Ring
1998Japan★ 7.15 pt match
What ties these together is paranoia, feeling powerless, and grief. Both circle the same ground: family wounds passed down and family duty. The feel is the same: haunting, bleak, and slow burn.
The Shining
1980USALanguage: EnglishDirected by Stanley Kubrick★ 8.2
Jack Torrance accepts a caretaker job at the Overlook Hotel, where he, along with his wife Wendy and their son Danny, must live isolated from the rest of the world for the winter. But they aren't prepared for the madness that lurks within.
Themes and style
Tone
hauntingbleaktensecold and detachedsurreal
Pacing
slow burnslow build to explosiondreamlike
Story
survivalsiegeescapeunraveling
Emotion
paranoiafeeling powerlessloss of innocencegriefragefiguring out who you are
Themes
family dutyfamily wounds passed downcorrupt institutions
Feel
quietly hauntingexhaustingcerebralrewatchablediscussion starter
Violence
graphicWhere to watch
Foreign films like The Shining
These foreign films share the same emotional core, themes, and structural feel as The Shining. Every one of them has confirmed English subtitles or dubbing.
The Babadook
2014Australia★ 6.54 pt match
What ties these together is grief, paranoia, and feeling powerless. The world both films live in revolves around family wounds passed down and family duty. Same energy: bleak, haunting, and slow burn.
His House
2020UK★ 6.44 pt match
Both films sit with grief, figuring out who you are, and loss of innocence. They share the same lens on corrupt institutions and family wounds passed down. Same energy: bleak, haunting, and slow burn.
The Wailing
2016South Korea★ 7.44 pt match
What ties these together is paranoia, feeling powerless, and grief. Both circle the same ground: family wounds passed down and corrupt institutions. Same energy: bleak, haunting, slow burn, and slow build to explosion.
Ghostland
2018France★ 7.44 pt match
What ties these together is grief, figuring out who you are, and paranoia. The world both films live in revolves around family duty and family wounds passed down. Same energy: bleak, haunting, slow burn, and slow build to explosion.
Ju-on: The Grudge
2002Japan★ 6.84 pt match
Like The Shining, this one is rooted in paranoia, feeling powerless, and grief. They share the same lens on family duty and family wounds passed down. Both move the same way too, haunting, bleak, and slow burn.
Veronica
2017Spain★ 6.24 pt match
Both films sit with feeling powerless and grief. The world both films live in revolves around family duty and family wounds passed down. Same energy: haunting, bleak, and slow burn.
Onibaba
1964Japan★ 7.74 pt match
What ties these together is grief, loss of innocence, and rage. Both circle the same ground: family wounds passed down and family duty. Both move the same way too, bleak, haunting, slow burn, and dreamlike.