Se7en backdrop

Films like Se7en (1995)

Published: Feb 22, 2026

Se7en plot: Veteran detective Somerset and his young partner investigate a series of chilling murders tied to punishment for the seven deadly sins. With each new victim, they realize the killer is always one step ahead.

Keywords: Crime thriller, Twist, Twist ending, Serial killer, Nihilistic, Tragic, Slow burn, Trauma, Investigation, Psychological thriller

Style characteristics: Darkness, Bleakness, Tension, Violence, Complexity, Pacing

The Silence of the Lambs

1. The Silence of the Lambs

Crime Thriller Drama
8.6

1991 · 1h 59min

United States

Director: Jonathan Demme

A country is shaken by a series of brutal kidnappings and murders of women. Trying to track down the maniac, FBI agent Clarice Starling turns for help to the imprisoned killer and brilliant psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter.

Similarity

Closest characteristics: Complexity, Tension, Darkness, Tone, Conflict

Notable differences: Bleakness (-22%), Violence (-16%)

Shared keywords

Serial killer, Investigation

Style

Tension
92%
Darkness
88%
Bleakness
70%

Memories of Murder

2. Memories of Murder

Crime Drama Thriller
8.1

2003 · 2h 11min

South Korea

Director: Bong Joon Ho

A provincial town is shaken by a series of brutal murders of women. An experienced detective from Seoul arrives to hunt down the maniac and serial killer, determined to get the stalled case moving again.

Similarity

Closest characteristics: Complexity, Tension, Pacing, Tone, Tropes

Notable differences: Bleakness (-14%), Darkness (-12%), Violence (-30%)

Shared keywords

Serial killer, Slow burn, Investigation

Style

Tension
84%
Darkness
82%
Bleakness
78%

Prisoners

3. Prisoners

Drama Thriller Crime
8.2

2013 · 2h 33min

United States

Director: Denis Villeneuve

A six-year-old girl and her friend are abducted by unknown criminals. When the police investigation hits a dead end, one of the parents, in desperation, decides to get to the truth by his own methods.

Similarity

Closest characteristics: Pacing, Tension, Complexity, Tone, Tropes

Notable differences: Bleakness (-14%), Violence (-23%)

Shared keywords

Tragic, Slow burn, Investigation

Style

Tension
90%
Darkness
85%
Bleakness
78%

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

4. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Thriller Crime Mystery
7.8

2011 · 2h 38min

United States, Sweden

Director: David Fincher

Journalist Mikael and hacker Lisbeth investigate a 40-year-old case involving a missing woman whose body was never found. Her uncle is convinced a powerful local family is behind it.

Similarity

Closest characteristics: Pacing, Complexity, Darkness, Tone, Conflict

Notable differences: Bleakness (-14%)

Shared keywords

Serial killer, Slow burn, Investigation

Style

Darkness
88%
Tension
82%
Bleakness
78%

Zodiac

5. Zodiac

Crime Mystery Thriller
7.7

2007 · 2h 37min

United States

Director: David Fincher

The film is based on the story of the real-life serial killer known as “Zodiac,” who terrorized the residents of San Francisco from 1968 to 1983. Zodiac liked communicating with the police through the press, sending encrypted messages.

Similarity

Closest characteristics: Tension, Complexity, Tropes, Tone

Notable differences: Bleakness (-14%), Darkness (-12%), Pacing (-16%), Violence (-30%)

Shared keywords

Serial killer, Slow burn, Investigation

Style

Tension
84%
Darkness
82%
Bleakness
78%

The Chaser

6. The Chaser

Crime Thriller Action
7.8

2008 · 2h 5min

South Korea

Director: Na Hong-jin

When yet another girl disappears after being called by a mysterious client, a pimp—who also happens to be a former detective—races against time to track down the maniac and save her.

Similarity

Closest characteristics: Tension, Complexity, Darkness, Tone, Tropes

Notable differences: Pacing (+16%)

Shared keywords

Serial killer, Tragic, Investigation

Style

Tension
92%
Darkness
88%
Bleakness
85%

Insomnia

7. Insomnia

Thriller Crime Drama
7.2

2002 · 1h 58min

United States

Director: Christopher Nolan

To investigate the brutal murder of a girl, two experienced detectives from Los Angeles arrive. Under the pressure of unusual Arctic weather, the press, and a lack of evidence, they try to find the real culprit.

Similarity

Closest characteristics: Pacing, Complexity, Tension, Tone, Tropes

Notable differences: Bleakness (-24%), Darkness (-22%), Violence (-40%)

Shared keywords

Tragic, Slow burn, Investigation

Style

Tension
78%
Darkness
72%
Bleakness
68%

Frailty

8. Frailty

Drama Thriller Crime
7.2

2002 · 1h 40min

United States, Germany

Director: Bill Paxton

Police are searching in vain for a serial killer. Meanwhile, a mysterious man comes to an FBI agent and says that his deeply religious father had visions in childhood, urging him to kill people who are, in fact, demons.

Similarity

Closest characteristics: Complexity, Pacing, Tone, Tropes

Notable differences: Bleakness (-20%), Darkness (-16%), Tension (-14%), Violence (-20%)

Shared keywords

Twist, Twist ending, Serial killer, Slow burn

Style

Darkness
78%
Tension
74%
Bleakness
72%

The Bone Collector

9. The Bone Collector

Crime Thriller Drama Mystery
6.7

1999 · 1h 58min

United States

Director: Phillip Noyce

A renowned criminologist and a young police officer are on the trail of a bloodthirsty maniac who leaves ciphers and hidden clues beside his victims. Each new discovery raises the stakes in this deadly game.

Similarity

Closest characteristics: Pacing, Tension, Tone, Tropes

Notable differences: Bleakness (-30%), Darkness (-16%), Violence (-20%), Complexity (-11%)

Shared keywords

Serial killer, Investigation

Style

Tension
80%
Darkness
78%
Pacing
66%

Oldboy

10. Oldboy

Drama Thriller Mystery Action
8.3

2003 · 2h

South Korea

Director: Park Chan-wook

Unknown captors abduct Oh Dae-su and keep him in an improvised prison for fifteen years—only to release him one day without any explanation. Now he must, no matter what, find the person who did this to him and take revenge.

Similarity

Closest characteristics: Tension, Violence, Darkness, Tone, Tropes

Notable differences: Complexity (+14%)

Shared keywords

Twist ending, Tragic, Investigation, KeywordLabels.tense

Style

Darkness
92%
Tension
88%
Bleakness
85%

Reptile

11. Reptile

Crime Mystery Thriller Drama
6.8

2023 · 2h 16min

United States

Director: Grant Singer

Detective Tom Nichols takes on the investigation of a brutal murder of a real estate agent. What first seems like a straightforward case begins to expose a deep web of lies, conspiracy, and corruption that reaches into the detective’s own personal life.

Similarity

Closest characteristics: Complexity, Pacing, Tone, Tropes

Notable differences: Bleakness (-20%), Darkness (-16%), Tension (-14%), Violence (-20%)

Shared keywords

Slow burn, Investigation

Style

Darkness
78%
Tension
74%
Bleakness
72%

The Crimson Rivers

12. The Crimson Rivers

Crime Mystery Thriller
6.9

2000 · 1h 46min

France

Director: Mathieu Kassovitz

A series of terrifying ritual crimes sweeps the country, seemingly unrelated at first. The investigation leads a young detective and a seasoned police commissioner into the mountains, where they soon realize it’s all part of a single sinister plan.

Similarity

Closest characteristics: Complexity, Tension, Pacing, Tone, Tropes

Notable differences: Bleakness (-22%), Darkness (-16%), Violence (-16%)

Shared keywords

Twist, Twist ending, Tragic, Slow burn, Investigation

Style

Tension
82%
Darkness
78%
Bleakness
70%

From Hell

13. From Hell

Horror Mystery Thriller
6.7

2001 · 2h 2min

United States

Director: Albert Hughes

London, 1888: Detective Fred Abberline follows the trail of one of the most infamous and terrifying serial killers — Jack the Ripper.

Similarity

Closest characteristics: Complexity, Pacing, Violence, Tropes, Tone

Notable differences: Bleakness (-14%), Tension (-14%)

Shared keywords

Twist ending, Serial killer, Tragic, Investigation

Style

Darkness
86%
Bleakness
78%
Tension
74%

Kiss the Girls

14. Kiss the Girls

Thriller Crime Mystery Drama
6.6

1997 · 1h 55min

United States

Director: Gary Fleder

The film follows a maniac who kidnaps young women, calling himself Casanova. With the help of a witness who managed to escape the killer, veteran detective Alex Cross tries to track the criminal down.

Similarity

Closest characteristics: Complexity, Tension, Pacing, Tone, Tropes

Notable differences: Bleakness (-14%), Darkness (-12%), Action (+25%)

Shared keywords

Serial killer, Investigation

Style

Tension
85%
Darkness
82%
Bleakness
78%

Hannibal

15. Hannibal

Crime Drama Thriller
6.8

2001 · 2h 11min

United States, United Kingdom

Director: Ridley Scott

Ten years after Hannibal Lecter vanished without a trace, agent Clarice Starling is hit by a wave of media criticism following a failed operation. Meanwhile, Lecter’s former victim, millionaire Mason Verger, plots his own hunt for the doctor—trying to use the agent to avenge past wrongs.

Similarity

Closest characteristics: Pacing, Violence, Complexity, Tone, Conflict

Notable differences: Bleakness (-20%)

Shared keywords

Serial killer, Investigation

Style

Darkness
85%
Violence
82%
Tension
78%