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Holy Spider poster

Movies that feel likeHoly Spider (2022)

A journalist descends into the dark underbelly of the Iranian holy city of Mashhad as she investigates the serial killings of sex workers by the so called "Spider Killer", who believes he is cleansing the streets of sinners.

If you loved Holy Spider, the closest films we have are Elize: Shadows of a Woman (2026), The Plagues of Breslau (2018) and The Wild Goose Lake (2019). All three share Holy Spider's tense and gritty feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Hyena (2015).

🍅 82% Rotten Tomatoes★ 7.3 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗dir. Ali Abbasitensecontemplativegritty
7 of 12 streaming nowNetflix · Hulu

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See it on the Mood Map

If Holy Spider hit the spot, these will too

Elize: Shadows of a Woman poster
Elize: Shadows of a Woman
2026 · dir. Vellas
★ 7.4thriller · crime · dramaNetflix

The same preoccupation in both: a true story

In this retelling of a real case, a former escort discovers her wealthy husband's infidelity and struggles to cope as betrayal poisons their marriage.

The Plagues of Breslau poster
The Plagues of Breslau
2018 · dir. Patryk Vega
🍅 83%★ 6crime · action · thrillerNetflix

Two things both keep coming back to: the investigation and serial killer

The difference: Takes it somewhere less contemplative than Holy Spider does

Every day at 6 pm a serial killer kills another person. Police officer Helena Rus thinks the killings are done by one man only and decides to reveal the killer's identity by getting back in 18th century history of the city.

The Wild Goose Lake poster
The Wild Goose Lake
2019 · dir. Diao Yinan
🍅 91%★ 6.7crime · drama · thriller

Tense and contemplative in the same breath

A gangster ends up making a mistake that causes every gun on both sides of the law to point at him. While on the run, he comes across a mysterious woman who might get him out of trouble or make things worse.

Neighboring Sounds poster
Neighboring Sounds
2012 · dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho
🍅 91%★ 7.1thriller · drama · crime

Gritty thriller, and it commits to that

An independent private security firm arrives at a middle-class neighborhood in Recife, Brazil.

The Secret Agent poster
The Secret Agent
2025 · dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho
🍅 98%★ 7.2thriller · drama · crimeHulu

Drama with a pulse of tension, in both cases

Brazil, 1977. Marcelo, a technology expert in his early 40s, is on the run. Hoping to reunite with his son, he travels to Recife during Carnival but soon realizes that the city is not the safe haven he was expecting.

Hyena poster
Hyena
2015 · dir. Gerard Johnson
🍅 78%★ 6.2crime · drama · thriller

Both lean on stillness more than on crime

Good policing doesn't necessarily mean doing everything by the book. But as the business of crime in London turns to favour the Albanians and Turks, how does a "good" policeman survive?

The Unjust poster
The Unjust
2010 · dir. Ryoo Seung-wan
★ 6.5crime · thrillerNetflix

Gritty thriller in both cases

The difference: Easier on the stillness than Holy Spider

An honest cop has to compromise with his principles when he is told to find a scapegoat for a high-profile serial killer case in exchange for a big promotion.

The Silence poster
The Silence
2010 · dir. Baran bo Odar
🍅 87%★ 6.9crime · thriller · drama

Drama built on tension, twice over

13-year-old Sinikka vanishes on a hot summer night. Her bicycle is found in the exact place where a girl was killed 23 years ago. The dramatic present forces those involved in the original case to face their past.

The Yellow Sea poster
The Yellow Sea
2010 · dir. Na Hong-jin
🍅 88%★ 7.3drama · thriller · crime

Crime with a pulse of stillness, in both cases

A Korean man in China takes an assassination job in South Korea to make money and find his missing wife. But when the job is botched, he is forced to go on the run from the police and the gangsters who paid him.

Easy Money poster
Easy Money
2010 · dir. Daniel Espinosa
🍅 85%★ 6.7drama · thriller · crime

Both lean on grit more than on thriller

When JW becomes a drug runner in order to maintain his double life, his fate becomes tied to two other men: Jorge, a fugitive on the run from both the Serbian mafia and the police, and mafia enforcer Mrado, who is on the hunt for Jorge.

The Traitor poster
The Traitor
2019 · dir. Marco Bellocchio
🍅 86%★ 7.1drama · crime · thrillerRent or buy

Both are built on the same subject: a true story

Palermo, Sicily, 1980. Mafia member Tommaso Buscetta decides to move to Brazil with his family fleeing the constant war between the different clans of the criminal organization. But when, after living several misfortunes, he is forced to return to Italy, he makes a bold decision that will change his life and the destiny of Cosa Nostra forever.

Emily the Criminal poster
Emily the Criminal
2022 · dir. John Patton Ford
🍅 93%★ 6.7crime · drama · thriller

The drama is handled with the same confidence

Desperate for income, Emily takes a shady gig buying goods with stolen credit cards supplied by a charismatic middleman named Youcef. Seduced by the quick cash and illicit thrills, they hatch a plan to take their business to the next level.

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The best-reviewed films that share Holy Spider’s defining feeling.