20 Best Movies Like Primer

Discover movies that match your taste

Primer

Primer

Primer is a cerebral sci-fi thriller about two engineers who accidentally invent time travel. The film focuses on their attempts to exploit the technology, leading to increasingly complex and dangerous consequences. Known for its dense, realistic dialogue and intricate plot, it challenges viewers to piece together its timeline. Made on a shoestring budget, it became a cult classic for its originality and intellectual approach to the time-travel genre.

Movies in This List

Filter Movies

Narrow down your search by actor, genre, rating, or platform

Reset Filters
Caddo Lake
▶ Watch Trailer
⭐
6.8/10
📅
October 10, 2024 (on Max)
🕒
99 minutes (≈1 h 45 m)
👥
General (PG 13 for thematic elements, disturbing/bloody images, brief strong language)
Caddo Lake
MysteryThrillerSupernatural
Story
In a small community near Caddo Lake, eight year old Anna vanishes, reigniting long buried family mysteries. Ellie, Anna’s teenage stepsister, and Paris, a troubled man, are linked across time through the lake’s mystical portals. As Ellie and Paris’s stories intertwine—across 1952, 2003, and 2022—they uncover tangled family ties that defy logic: Paris is revealed to be Ellie’s father, and family roles are rewritten across generations.
Cast:
Dylan O’Brien, Eliza Scanlen, Caroline Falk, Lauren Ambrose, Eric Lange, Sam Hennings, Diana Hopper
Directors:
Celine Held, Logan George
Writers:
Celine Held, Logan George
Producers:
M. Night Shyamalan, Ashwin Rajan, Kara Durrett, Josh Godfrey
Available On
Not on OTT
Similar Movies →
The Sixth Sense
▶ Watch Trailer
⭐
8.1
📅
August 1999
🕒
107 minutes
👥
PG 13
The Sixth Sense
Supernatural thrillerMysteryDrama
Story
A child psychologist helps a young boy who claims he can see and speak with dead people—an eerie journey that builds to one of cinema’s most iconic twists.
Cast:
Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette, Olivia Williams
Directors:
M. Night Shyamalan
Writers:
M. Night Shyamalan
Producers:
Barry Mendel, M. Night Shyamalan
Available On
Not on OTT
Similar Movies →
Memento
▶ Watch Trailer
⭐
8.4/10
📅
2000
🕒
113 minutes
👥
R
Memento
MysteryThrillerDrama
Story
A man with short-term memory loss uses notes and tattoos to track down his wife’s killer.
Cast:
Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano
Directors:
Christopher Nolan
Writers:
Christopher Nolan (screenplay), Jonathan Nolan (short story)
Producers:
Suzanne Keller, Jennifer Todd
Available On
Not on OTT
Similar Movies →
Coherence
▶ Watch Trailer
⭐
7.2/10
📅
2013
🕒
89 minutes
👥
R
Coherence
Sci-FiThrillerMystery
Story
Strange events unfold during a dinner party when a comet passes overhead, causing reality to unravel.
Cast:
Emily Baldoni, Maury Sterling, Nicholas Brendon
Directors:
James Ward Byrkit
Writers:
James Ward Byrkit
Producers:
James Ward Byrkit
Available On
Not on OTT
Similar Movies →
▶ Watch Trailer
⭐
8.2
📅
2010
🕒
138 minutes
👥
R
Shutter Island
MysteryThrillerDrama
Story
A U.S. Marshal investigates the disappearance of a prisoner from a mental institution on a remote island.
Cast:
Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley
Directors:
Martin Scorsese
Writers:
Laeta Kalogridis (screenplay), Dennis Lehane (novel)
Producers:
Mike Medavoy, Arnold Messer
Available On
Not on OTT
Similar Movies →
Fractured
▶ Watch Trailer
⭐
6.4/10
📅
2019
🕒
100 minutes
👥
R
Fractured
ThrillerMystery
Story
A man’s wife and injured daughter go missing from an emergency room, and he becomes convinced a conspiracy is at play.
Cast:
Sam Worthington, Lily Rabe, Stephen Tobolowsky
Directors:
Brad Anderson
Writers:
Alan B. McElroy
Producers:
David Lancaster, Richard Saperstein
Available On
Netflix
Similar Movies →
Frequency
▶ Watch Trailer
⭐
7.5/10
📅
2000
🕒
118 minutes
👥
PG-13
Frequency
Sci-FiThrillerDrama
Story
A son communicates with his deceased father across time via a ham radio, changing the past and risking the future.
Cast:
Dennis Quaid, Jim Caviezel, Andre Braugher
Directors:
Gregory Hoblit
Writers:
Toby Emmerich (screenplay), Geoff Molloy (story)
Producers:
Lawrence Gordon, Lloyd Levin
Available On
Not on OTT
Similar Movies →
Triangle
▶ Watch Trailer
⭐
6.9/10
📅
2009
🕒
99 minutes
👥
R
Triangle
ThrillerMysteryHorror
Story
A group of friends trapped on a mysterious ship face terrifying time loops and psychological horror.
Cast:
Melissa George, Joshua McIvor, Jack Taylor
Directors:
Christopher Smith
Writers:
Christopher Smith
Producers:
Richard Gray, Allanah Zitserman
Available On
Not on OTT
Similar Movies →
In the Tall Grass
▶ Watch Trailer
⭐
5.6/10
📅
2019
🕒
101 minutes
👥
R
In the Tall Grass
HorrorMysteryThriller
Story
A brother and sister enter a vast field of tall grass to rescue a lost boy but find themselves trapped in a supernatural labyrinth.
Cast:
Laysla De Oliveira, Avery Whitted, Patrick Wilson
Directors:
Vincenzo Natali
Writers:
Vincenzo Natali, based on Stephen King and Joe Hill novella
Producers:
Phil Graziadei, Ian B. Goldberg
Available On
Netflix
Similar Movies →
▶ Watch Trailer
⭐
6.5/10
📅
2017
🕒
96 minutes
👥
PG-13
Happy Death Day
HorrorComedyMystery
Story
A college student relives the day of her murder repeatedly, trying to find her killer and survive.
Cast:
Jessica Rothe, Israel Broussard, Ruby Modine
Directors:
Christopher Landon
Writers:
Scott Lobdell
Producers:
Jason Blum, Ashwin Rajan, Jessica Rhoades
Available On
Not on OTT
Similar Movies →
The Machinist
▶ Watch Trailer
⭐
7.7/10
📅
September 24, 2004
🕒
101 minutes
👥
R
The Machinist (2004)
DramaThriller
Story
An insomniac factory worker’s mental state deteriorates as he experiences paranoia and hallucinations, uncovering dark secrets.
Cast:
Christian Bale, Jennifer Jason Leigh
Directors:
Brad Anderson
Writers:
Scott Kosar
Producers:
William C. Johnson
Available On
Not on OTT
Similar Movies →
The Endless
▶ Watch Trailer
⭐
6.6/10
📅
2017
🕒
111 minutes
👥
R
The Endless
HorrorSci-FiThriller
Story
Two brothers return to a cult they escaped years ago, confronting supernatural forces and cyclical time loops.
Cast:
Aaron Moorhead, Justin Benson, Callie Hernandez
Directors:
Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead
Writers:
Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead
Producers:
Aaron Moorhead, Justin Benson
Available On
Not on OTT
Similar Movies →
The Village
▶ Watch Trailer
⭐
6.5/10
📅
2004
🕒
104 minutes
👥
PG-13
The Village
ThrillerDramaMystery
Story
A secluded village lives in fear of mysterious creatures in the surrounding woods, hiding a dark secret.
Cast:
Bryce Dallas Howard, Joaquin Phoenix, Adrien Brody
Directors:
M. Night Shyamalan
Writers:
M. Night Shyamalan
Producers:
M. Night Shyamalan, Barry Mendel, Frank Marshall
Available On
Not on OTT
Similar Movies →
Donnie Darko
▶ Watch Trailer
⭐
8.0/10
📅
2001
🕒
113 minutes
👥
R
Donnie Darko
Sci-FiThrillerDrama
Story
A troubled teenager experiences visions of a mysterious figure who manipulates him to commit crimes and unravel time paradoxes.
Cast:
Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Mary McDonnell
Directors:
Richard Kelly
Writers:
Richard Kelly
Producers:
Adam Fields, Stacey Sher
Available On
Not on OTT
Similar Movies →
Dark
▶ Watch Trailer
⭐
8.8/10
📅
2017-2020 (Netflix Series)
🕒
Varies by episode (~50-60 minutes)
👥
TV-MA
Dark
Sci-FiThrillerDrama
Story
A small German town’s secrets unravel as four families become intertwined through mysterious disappearances and time travel.
Cast:
Louis Hofmann, Oliver Masucci, Jördis Triebel
Directors:
Baran bo Odar
Writers:
Jantje Friese
Producers:
Wiedemann & Berg Television
Available On
Netflix
Similar Movies →
Identity
▶ Watch Trailer
⭐
7.3/10
📅
2003
🕒
90 minutes
👥
R
Identity
MysteryThriller
Story
Ten strangers stranded at a remote motel during a storm discover they are being killed one by one, unraveling a complex psychological mystery.
Cast:
John Cusack, Ray Liotta, Amanda Peet
Directors:
James Mangold
Writers:
Michael Cooney
Producers:
Bob Yari, Paul Brooks
Available On
Not on OTT
Similar Movies →
▶ Watch Trailer
⭐
6.0/10
📅
2019
🕒
117 minutes
👥
R
In the Shadow of the Moon (2019)
Sci-FiThrillerMystery
Story
A Philadelphia detective chases a mysterious serial killer whose crimes defy time and logic.
Cast:
Boyd Holbrook, Cleopatra Coleman, Michael C. Hall
Directors:
Jim Mickle
Writers:
Gregory Weidman
Producers:
Brad Feinstein, Jeremy Stein
Available On
Netflix
Similar Movies →
The Butterfly Effect
▶ Watch Trailer
⭐
7.6/10
📅
2004
🕒
113 minutes
👥
R
The Butterfly Effect (2004)
Sci-FiThrillerDrama
Story
A young man discovers he can travel back to his childhood to change traumatic events, but every change alters the present in unexpected ways.
Cast:
Ashton Kutcher, Amy Smart, Eric Stoltz
Directors:
Eric Bress, J. Mackye Gruber
Writers:
Eric Bress, J. Mackye Gruber
Producers:
Mark Radcliffe, John Davis
Available On
Not on OTT
Similar Movies →
Mirage
▶ Watch Trailer
⭐
6.3/10
📅
2018
🕒
128 minutes
👥
Not Rated (varies)
Mirage (2018)
ThrillerMysterySci-Fi
Story
A woman discovers a mysterious TV broadcast from 25 years ago, leading to a tangled mystery involving time shifts and altered realities.
Cast:
Adriana Ugarte, Chino Darín, Javier Gutiérrez
Directors:
Oriol Paulo
Writers:
Oriol Paulo
Producers:
Kiko Martínez, Miguel Menéndez de Zubillaga
Available On
Not on OTT
Similar Movies →
Synchronicity
▶ Watch Trailer
⭐
6.2/10
📅
2015
🕒
98 minutes
👥
Not Rated
Synchronicity (2015)
Sci-FiThrillerMystery
Story
A physicist invents a device that can manipulate time and faces dangerous consequences when tested.
Cast:
Chad McKnight, Brianne Davis, Michael Irby
Directors:
Jacob Gentry
Writers:
Jacob Gentry, Michael Irby, Chad McKnight
Producers:
J. Sean Richards, Robbie Banfitch
Available On
Not on OTT
Similar Movies →