20 best movies like Blue Velvet (1986)

List of the best movies like Blue Velvet (1986): The Paperboy, Lost River, The Badge, Exposed, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Dolores Claiborne, The Wailing, Kafka, The Spiral Staircase, Taboo.

Tags: movies similar to Blue Velvet (1986) - full list

Markimdb: 5.7
Genrethriller, drama, crime, detective
CountryUSA
Duration01:41

As investigative reporter Ward Jansen and his partner Yardley Acheman chase a sensational, career-making story with the help of Ward's younger brother Jack and sultry death-row groupie Charlotte Bless, the pair tries to prove violent swamp-dweller Hillary Van Wetter was framed for the murder of a corrupt local sheriff.

Markimdb: 5.7
Genrethriller, fantasy, drama, detective
CountryUSA
Duration01:35

A single mother is swept into a dark underworld, while her teenage son discovers a road that leads him to a secret underwater town.

Markimdb: 6.1
Genrethriller, drama, crime, detective
CountryUSA

A sheriff begins an investigation into the death of a local transsexual after hearing that high ranking politicians may have been involved. Although he is homophobic, his investigation causes him to be rejected by others, forcing him to seek help from the people he once despised.

Markimdb: 4.3
Genrethriller, drama, crime, detective
CountryUSA
Duration01:50

After witnessing a miracle, a young Latina woman experiences strange things as a police detective searches for the truth behind his partner's death.

Markimdb: 7.8
Genrethriller, drama, crime, detective
CountryUSA, Sweden, Norway
Duration02:33

This English-language adaptation of the Swedish novel by Stieg Larsson follows a disgraced journalist, Mikael Blomkvist, as he investigates the disappearance of a weary patriarch's niece from 40 years ago. He is aided by the pierced, tattooed, punk computer hacker named Lisbeth Salander. As they work together in the investigation, Blomkvist and Salander uncover immense corruption beyond anything they have ever imagined.

Markimdb: 7.4
Genrethriller, drama, crime, detective
CountryUSA
Duration02:12

Dolores Claiborne was accused of killing her abusive husband twenty years ago, but the court's findings were inconclusive and she was allowed to walk free. Now she has been accused of killing her employer, Vera Donovan, and this time there is a witness who can place her at the scene of the crime. Things look bad for Dolores when her daughter Selena, a successful Manhattan magazine writer, returns to cover the story.

Markimdb: 7.4
Genrehorror, thriller, fantasy, drama, detective
CountrySouth Korea
Duration01:50

A stranger arrives in a little village and soon after a mysterious sickness starts spreading. A policeman is drawn into the incident and is forced to solve the mystery in order to save his daughter.

Markimdb: 6.8
Genrefantastic, thriller, drama, detective
CountryFrance, USA
Duration01:38

Kafka, an insurance worker gets embroiled in an underground group after a co-worker is murdered. The underground group is responsible for bombings all over town, attempting to thwart a secret organization that controls the major events in society. He eventually penetrates the secret organization and must confront them.

Markimdb: 7.3
Genrehorror, thriller, drama, detective
CountryUSA
Duration01:23

In 1916, a shadowy serial killer is targeting women with "afflictions". One night, during a thunderstorm, the mute Helen feels menaced.

Markimdb: 3.5
Genrehorror, thriller, drama, detective
CountryUSA
Duration01:50

Six young adults struggle with their personal demons while staying at a secluded mansion during a dark and stormy night where a seemingly innocent game of 'taboo' brings out their inter-most secrets which soon leads to murder.

Markimdb: 8.1
Genrethriller, drama, detective
CountryUSA
Duration02:29

    With his wife's disappearance having become the focus of an intense media circus, a man sees the spotlight turned on him when it's suspected that he may not be innocent.

    Markimdb: 5.8
    Genrethriller, drama, crime, detective, music
    CountryUSA, Canada
    Duration01:43

    In this spine-tingling and visually stunning thriller, Academy Award®-nominee Samuel L. Jackson (Unbreakable, Shaft, Pulp Fiction delivers a "full-throttle performance" (People) as Romulus Ledbetter, a misunderstood musician turned recluse, hiding from personal demons in a New York City cave. When Romulus finds the frozen body of a young drifter in a tree, the authorities - including his police officer daughter (Aunjanne Ellis) - claim the death is accidental. Romulus is convinced the man was murdered by prominent art photographer David Leppenraub (Colm Feore). But how can he prove he's right when everyone thinks he's insane?

    Markimdb: 6.7
    Genrethriller, drama, crime, detective
    CountryFrance, United Kingdom
    Duration01:42

    In the middle of this amusing thriller is a relationship between two different types of females, one is a well know British author and the other is a sex-crazed French teen. The two get into some relationship trouble while living together in this film of psychological imagery and an erotic exploration of the female body.

    Markimdb: 6.9
    Genrethriller, drama, detective
    CountryCanada, Spain
    Duration01:28

    A mild-mannered college professor discovers a look-alike actor and delves into the other man's private affairs.

    Markimdb: 5.5
    Genrethriller, drama, detective
    CountryUSA

    The patriarch of a wealthy and powerful family suddenly passes away, leaving his wife and daughter with a shocking secret inheritance that threatens to unravel and destroy their lives.

    Markimdb: 4.7
    Genrehorror, thriller, drama, crime, detective
    CountryUSA
    Duration01:23

    Fiona Wagner, a journalism student, tracks a cold-blooded killer with the help of her detective father and a therapist.

    Markimdb: 3.8
    Genrehorror, thriller, drama, detective
    CountrySingapore, USA
    Duration01:48

    When young and successful reporter Jamie finds out that her sister has died in mysterious circumstances, she travels to Singapore to uncover the truth. There, she discovers multiple deaths linked to her sister's and must join forces with her sister's husband in order to defeat a demonic entity that is using new technology to complete an ancient mission.

    Markimdb: 6.6
    Genrefantastic, thriller, drama, detective
    CountryUSA
    Duration01:25

    A journalist and his girlfriend get pulled in while they investigate a cult whose leader claims to be from the future.

    Markimdb: 6.4
    Genrethriller, drama, detective
    CountryUSA, France
    Duration01:31

      Kat Connors is 17 years old when her perfect homemaker mother, Eve, disappears. Having lived for so long in an emotionally repressed household, she barely registers her mother's absence and certainly doesn't blame her doormat of a father, Brock, for the loss. But as time passes, Kat begins to come to grips with how deeply Eve's disappearance has affected her. Returning home on a break from college, she finds herself confronted with the truth about her mother's departure, and her own denial about the events surrounding it...

      Markimdb: 6.6
      Genrethriller, drama, crime, detective
      CountryUSA
      Duration02:29

      A visiting city reporter's assignment suddenly revolves around the murder trial of a local millionaire, whom he befriends.

      Markimdb: 5.1
      Genrethriller, drama, crime, detective
      CountryUSA
      Duration02:01

      Based on true events, The Wannabe, a story about Thomas, a man obsessed with Mafia culture during the 1990s in New York City. When Thomas’s failed attempts to fix the trial of infamous mobster John Gotti gets him rejected by the people he idolizes most, he sets off on a drug infused crime spree with his girlfriend and longtime mob groupie, Rose, by brazenly robbing the local Mafia hangouts.

      Markimdb: 6.1
      Genrethriller, drama, detective
      CountryUSA

      When a teenage girl says she's the victim of a secret network called The Sisterhood of Night, a quiet suburban town becomes the backdrop for a modern-day Salem witch trial.

      Markimdb: 6.7
      Genrehorror, thriller, drama, detective
      CountryNetherlands, Belgium, Denmark
      Duration01:53

      Borgman is the central character of this dark, malevolent fable. Is he a dream or a demon, a twisted allegory or an all-too-real embodiment of our fears? Borgman is a sinister arrival in the sealed-off streets of modern suburbia. His presence unleashes a crowing gallery of distortion around the careful façade constructed by an arrogant, comfortable couple, their three children and nanny.

      Markimdb: 6
      Genrethriller, drama, detective
      CountryUSA, Canada
      Duration01:24

        Publisher, Will Atenton quits a lucrative job in New York to relocate his wife, Libby and their daughters to a quaint town in New England. However, as they settle into their home the Atentons discover that a woman and her children were murdered there, and the surviving husband is the town's prime suspect. With help from a neighbor who was close to the murdered family, Will pieces together a horrifying chain of events.

        Markimdb: 5
        Genrethriller, drama, detective
        CountryCanada, United Kingdom, Australia, USA
        Duration01:49

        A reclusive surveillance expert is hired to spy on a mysterious blackmailer, who just may be a serial killer.

        Markimdb: 6.1
        Genrethriller, drama, crime, detective
        CountryUSA
        Duration01:51

        When the quiet and amiable Vann Siegert drifts into town, no one suspects the evil that lies beneath the surface. Despite his easy charm, Vann is merely a reflection of what those he encounters want him to be. As locals start to disappear, it becomes apparent that an eerie subtraction is at work in the sleepy hamlet.

        Markimdb: 7.3
        Genrethriller, drama, crime, detective, film noir
        CountryUSA
        Duration01:35

        A man working for the War Crimes Commission suspects that an important Nazi official has folded himself into a quaint Connecticut town.

        Markimdb: 7.2
        Genrethriller, melodrama, drama, crime, detective, film noir
        CountryUSA
        Duration01:22

        A young promoter is accused of the murder of Vicky Lynn, a young actress he "discovered" as a waitress while out with ex-actor Robin Ray and gossip columnist Larry Evans.

        Markimdb: 6.9
        Genrehorror, thriller, drama, crime, detective
        CountryJapan

        Minami mistakenly kills a gangster associate of his named Brother. Almost as soon as the murder takes place, the body of the deceased man is gone, prompting Minami to conduct a search. While looking, he finds a mysterious isolated hotel where he decides to take a rest. Not only are the front desk clerks a bit strange, but even the ambiance feels unusual. Minami soon realizes he may have gotten more than he bargained for.

        Markimdb: 6.7
        Genrethriller, drama, crime, detective
        CountryUSA

        A stranger in the increasingly strange city of San Francisco, Japanese crime novelist Aki is unsure of precisely what role she has to play in a real-life murder mystery involving ambiguous MacGuffins and amorphous identities. Unfolding in lonely places such as bookshops and hotel bars, Dave Boyle's moody thriller uncovers exhilarating new takes on genre conventions. Consequently, it's an alluring l'homme fatal who supplies Aki with the breadcrumb trail of clues that entices her into a labyrinthine plot of sinister dealings. In turn, the aging sheriff (veteran character actor Pepe Serna, fantastic in a rare leading role), who should rightfully be riding to her rescue, proves to be equally out of his depth. The game is afoot, the chase is exhilarating and the stakes are perilously high in this inspired neo-noir.

        Markimdb: 5.8
        Genrethriller, drama, crime, detective
        CountryUSA, Canada, France
        Duration01:53

        A newspaper photographer, Jean, researches the lurid and sensational axe murder of two women in 1873 as an editorial tie-in with a brutal modern double murder. She discovers a cache of papers that appear to give an account of the murders by an eyewitness.

        Markimdb: 6.2
        Genrethriller, melodrama, drama, crime, detective
        CountryUSA
        Duration02:03

        Uncle John revolves around the struggle to keep a mysterious disappearance unsolved

        Markimdb: 7.1
        Genrehorror, thriller, fantasy, drama, detective
        CountryUSA
        Duration01:31

        An insurance investigator begins discovering that the impact a horror writer's books have on his fans is more than inspirational.

        Markimdb: 7.7
        Genrethriller, drama, western, crime, detective
        CountryUSA
        Duration01:21

        One-armed war veteran John J. Macreedy steps off a train at the sleepy little town of Black Rock. Once there, he begins to unravel a web of lies, secrecy, and murder.

        Markimdb: 6.6
        Genrethriller, drama, adventure, crime, detective
        CountryUnited Kingdom, USA
        Duration01:53

        Concerned about his friend's cocaine use, Dr. Watson tricks Sherlock Holmes into travelling to Vienna, where Holmes enters the care of Sigmund Freud. Freud attemts to solve the mysteries of Holmes' subconscious, while Holmes devotes himself to solving a mystery involving the kidnapping of Lola Deveraux.

        Markimdb: 5.7
        Genrehorror, thriller, melodrama, drama, detective
        CountryCanada, USA
        Duration01:29

        A census-taker (Sisto) is sent to investigate why a certain small town has had the same population -- 436 residents -- for the last 100 years.

        Markimdb: 6.5
        Genrethriller, drama, crime, detective
        CountryCanada, United Kingdom
        Duration01:48

        An ambitious reporter probes the reasons behind the sudden split of a 1950s comedy team.

        Markimdb: 7.6
        Genrethriller, drama, detective
        CountryFrance
        Duration02:06

        A quiet and inconspicuous man rents an apartment in France where the previous tenant committed suicide, and begins to suspect his landlord and neighbors are trying to subtly change him into the last tenant so that he too will kill himself.

        Markimdb: 6.1
        Genrethriller, melodrama, drama, detective
        CountryFrance, Mexico, USA
        Duration01:58

        A young man is plunged into a life of subterfuge, deceit and mistaken identity in pursuit of a femme fatale whose heart is never quite within his grasp

        Markimdb: 7.2
        Genrethriller, drama, detective
        CountryUSA
        Duration01:50

        An inventor of a secret process suddenly finds himself alone as both his friends and the corporation he works for turn against him.

        Markimdb: 3.6
        Genrefantastic, thriller, drama, detective
        CountryUSA
        Duration01:43

        S. Darko follows Samantha Darko, the younger sister of Donnie, the protagonist of Donnie Darko, and her friend Corey. On their way to California, their car breaks down, forcing them to wait in a small town until it is fixed. While there, Samantha begins to have dreams that warn her of the end of the universe.

        Markimdb: 5.6
        Genrethriller, drama, crime, detective
        CountryUSA, Germany, France
        Duration02:01

        Lee Blanchard and Bucky Bleichert are former boxers-turned-cops in 1940s Los Angeles and, when an aspiring young actress turns up dead, Blanchard and Bleichert must grapple with corruption, narcissism, stag films and family madness as they pursue the killer.

        Markimdb: 6.5
        Genrethriller, melodrama, drama, crime, detective, biography, history
        CountryUSA, Canada
        Duration02:06

        The complicated life and controversial suicide of George Reeves is investigated by a fictional private detective who finds that there are reasons to suspect that Reeves may not have killed himself after all. The detective also finds that there is a little of George Reeves in himself, and maybe, each of us.

        Markimdb: 6.2
        Genrethriller, drama, crime, detective
        CountryUSA
        Duration02:07

        Porter Wren is a Manhattan tabloid writer with an appetite for scandal. On the beat he sells murder, tragedy, and anything that passes for the truth. At home, he is a dedicated husband and father. But when Caroline, a seductive stranger asks him to dig into the unsolved murder of her filmmaker husband Simon, he is drawn into a very nasty case of sexual obsession and blackmail--one that threatens his job, his marriage, and his life.

        Markimdb: 3.5
        Genreaction, thriller, drama, detective
        CountryUSA
        Duration01:33

        Nationally acclaimed evangelist John Luther is the last obstacle in the way of sweeping religious reform in the States. When a U.S. Senator and Luther's own supporters abduct and frame him in the murder of an innocent teenage girl, an unprecedented era of persecution is unleashed. Out on personal recognizance, Luther escapes police surveillance in search of the truth. And suddenly, a once-normal life is targeted by a team of ex-military operatives who wage a relentless campaign to eliminate the incriminating evidence. As evangelist turned fugitive, Luther vows to expose anyone involved with or profiting from the girl's murder; a mission that brings him face-to-face with the coming storm of persecution that will threaten the entire Christian community in America.

        Markimdb: 8
        Genrethriller, melodrama, drama, crime, film noir
        CountryUSA
        Duration01:37

        Jeff Bailey seems to be a mundane gas station owner in remote Bridgeport, CA. He is dating local girl Ann Miller and lives a quiet life. But Jeff has a secret past, and when a mysterious stranger arrives in town, Jeff is forced to return to the dark world he had tried to escape.

        Markimdb: 7.6
        Genrethriller, fantasy, melodrama, drama, detective
        CountryUSA, Czech Republic
        Duration01:50

        With his eye on a lovely aristocrat, a gifted illusionist named Eisenheim uses his powers to win her away from her betrothed, a crowned prince. But Eisenheim's scheme creates tumult within the monarchy and ignites the suspicion of a dogged inspector.

        Markimdb: 5.9
        Genrehorror, thriller, drama, detective
        CountryUSA

        Suspecting that people around him are turning into evil creatures, a troubled man questions whether to protect his only friend from an impending war, or from himself.

        Markimdb: 4.6
        Genrethriller, drama, crime, detective
        CountryUSA
        Duration01:29

        Two homicide detectives find their careers - and lives - on the line when they get caught up in a case of murder and betrayal in high-society Savannah.

        Markimdb: 6.5
        Genrethriller, melodrama, drama, detective
        CountryUnited Kingdom, Hungary
        Duration01:44

        Day in and day out, lovers Cynthia and Evelyn enact an elaborate sadomasochistic fantasy as mistress and maid. But as their ritual of domination and submission begins to turn stale, Cynthia yearns for something more conventional, while Evelyn tries to push their taboos even further.




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