The Best 10 Terrifying Movies Like IT to Watch Now

Fans of Andy Muschietti’s “IT” series may still have some questions, but there’s no denying that it set the horror world on fire with its killer clown and strange cosmic themes. As fans guess what will happen next with the show, which is currently set to become an HBO Max special, they’re likely to feel a huge hole in their heart in the shape of Pennywise. Fans and regular viewers are probably looking for something to satisfy their horror cravings until the fourth season of “Stranger Things” starts. Is “It: Chapter 2” a good movie?

Both “It: Chapter 1” and “2” did a great job of capturing the 80s craze that was popular at the time in movies and TV shows. The “It” series, which had both full-on horror and coming-of-age themes, was like “Stranger Things” for movies. It also showed how nostalgia can pay off. Taking a classic book and setting it in a classic decade worked like a charm. The movie “It” was a great mix of comedy and cosmic fear. In some way or another, these 15 movies like IT capture the evil spirit of Pennywise and will make the wait for more “It” movies much easier to handle.

The Top 15 Movies Like IT in 2024:

Summer of 84

“Summer of 84” is different because it had three directors instead of just one or two. François Simard, Anouk Whissell, and Yoann-Karl Whissell all worked on their “Rear Window” meets “Stranger Things” set in the 1980s, but you wouldn’t know it from the finished result because it was so sure of itself and meaningful. Over a dozen young boys have gone missing in Cape May, Oregon, in the ten years before the summer of 1984, but no one seems very interested in putting the pieces together.

Davey Armstrong, played by Graham Verchere, is a young paperboy who is suspicious of his neighbor, police officer Wayne Mackey, played by Rich Sommer. When Wayne sees a lost boy coming into Wayne’s house, he and his friends try to prove to their town that Mackey is the “Cape May Slayer.” “Summer of 84” starts out sounding a lot like “Stranger Things,” but the third act makes it very different. There are dark parts in “Summer of 84” that most movies in this type avoid. Changing the tone in a way that is hard to follow helps the movie stand out from other nostalgic horror rides.

Scream (2022)

Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, who work together as Radio Silence, did an impossible thing with their follow up to the late Wes Craven’s long-running meta-slasher series. The fifth movie in the “Scream” series feels like an impossible feat: it strikes the right balance between making a new identity and remembering the past. It not only works, but it also fits in perfectly with the four pieces that came before it. That is, Wes Craven would have been happy with the movie.

“Scream” is a biting and consistently funny critique of the current state of filmmaking. It takes advantage of the growing “requel” trend, in which companies bring back old titles with familiar actors and new stories. It plays on the way teens talk to each other that made “IT” so popular without giving up real scares and stress. It’s the best movie in the series since the second one, and it shows, just like Andy Muschietti did with “IT,” how new blood can make old things feel new again.

Stand by Me

The movie “Stand by Me,” which was based on Stephen King’s short story “The Body,” may be “IT’s” second most notable inspiration, after “Stranger Things.” King could have added Pennywise to the young cast, because it wouldn’t have made a difference. Also, that’s not a bad thing. Even though “Stand by Me” doesn’t have the real scares that “IT” does, it more than makes up for it with real sadness and a string of amazing teenage performances from Wil Wheaton, Jerry O’Connell, Corey Feldman, and the late River Phoenix.

Since Wheaton’s character, Gordie, and his friends are always bored as kids, they go into the woods one summer afternoon to see if they can find a dead body. Long trips to see dead people are something that only little boys do for fun. Not a thing more or less. But there is a sad, troubling heart beating beneath the surface, and Reiner does a great job of using the subtleties of King’s writing to show how these young boys have absorbed their pain and grief. For good reason, “Stand by Me” is still a classic about coming of age. It’s like “IT” without the killer clown.

Super Dark Times

“Super Dark Times” by Kevin Phillips has a title that tells people everything they need to know about it. It looks like a character study that uses a lot of 1990s imagery, but “Super Dark Times” is really a horror movie. Phillips slowly weaves his clever story web throughout the movie, building up to a shocking turn in the third act that completely shocks viewers in the best way possible.

Evan Campbell plays Zach and Charlie Tahan plays Josh. They are best friends and live in Upstate New York in the 1990s. Someone they know, Daryl (Max Talisman), is killed by accident by Josh one day when they play around with a sword. The boys decide not to tell anyone about Daryl’s body, so they hide it. Because of this, they are very sad and suspicious, especially Zach. The strangest thing is how little Josh seems to care. As Josh becomes more famous and steals his brother’s pot stash, he walks around like he hasn’t just killed someone by accident. There are no hints here, but “Super Dark Times” is a scary movie that plays the same nostalgic music as “IT.” The monsters in “Super Dark Times,” though, are real people.

Annabelle: Creation

Most people might not give the 2014 movie “Annabelle” enough credit. It’s a good movie, but it’s a weird way to introduce the main Annabelle doll (who first appeared in James Wan’s “The Conjuring”) to her own kind of series. Mia, played by Annabelle Wallis, is one of the main problems. Wallis is great, but a movie about a doll that is possessed almost needs to be seen through the eyes of a teenager. Why do so many adults seem to be so interested in a ceramic Annabelle that is said to be haunted?

The director, David F. Sandberg, who just came off the hit movie “Lights Out,” seems to know this. A prequel called “Annabelle: Creation” tells the story of how the doll in the title got her start, along with a group of children and their new home on a country ranch. With its different point of view, “Creation” has a lot in common with “IT,” including bullies, the power of friendship, and strangers working together to stop an evil that can’t be stopped. This movie also helps that “Annabelle: Creation” is really scary, with some of the scariest moments in the whole “Conjuring” series.

Closet Monster

The “Closet Monster” is one of the best independent starts of the last ten years. “Closet Monster” is a body horror movie with coming-of-age themes. It’s not very scary, but Stephen Dunn’s story could easily have been written by Stephen King because of how well it handles its main metaphor. Oscar Madly, played by Connor Jessup, is 18 years old and lives with his openly gay father after his parents split up ten years ago. He has terrible stomach pain and dreams that remind him of a violent gay attack he saw as a child.

Oscar has to deal with a new crush, the boredom of being a teenager, and even taking care of his hamster, Buffy, who he thinks can talk. It’s very artistic, and the body horror parts come out most when Oscar tries to figure out his sexuality. Given how badly “IT: Chapter 2” handles gay characters, “Closet Monster” might be a nice change of pace. Dunn does a great job of mixing realistic characters with effective horror elements.

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Little Monsters

This isn’t the Lupita Nyong’o zombie movie coming out in 2019, though that one is also great and worth seeing. That’s not it; that’s Richard Alan Greenberg’s “Little Monsters,” the family-friendly comedy-horror movie from 1989 that stars Fred Savage. In the 1980s and 1990s, Fred Savage was all over the place. Many movies and TV shows have him in small roles, including “The Princess Bride,” “The Wonder Years,” and even “Seinfeld.”

He plays Brian Stevenson, a young boy who traps one of the monsters, Maurice (Howie Mandel), in his brother’s room and finds that there are more monsters living below. All of these monsters used to be kids, so they can sleep in any bed in the world. They sneak into homes at night to play tricks on people and generally cause trouble. Even though it was fun at first, Brian starts to realize that the monsters go too far sometimes, and what’s worse, the longer he stays there, the closer he gets to turning into one. It’s all kid-friendly, but it has real heart, especially when the main kids work together to fight the big monster bad guy. A family-friendly “IT,” “Little Monsters” is a must-see for Halloween.

Haunt

After the success of “A Quiet Place,” writers Scott Beck and Bryan Woods directed “Haunt,” a Halloween killer that brought new life to a genre that was on the decline more than most other 2019 movies. “Haunt” captured audiences with a back-to-basics structure that put scares and playful misdirection ahead of subversive turns and seismic formula changes.

She is played by Katie Stevens. She and a few friends go to an off-the-beaten-path, supposedly extreme haunted house on Halloween night. They are asked to sign risk papers and give up their cell phones. Since haunted houses have become more popular, it makes sense to lock up the core group of young people and leave them at the hands of the haunt’s owners. Of course, there is real danger inside, and Harper and her friends have to deal with a bunch of crazy people in masks. “Haunt” is a lasting homage to the glory days of the horror subgenre, combining Andy Muschietti’s wit with real scares.

The Hole

“Gremlins” and “Small Soldiers” director Joe Dante has almost stopped making movies, but he still has a few projects in the works. His most recent movie, “Burying the Ex,” came out in 2014. Five years before that, he directed “The Hole.” Dante used to be the king of incredibly scary kid movies, but his incredibly funny wit, which can be seen in “The Hole,” is still a big part of the way he makes movies.

Even though it uses a lot less material than most movies, “The Hole” still manages to charm with its giddy, retro vibe. Brothers Dane and Lucas Thompson (Chris Massoglia and Nathan Gamble) find a big hole in their basement that seems to have no bottom. They try to figure out what the hole might be with the help of their new crush, Julie (Haley Bennett). “The Hole” is a great throwback to the horror movies of the 1980s. It has parts of cosmic horror and a pace that is easy for the whole family to follow. Fun and scary at the same time, it’s great for people who want the mood of “IT” without all the blood and guts.

The Gate

When we talk about holes, Tibor Takács’s “The Gate” also has a lot of scary scenes with odd holes that have no bottom. Glen, played by Stephen Dorff, and Terry, played by Louis Tripp, find a big hole and a geode in Glen’s garden after some building work is done. They don’t want to leave things alone, so they break open the crystal, read some spells, and accidentally let a huge group of demons out from underground.

This isn’t just any hole; it leads to a world full of evil gods. For now, Glen, his sister Al (Christa Denton), and Terry are the only ones who can stop the bad guys. With shades of “Gremlins” and “IT,” “The Gate” is darker than most kid-friendly movies, but it’s still a great way for young horror fans to start exploring the genre. With the teen angst and ease of access of “IT,” “The Gate” is a great movie for people who are just starting to like horror.

Stitches

A death scene in “Stitches” is set to Cutting Crew’s 1986 hit “(I Just) Died in Your Arms Tonight.” If that doesn’t get people to watch, I don’t know what will. In Conor McMahon’s horror comedy, Stitches (Ross Noble), a clown, comes back from the dead to get payback on the teens who killed him years ago in a joke gone wrong. Stitches sneaks up on the teens as they drink and smoke, killing them one by one.

It might seem like everyone is making killer clown movies after Andy Muschietti’s “IT,” but the subgenre is actually a lot smaller than most people think. Even worse, the few titles it does have are rarely interesting enough to watch. “Stitches” happily stays true to its comedic roots, with lots of gross-out gore, shocking jokes, and a great performance from Noble as the killer clown who is dead. “Stitches” is fun, funny, and craftier than it needs to be. It leaves people in…  Sewn up.

Night of the Creeps

It’s hard to stay away from “Night of the Creeps” because it makes you feel so nostalgic. Fred Dekker’s first full-length movie skillfully captures the small pleasures of being a student, falling in love, and making mistakes while trying to figure out the world as a young adult. Because it’s so soft and well-balanced, “Night of the Creeps” might have worked even if the parasite bugs hadn’t turned everyone into zombies.

James Lively plays Chris Romero, a pledge in a fraternity who is stuck in the middle of a bunch of nasty, slimy bugs that look like aliens. “Night of the Creeps” is a mix of different types of horror movies that never feels like it was made without purpose. It has aspects of 1950s B movies, George A. Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead,” and killer movies to round it out. It’s like “IT” in that it has the right amount of scary, gross, and funny parts. Like Stephen King’s books, it has a sweet, beating heart at its center. Scary things don’t get much better than this.

The Babysitter

This is not how McG wants to direct movies. It’s so fast-paced, flashy, and full of quick cuts and style touches that it can make you feel sick as well as enjoy it. “The Babysitter,” which is available on Netflix, shows how much potential his crazy energy can hold. “Rim of the World” shows his almost childish urges at their worst. Even though “The Babysitter” is full of wide humor and childish jokes, it works because of its stars, Samara Weaving and Judah Lewis.

Cole, played by Lewis, is a kid who is picked on, and his maid, Bee (Weaving), is the hottest girl in town. She’s everything a geek could want. There is a secret between her and her charges that she knows a lot about comics and sci-fi and likes old rock and roll. Bee is also a member of a cult, and she and her high school friends have planned to kill Cole and give his body to the devil. “The Babysitter” has its tongue firmly in its mouth, and Robbie Amell, Bella Thorn, and Hana Mae Lee do a great job of making the material more enjoyable. It’s a sweet but very violent coming-of-age story like “IT,” and it’s one of Netflix’s best original horror shows in years.

Waxwork

One important part of Pennywise’s method is that he can take on the worst fears of his victims. Pennywise knows exactly what form to take in order to keep working on the universe, whether it’s a werewolf, a blood geyser, or a leper full of germs. In a similar way, Anthony Hickox’s “Waxwork” traps six teens in a creepy wax museum that can mysteriously move their bodies into the standard horror displays. The variety of scary things in “Waxwork” is a big part of why Pennywise is such a popular horror character. The movie makes sure that the scares and monsters never get old.

With Zach Galligan from “Gremlins” in charge, the poor kids have to deal with werewolves, vampires, the Phantom of the Opera, a mummy, and other horror classics. Just like “IT,” this movie skillfully mixes real scares with teen humor, honoring an entire genre in a beautifully made killer with a setting Vincent Price would be proud of.

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

“Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” by André Øvredal shouldn’t have worked. Fans have known for a long time that Stephen Gammell’s chalk and ink drawings are what made the series a classic across generations. The show is based on Alvin Schwartz’s children’s book series of the same name. That’s not a knock on Schwartz; he did a great job of translating centuries of folktales and urban legends for a younger audience. But Gammell’s drawings were so shocking and controversial that a movie would never have been able to happen without them.

Luckily, Øvredal and director Guillermo Del Toro kept the best parts of Gammell’s writing when they streamlined the three-book series for the movie. Instead of telling stories in episodes or collections, Dan and Kevin Hageman built a new main story around a cursed book whose stories come to life. With its setting in the past, scary moments that push the limits, and shocking bad guys, “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” could be seen as the PG-13 version of “IT.”

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