Movies Like Effects (1979)

Effects is a 1979 horror, thriller film from Dusty Nelson with a MovieMagicScore of 4.9/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with MaXXXine and Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One.

Horror Thriller

MaXXXine

2024

In 1980s Hollywood, adult film star and aspiring actress Maxine Minx finally gets her big break. But as a mysterious killer stalks the starlets of Hollywood, a trail of blood threatens to reveal her sinister past.

6.3

MagicScore

Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One

1968

In Manhattan's Central Park, a film crew directed by William Greaves is shooting a screen test with various pairs of actors. It's a confrontation between a couple: he demands to know what's wrong, she challenges his sexual orientation. Cameras shoot the exchange, and another camera records Greaves and his crew. Sometimes we watch the crew discussing this scene, its language, and the process of making a movie. Is there such a thing as natural language? Are all things related to sex? The camera records distractions - a woman rides horseback past them; a garrulous homeless vet who sleeps in the park chats them up. What's the nature of making a movie?

7.0

MagicScore

Film, Film, Film

1968

The trials and tribulations of putting a feature film together.

7.6

MagicScore

Skeleton Crew

2009

Back in the early 1970s, at a mental institution near the Russian border, a crazed doctor, Dr. Anderson assumed the persona of "the Auteur," and began murdering his patients while filming the atrocities. Thirty years later, an American film crew has arrived at the hospital to shoot a horror film based on those awful events. The director, Steven, is determined to make the film as realistic as possible, a goal that doesn't seem too far-fetched when his Finnish sound men discover a hidden room in the hospital basement. There, perfectly preserved, are the original snuff films shot by "the Auteur". As Steven's obsession grows, his cast and crew begin to fear for his sanity. But this is only the beginning, because when Steven discovers actual camera used by "the Auteur", he assumes the role of the murderous doctor and the real slaughter begins.

4.1

MagicScore

Be My Cat: A Film for Anne

2015

An aspiring filmmaker goes to shocking extremes to convince Hollywood actress Anne Hathaway to star in his film. First entry in Adrian Țofei's spiritual trilogy which includes We Put the World to Sleep and Pure.

6.2

MagicScore

Snuff

1976

The followers of a charismatic cult leader set out to murder a pregnant actress.

3.0

MagicScore

I Melt with You

2011

Former college friends meet up for a reunion that leads them to face the apparent disillusionment that defines their lives. After a week of excessive drug and alcohol abuse, events lead them to contemplate fulfilling a self destructive pact they made when they were young.

5.3

MagicScore

Beverly Hills Cop

1984

Fast-talking, quick-thinking Detroit street cop Axel Foley has bent more than a few rules and regs in his time, but when his best friend is murdered, he heads to sunny Beverly Hills to work the case like only he can.

7.2

MagicScore

T2 Trainspotting

2017

After 20 years abroad, Mark Renton returns to Scotland and reunites with his old friends Sick Boy, Spud and Begbie.

6.9

MagicScore

#10

Terror 5

2016

During a terrifying night in Buenos Aires, five urban legends unfold in the most surprising way possible. While a politician is accused of being responsible for an urban tragedy in which fifteen people died, in Buenos Aires various stories based on urban legends intersect.

4.3

MagicScore

#11

Sliver

1993

A woman moves into a Manhattan apartment, where she learns that the previous tenant's life ended under mysterious circumstances.

5.6

MagicScore

#12

Shank

2009

Teenage gang member Cal, hides his sexuality from his fellow gang members despite their often violent dislike of anyone that isn't the same as them, be they unsuspecting shoppers, foreign students, gays, etc. When his world collides with Olivier, a student he rescues from a pointless beating, he encounters a lifestyle that presents as many new experiences as it does obstacles.

5.9

MagicScore

#13

The Night

2016

Martin moves around Buenos Aires at night, picking up guys, going to clubs, scoring drugs and having sex. Sometimes he’s paying and sometimes his trans sex-worker friend or another woman takes him along for a threesome.

4.2

MagicScore

#14

Requiem for a Dream

2000

The drug-induced utopias of four Coney Island residents are shattered when their addictions run deep.

8.0

MagicScore

#15

Confessions of a Brazilian Call Girl

2011

Rachel is a girl, adopted by an upper middle class family, who rebelled at 17 and left her family and studies at a traditional college in Sao Paulo to become a sexy call girl. Shortly after starting work, she decided to write a blog about her experiences. Since some clients thought she looked like a surfer she adopted the name "Surfistinha" which means little surfer girl.

6.5

MagicScore

#16

Boogie Nights

1997

In 1977, an idealistic porn producer and his promising protege try to catch up with the end of an era before their never-ending party collides with cold, hard reality.

7.6

MagicScore

#17

The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence)

2011

Inspired by the fictional Dr. Heiter, disturbed loner Martin dreams of creating a 12-person centipede and sets out to realize his sick fantasy.

4.8

MagicScore

#18

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon

2006

The next great psycho horror slasher has given a documentary crew exclusive access to his life as he plans his reign of terror over the sleepy town of Glen Echo, all the while deconstructing the conventions and archetypes of the horror genre for them.

6.5

MagicScore

#19

Undocumented

2010

A documentary film crew runs afoul of sadistic radicals when they follow illegal immigrants sneaking over the U.S. border.

6.0

MagicScore

#20

Maniac

2011

Short horror mockumentary about a camera crew that follows two serial killers.

5.8

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Effects?

The top films similar to Effects by MovieMagicScore are MaXXXine (6.3), Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One (7.0), Film, Film, Film (7.6). Each shares horror/thriller themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Effects worth watching?

Effects holds a MovieMagicScore of 4.9/10 from 32 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Effects?

Effects (1979) is a horror, thriller film directed by Dusty Nelson, starring Joseph Pilato, Susan Chapek, John Harrison.

Where can I find more recommendations like Effects?

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 MaXXXine Movies like Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One Movies like Film, Film, Film Movies like Skeleton Crew Movies like Be My Cat: A Film for Anne Movies like Snuff

About movies like Effects

This ranked list pairs Effects (1979), a horror and thriller film from Dusty Nelson, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Joseph Pilato 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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