Movies Like Tarantula (1955)

Tarantula is a 1955 horror, science fiction film from Jack Arnold with a MovieMagicScore of 6.5/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Them! and The Fly.

Horror Science Fiction

Them!

1954

As a result of nuclear testing, gigantic, ferocious mutant ants appear in the American desert southwest, and a father-daughter team of entomologists join forces with the state police officer who first discovers their existence, an FBI agent and, eventually, the US Army to eradicate the menace, before it spreads across the continent — and the world.

6.8

MagicScore

The Fly

1986

When Seth Brundle makes a huge scientific and technological breakthrough in teleportation, he decides to test it on himself. Unbeknownst to him, a common housefly manages to get inside the device and the two become one.

7.4

MagicScore

The Monolith Monsters

1957

Rocks from a meteor which grow when in contact with water threaten a sleepy Southwestern desert community.

6.5

MagicScore

The Mist

2007

After a violent storm, a dense cloud of mist envelops a small Maine town, trapping David Drayton and his five-year-old son in a local grocery store with other local residents. They soon discover that the mist conceals deadly horrors that threaten their lives, and worse, their sanity.

6.9

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 Fly

1958

Industrialist François Delambre is called late at night by his sister-in-law, Helene, who tells him that she has just killed her husband. Reluctant at first, she eventually explains to the police that he invented a matter transportation apparatus and, while experimenting on himself, a fly entered the chamber.

7.0

MagicScore

Return of the Fly

1959

Fifteen years after his father's experiments with matter transmission fail, Philippe Delambre and his uncle François attempt to create a matter transmission device on their own. However, their experiments have disastrous results, turning Philippe into a horrible half-man, half-fly creature.

6.1

MagicScore

Young Frankenstein

1974

A young neurosurgeon inherits the castle of his grandfather, the famous Dr. Victor von Frankenstein. In the castle he finds a funny hunchback, a pretty lab assistant and the elderly housekeeper. Young Frankenstein believes that the work of his grandfather was delusional, but when he discovers the book where the mad doctor described his reanimation experiment, he suddenly changes his mind.

7.9

MagicScore

The Vampire

1957

A small town doctor mistakenly ingests an experimental drug made from the blood of vampire bats which transforms the kindly medic into a bloodthirsty monster.

6.2

MagicScore

#10

The Kindred

1987

Amanda's deathbed request to her son, John, was for him to destroy all the lab notes etc. from her last experiment. She also blurts out he had a brother. At the funeral John meets Melissa, who claims to be his mother's biggest fan. Together with some of John's friends they go to Amanda's house, but none are prepared for what they find there.

6.0

MagicScore

#11

Raging Sharks

2005

An oceanic observation station is in desperate trouble after a sudden shark attack wrecked the oxygen supply. The accompanying ship, a coast guard cruiser, and other ships in and around the Bermuda triangle are attacked as well. The US Navy sends a submarine to investigate, but soon they too are under attack.

4.6

MagicScore

#12

Blackenstein

1973

Eddie is a Vietnam veteran who loses his arms and legs when he steps on a land mine, but a brilliant surgeon is able to attach new limbs. Unfortunately, an insanely jealous assistant (who has fallen in love with Eddie's fiancée) switches Eddie's DNA injections, transforming him into a gigantic killer.

3.1

MagicScore

#13

Curse of the Fly

1965

The son of the inventor of a matter-transporter, which turned him into a monster when he tried to transport himself along with a tiny housefly, continues to pursue his father's experiment, while his own two sons attempt to extricate him, themselves and the family name from further disaster and scandal.

5.4

MagicScore

#14

Frankenstein

1931

Henry Frankenstein pieces together body parts in the hope of bringing a human-like creature to life. The mad scientist’s dreams are shattered by his monstrous creation awakening with rage to a world that hates and fears him.

7.5

MagicScore

#15

The Giant Behemoth

1959

Marine atomic tests cause changes in the ocean's ecosystem resulting in dangerous blobs of radiation and the resurrection of a dormant dinosaur which threatens London.

5.8

MagicScore

#16

The Invisible Man

1933

After experimenting on himself and becoming invisible, scientist Jack Griffin, now aggressive due to the drug's effects, seeks a way to reverse the experiment at any cost.

7.5

MagicScore

#17

Son of Godzilla

1967

Reporter Goro Maki stumbles upon scientists conducting weather experiments on Sollgel Island in the South Seas. He discovers the island is inhabited by giant mantis and a woman named Saeko who's been cast away since the death of her father. The pair soon find a helpless infant monster that Godzilla must adopt and learn to raise as one of his own.

6.5

MagicScore

#18

All Monsters Attack

1969

Ichiro Miki is a child living in the industrial district of Kawasaki, where his parents' constant struggle to make ends meet often leaves the schoolboy alone. Constantly teased by a bully nicknamed Gabara, his only friends are toy consultant Shinpei and fellow classmate Sachiko. Ichiro turns to escapist dreams of Monster Island where he befriends the equally bullied Minilla.

5.1

MagicScore

#19

The Projected Man

1966

Matter-transmitter sabotage leaves a British scientist (Bryant Halliday) disfigured and full of amps.

4.2

MagicScore

#20

Mimic

1997

A disease carried by common cockroaches is killing Manhattan children. In an effort to stop the epidemic an entomologist, Susan Tyler, creates a mutant breed of insect that secretes a fluid to kill the roaches. This mutant breed was engineered to die after one generation, but three years later Susan finds out that the species has survived and evolved into a large, gruesome monster that can mimic human form.

6.1

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Tarantula?

The top films similar to Tarantula by MovieMagicScore are Them! (6.8), The Fly (7.4), The Monolith Monsters (6.5). Each shares horror/science fiction themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Tarantula worth watching?

Tarantula holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.5/10 from 296 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Tarantula?

Tarantula (1955) is a horror, science fiction film directed by Jack Arnold, starring John Agar, Mara Corday, Leo G. Carroll.

Where can I find more recommendations like Tarantula?

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 Them!Movies like The Fly Movies like The Monolith Monsters Movies like The Mist Movies like Terror from the Year 5000 Movies like The Fly

About movies like Tarantula

This ranked list pairs Tarantula (1955), a horror and science fiction film from Jack Arnold, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of John Agar 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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