Films Like Insidious: Six Supernatural Scares to Watch Next

The Conjuring is the first of these films like Insidious to watch if you want another family haunting with paranormal investigators. James Wan directed Insidious (2011) and The Conjuring (2013), giving the two films a creative connection as well as a shared interest in families confronting supernatural danger. For the films within the original series, visit Insidious; this guide instead helps you choose a film outside that franchise.

The other five choices offer different routes into supernatural horror. Sinister favors a darker family mystery, while Paranormal Activity uses found footage to make domestic space a source of suspense. Poltergeist (2015), directed by Gil Kenan, centers on a family trying to rescue its youngest daughter. Think of the selection like choosing a meal by appetite: the best starting point depends on what you want from the evening.

Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016), directed by Mike Flanagan, offers a séance and a period setting, while Hereditary (2018), written and directed by Ari Aster, turns toward family grief and an inherited sinister fate. Each recommendation has a different emphasis, so the sections below explain the appeal before you make a choice. Start with The Conjuring if the shared director and paranormal investigation are the strongest attractions.

The Conjuring (2013), directed by James Wan, is the closest starting point for viewers who want family danger and paranormal investigators after Insidious. Wan also directed Insidious, and The Conjuring received its wide US release on July 19, 2013. That shared directing credit gives the comparison a concrete creative link, while the family haunting provides the reason to choose it for the story. In our view, it is the strongest first pick among these six recommendations.

The investigators give the supernatural threat an investigative dimension, while the family gives the danger a personal focus. Those two elements make the recommendation useful for someone who wants more than another film carrying a supernatural horror label. A shared director alone would be a limited reason to choose a film, but here it sits alongside a similar combination of family vulnerability and people confronting a haunting.

A creative connection does not establish that the films share a fictional universe. The practical point is that Wan directed both films, not that their stories need to connect for the comparison to work. If the investigators were central to your enjoyment of Insidious, choose The Conjuring before moving toward the found footage of Paranormal Activity or the family rescue in Poltergeist.

Sinister (2012), directed by Scott Derrickson, is the choice for viewers who want a darker family mystery and disturbing imagery. Ethan Hawke plays Ellison Oswalt, and the film opened widely in the US on October 12, 2012. Its home movies give the mystery a particular focus, connecting the recommendation to the domestic supernatural danger that makes Insidious an appealing reference point. Choose it when a harsher experience sounds more appealing than the investigative emphasis of The Conjuring.

The home movie element gives the viewer a different reason to pay attention to images within the story. It makes discovery part of the appeal, rather than relying only on the expectation that something frightening might appear in a family setting. The distinction matters when selecting between films with broad supernatural similarities: Sinister is the recommendation for a viewer drawn to the prospect of uncovering something disturbing.

Is Sinister scarier than Insidious? That depends on how you respond to violent imagery and supernatural mysteries, so a universal ranking would be misleading. This guide treats Sinister as a harsher selection, while recognizing that an individual viewer may find another kind of fear more unsettling. If you want the closest overall match first, choose The Conjuring; if the darker mystery is the attraction, choose Sinister.

Paranormal Activity is the choice for viewers who want found footage and a slower approach to domestic supernatural fear. The Numbers classifies the film as supernatural horror and identifies its use of found footage. Its limited US theatrical release began on September 25, 2009, giving this recommendation a documented release point alongside its distinctive format. Choose it when the prospect of watching a familiar space closely sounds more appealing than a direct investigation.

The camera gives the viewer a reason to pay attention to the space within the frame. Waiting and uncertainty become part of the experience, which makes the film a different selection from a family rescue or a mystery built around home movies. Its connection to Insidious rests on supernatural fear reaching into domestic life, although the format offers a different way to experience that vulnerability.

Patience is therefore useful when deciding whether this is the right film for the evening. A viewer who enjoys anticipation may find the camera especially absorbing, while someone looking for paranormal investigators may prefer The Conjuring. For another contrast, Poltergeist offers a family with the immediate goal of rescuing a child. Pick Paranormal Activity when the found footage approach is the feature you most want to explore.

Poltergeist (2015), directed by Gil Kenan, is the choice for viewers who want a family rescue at the center of a supernatural story. Released on May 22, 2015, it follows a family attempting to rescue its youngest daughter after apparitions hold her captive in their suburban home. That premise gives the comparison with Insidious a clear emotional focus without requiring details of how the rescue unfolds. Choose it when a family trying to bring a child home is the element you want to follow.

The suburban home makes the setting part of the appeal, because the danger reaches into the place where the family lives. The captive daughter also gives the family a specific objective, which distinguishes this recommendation from the investigative emphasis of The Conjuring. Perhaps that makes Poltergeist the most useful choice for someone whose interest in Insidious came from concern for a vulnerable family member.

Check the year when selecting Poltergeist, since this recommendation refers specifically to the 2015 film. The rescue premise is enough to guide the choice without comparing versions or revealing later plot developments. If you would rather watch a family confront an inherited sinister fate, consider Hereditary; if a clearly defined rescue is your priority, start with Poltergeist.

Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016), directed by Mike Flanagan, is the choice for viewers drawn to a family facing a malevolent spirit through a séance. Released on October 21, 2016, the film is set in 1967 Los Angeles. That setting gives the recommendation a period context, while the séance offers a particular kind of supernatural contact to follow. Choose it when the idea of a family encountering a threatening presence appeals more than the found footage format of Paranormal Activity.

The séance makes communication a useful way to distinguish this film from the other recommendations. The family danger provides the connection to Insidious, but the way that danger enters the comparison gives the choice its own focus. The premise can help you decide without knowing the identity of the spirit or the later direction of the story. A viewer interested in supernatural contact has a specific reason to begin here.

The 1967 Los Angeles setting may also help you choose the atmosphere you want for the evening. If your preference is a family rescue, Poltergeist gives that objective a central place; if paranormal investigators are your priority, The Conjuring is the closer overall recommendation. Return to Insidious when you want the franchise itself, and select Ouija: Origin of Evil when the séance premise is the attraction.

Hereditary (2018), written and directed by Ari Aster, is the choice for viewers who want family grief and supernatural dread in a severe register. Starring Toni Collette, the film follows a family trying to escape an inherited sinister fate after its grandmother dies. Bereavement and inheritance give the recommendation a family connection to Insidious, while making it a choice for a viewer seeking a heavier emotional experience. Choose it when the family situation is as compelling to you as the supernatural threat.

The inherited fate makes family history central to the premise, giving the danger a different emphasis from the rescue in Poltergeist. The grandmother's death also places grief at the opening of the family's struggle. Those details offer enough context to distinguish Hereditary from the other selections without explaining later events. The recommendation is strongest for someone who wants family relationships to carry substantial dramatic weight.

The severity of a film is a matter of response, and family tragedy may affect one viewer more strongly than another. This guide places Hereditary among the harsher choices alongside Sinister, while recognizing that their appeals differ. Sinister offers a darker mystery with home movies; Hereditary centers on grief and an inherited fate. If an investigation is the priority tonight, The Conjuring is the more direct starting point.

Choose The Conjuring for the closest overall match, then use the other five recommendations to follow the kind of fear you want. James Wan directed both The Conjuring and Insidious, and the family haunting and paranormal investigators make the connection useful for choosing what to watch. Paranormal Activity offers found footage instead, while Poltergeist (2015) gives a family the immediate goal of rescuing its youngest daughter. Those distinctions help turn a broad search into a practical choice.

For a harsher evening, consider whether a disturbing mystery or family tragedy sounds more compelling. Sinister uses home movies within its darker family mystery, while Hereditary follows a family trying to escape an inherited sinister fate after its grandmother dies. Ouija: Origin of Evil offers the séance route and a setting in 1967 Los Angeles. Each premise gives you a different reason to choose, even though all six sit alongside Insidious in this guide.

Scariness depends on the viewer, so the best next film does not have to be the one another person finds most intense. A camera focused on domestic space may hold your attention differently from a rescue or an investigation. Decide which premise you want to spend an evening with, then use the relevant section above for its release details and the reason it belongs in the selection.