabolique

1996

The wife and mistress of a cruel school master collaborate in a carefully planned and executed scheme to murder him. The plan goes well until the body, which has been strategically dumped, disappears. The psychological strain starts to weigh on the two women when a retired police investigator begins looking into the man's disappearance on a whim.

5.5

MagicScore

Bianca

1984

Eccentric and full of manias, Michele is a young high school professor who defines himself as “not used to happiness”. He realizes his life is meaningless if he doesn’t have a woman by his side but, after a series of rather disastrous experiences, he feels more alone than ever. Then, out of the blue, a new French teacher called Bianca arrives at school. Amongst uncertainties and contradictions, the two start dating. In the meantime, a series of homicides take place and a police officer begins to suspect that Michele is involved. Bianca will save him providing an alibi at the right moment, but then, everything goes wrong again.

7.5

MagicScore

The Dead Zone

2002

A young man awakens from a six-year coma with the ability to see into peoples futures. This is the first two episodes of the television series.

7.5

MagicScore

The White Ribbon

2009

An aged tailor recalls his life as the schoolteacher of a small village in Northern Germany that was struck by a series of strange events in the year leading up to WWI.

7.5

MagicScore

#10

This Special Friendship

1964

A tale of the tender relationship between a twelve-year-old boy and the fourteen-year-old upperclassman who is the object of his desire, all set within the rigid atmosphere of a Jesuit-run school.

7.8

MagicScore

#11

You Are Not Alone

1978

Young teenager Bo is too sensitive for the hothouse atmosphere of a boarding school run by a cold, unfeeling would-be man of the cloth. Lonely and scared, he finds a soulmate in the headmaster's son Kim with whom he forms a bond of friendship... that slowly grows into something more.

7.4

MagicScore

#12

Goodbye, Mr. Chips

1939

A shy British teacher looks back nostalgically at his long career, taking note of the people who touched his life.

7.4

MagicScore

#13

The Good Teacher

2024

Julien, a young teacher, is wrongfully accused of sexual misconduct by a teenage girl from his class. As he faces mounting pressures from the girl’s older brother and her classmates, the situation spirals out of control. Allegations spread, the entire school is thrown into turmoil, and the teacher has to fight to clear his name.

6.3

MagicScore

#14

Antlers

2021

A small-town Oregon teacher and her brother, the local sheriff, discover a young student is harbouring a dangerous secret that could have frightening consequences.

6.2

MagicScore

#15

Once Upon a Time in High School

2004

A model student transfers to the notorious Jungmoon High School known for its severe corporal punishment by teachers and power struggles between school gangs.

7.2

MagicScore

#16

Brother's Keeper

2021

Yusuf and his best friend Memo are pupils at a boarding school for Kurdish boys, secluded in the mountains of Eastern Anatolia. When Memo falls mysteriously ill, Yusuf is forced to struggle through the bureaucratic obstacles put up by the school's repressive authorities to try to help his friend. But by the time the adults in charge finally understand the seriousness of Memo's condition and try to get him to the hospital, the school has been buried under a sudden, heavy snowfall. With no way out and now desperate to reach help, teachers and pupils engage in a blame game where grudges, feelings of guilt and hidden secrets emerge, as time ticks mercilessly on and threatens to run out.

7.2

MagicScore

#17

Saint Ralph

2005

This Canadian made comedy/drama, set in Hamilton, Ontario in 1954, is a sweet and - at times - goofy story that becomes increasingly poignant as the minutes tick by. It's the fictional tale of a wayward 9th grader, Ralph (Adam Butcher), who is secretly living on his own while his widowed, hospitalized mother remains immersed in a coma. Frequently in trouble with Father Fitzpatrick (Gordon Pinsent), the principal of his all-boys, Catholic school, Ralph is considered something of a joke among peers until he decides to pull off a miracle that could save his mother, i.e., winning the Boston Marathon. Coached by a younger priest and former runner, Father Hibbert (Campbell Scott), whose cynicism has been lifted by the boy's pure hope, Ralph applies himself to his unlikely mission, fending off naysayers and getting help along a very challenging path from sundry allies and friends.

6.9

MagicScore

#18

Tolkien

2019

England, early 20th century. The future writer and philologist John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892-1973) and three of his schoolmates create a strong bond between them as they share the same passion for literature and art, a true fellowship that strengthens as they grow up, but the outbreak of World War I threatens to shatter it.

6.9

MagicScore

#19

Tea and Sympathy

1956

A sensitive young man recalls his time in boarding school when the only person who seemed compassionate towards him was his housemaster's wife.

6.9

MagicScore

#20

Yentl

1983

In a time when girls were forbidden to study religious scriptures, a Jewish girl masquerades as a boy to enter religious training and unexpectedly finds love along the way.

6.7

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Child's Play?

The top films similar to Child's Play by MovieMagicScore are Zero for Conduct (6.9), Goodbye, Mr. Chips (6.6), The Brides of Dracula (6.7). Each shares drama/mystery/thriller themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Child's Play worth watching?

Child's Play holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.0/10 from 52 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Child's Play?

Child's Play (1972) is a drama, mystery, thriller film directed by Sidney Lumet, starring James Mason, Robert Preston, Beau Bridges.

Where can I find more recommendations like Child's Play?

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 Zero for Conduct Movies like Goodbye, Mr. Chips Movies like The Brides of Dracula Movies like Absolution Movies like The Witches Movies like Diabolique

About movies like Child's Play

This ranked list pairs Child's Play (1972), a drama and mystery and thriller film from Sidney Lumet, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of James Mason 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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