10 Spine-Chilling Movies and Shows Like The Boy

Description: A gothic psychological horror with a slow-burning mystery about a woman and her photosensitive children living in a darkened old house with disturbing supernatural occurrences.

Fact: The film was shot almost entirely using natural light or candlelight to maintain authenticity. It won 8 Goya Awards including Best Film.

Description: A courtroom drama/horror hybrid based on a true story about a priest on trial after a failed exorcism that resulted in a young woman's death.

Fact: The film is loosely based on the controversial case of Anneliese Michel, a German woman who died after numerous exorcisms. It was released on Friday the 13th to capitalize on the superstition.

Description: A haunting ghost story that blends emotional drama with supernatural horror, focusing on a mother's desperate search for her missing child in a mysterious old house.

Fact: The film was produced by Guillermo del Toro but directed by J.A. Bayona. It won seven Goya Awards (Spanish Oscars), including Best New Director.

Description: A found-footage horror film that follows a young couple documenting increasingly disturbing supernatural events in their home at night.

Fact: The film was made for just $15,000 but grossed over $193 million worldwide. Many of the nighttime scenes used real reactions from the actors who weren't told what would happen.

Description: A supernatural horror film based on real-life paranormal investigators, featuring a family terrorized by a dark presence in their farmhouse.

Fact: The film is based on the case files of Ed and Lorraine Warren. The real-life Perron family, whose story inspired the film, reported that strange occurrences continued during filming.

Description: A chilling horror film about a true crime writer who discovers disturbing home movies in his new house, unleashing a malevolent supernatural force.

Fact: The creepy home movies featured in the film were inspired by real snuff film urban legends. The film's antagonist, Bughuul, is based on a Mesopotamian deity.

Description: A psychological horror film that explores themes of grief and maternal distress, featuring a supernatural entity that preys on a mother and her child.

Fact: The Babadook was initially rejected by several film festivals before gaining critical acclaim and becoming a cult classic. The creature's design was inspired by early 20th-century German expressionist films.

Description: A claustrophobic supernatural horror film about a father-son coroner team who uncover increasingly bizarre and unexplainable findings while examining an unidentified female corpse.

Fact: The film was shot in just 18 days. The titular Jane Doe was played by two actresses - one for facial close-ups and another (a contortionist) for the body scenes.

Description: A supernatural horror film centered around a haunted doll that brings terror to a young couple, expanding the Conjuring universe with its malevolent spirit mythology.

Fact: The Annabelle doll is based on a real haunted doll kept by paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. The real doll looks completely different - a Raggedy Ann doll - but was changed for the film to be more frightening.

Description: A deeply unsettling horror film that delves into family trauma and inherited curses, with a slow-building tension and shocking supernatural elements.

Fact: Hereditary was the feature film debut of director Ari Aster. The miniature models featured in the film were all created by the protagonist actress Toni Collette's character.