Since 2021, Yellowjackets has gripped audiences with its dark atmosphere, morally gray characters, and twisted mysteries, and now that season 3 has ended, viewers may be seeking more projects like this; the following horror movies are the perfect picks. Part of what makes Yellowjackets such a great watch is its ability to blur genres and storylines. Not only does the series take place over two different timelines, but it also blends realistic horror with the supernatural, family drama, and action thriller. Somehow, Yellowjackets can appeal to just about any viewer, while also maintaining its very particular style.

Because of Yellowjackets’ diverse range of plotlines, finding similar content can be a challenge. There are countless directions one can go in, from survivalist movies to high school dramas. Here, we’re going to focus more on the horror side of Yellowjackets. These seven movies are firmly planted in the horror genre, and bring to mind certain parts of Yellowjackets, from the team’s isolation in the forest to their tense social dynamics. There are also cults, the violence of motherhood, and friendships torn apart by terrifying situations.

7

Hereditary

A Family Haunted By A Mysterious Enтιтy

A great horror movie to start with after watching Yellowjackets is Hereditary. This 2018 cult classic tells the story of the Grahams, whose lives begin to spiral out of control after the death of the family matriarch. Haunted by violent tragedies and strange occurrences, the mother must figure out what is going on before her entire family ends up ᴅᴇᴀᴅ – or worse. Directed by Ari Aster, the film stars Toni Collette, Alex Wolff, Milly Shapiro, and Ann Dowd.

At first glance, Hereditary seems quite different from Yellowjackets. The movie doesn’t have various overlapping storylines or remote forest settings. However, it is the mystery at the center of Hereditary that makes it such a good follow-up. Like Yellowjackets, Hereditary is a slow-burn that refuses to really reveal itself until the very end. When it does, viewers will see how Hereditary’s villain is perfectly in line with that of Yellowjackets. Plus, the film is incredibly gory and violent, which is on par with Yellowjackets as well.

6

Mother!

A Woman’s Idyllic Marriage Is Disrupted

If you’re a viewer who loves being plunged into a strange story without many answers, then Mother! might be the ideal watch for you. Released in 2017, the movie follows Mother, a young woman who lives in a Victorian home with her husband and spends her days renovating the space. Yet, her idyllic existence continues to be interrupted by visitors who bring violence and pain to her doostep, and her husband does nothing to stop it, leading to the ultimate betrayal. Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris, and Michelle Pfeiffer star.

Mother! is another movie that may feel far off from Yellowjackets, but in actuality, it hones in on a very specific element of the series: motherhood. Several of Yellowjackets’ main characters are mothers who are trying to maintain normal lives, but are constantly haunted by their pasts. Mother! offers a similar scenario, though it is executed in a far more abstract and strange way. Overall, the movie explores the complicated issues faced by women and mothers through graphic brutality and surreal storytelling.

5

I Know What You Did Last Summer

Four Teens Are Hunted After A Horrible Crime

Yellowjackets definitely veers towards more adult content, but the show’s teenage characters are integral to the plot. For more stories about teenagers doing and experiencing terrifying crimes, viewers should check out I Know What You Did Last Summer. In this 1997 movie, four teens have kept an awful secret: they ran over and killed a fisherman one year prior. Their situation worsens when they receive a letter claiming that their crime was witnessed, and now, they are being hunted. Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze Jr., and Jennifer Love Hewitt are the leads.

I Know What You Did Last Summer may not be the scariest or highest quality horror movie, but it is a classic teenage slasher. Really, it is this type of story that Yellowjackets plays off of, showcasing characters who are not only victims of horrible situations, but are also capable of causing them. I Know What You Did Last Summer is a fun, fast-paced horror flick that fits in perfectly with the stories of Shauna, Natalie, Misty, Lottie, and Taissa in Yellowjackets.

4

Suspiria (1977)

A Young Dancer Attends An Eerie Ballet School

A pivotal element of Yellowjackets is girlhood and its more bloody aspects. One movie that also uses this framework is 1977’s Suspiria. It centers on Suzy, a young woman who travels to Germany to attend a prestigious ballet school. Yet, her arrival coincides with the murder of another dancer, and the longer she remains at this school, the worse she feels. Eventually, she discovers that the tragic fates of her fellow dancers have to do with a much bigger conspiracy.

Suspiria is scary, but also incredibly stylistic, and this is another reason why it parallels Yellowjackets so well. As much as Yellowjackets benefits from a strong plot, it is also memorable because of its aesthetic choices, such as the team’s cult-like outfits and their macabre dreams. Suspiria is a fun watch after Yellowjackets because it offers up a colorful and terrifying world, while also interrogating the dire expectations of womanhood.

3

The Ritual

Old Friends Go On A Camping Trip

In reality, the core of Yellowjackets’ horror is the forest and the enтιтy that is haunting the girls there. For those seeking another horror movie like that, The Ritual is definitely the way to go. This movie follows four men who are reuniting after the tragic death of their friend. They decide to hike through the Scandinavian wilderness, and soon enough, they find themselves being taunted by figures from Norse myth, who may not let them get out alive.

Clearly, The Ritual has some strong plot ties to Yellowjackets. A group of people are in the forest with little hope of communication or rescue. Even worse, they are being stalked by some kind of enтιтy that shouldn’t exist, but is impossible to ignore or resist. More than anything, The Ritual will satisfy those who enjoy a creepy forest-type horror movie, and who enjoy the flashback scenes of Yellowjackets. Though the film doesn’t have all the same elements of girlhood, it is still a solid watch.

2

Battle Royale

Teenagers Fight To The Death On A Deserted Island

Yellowjackets brings to mind several well-known stories, from the fictional Lord of the Flies to the true tale of a Uruguay rugby team’s plane crash in the Andes. A movie that also pulls from this type of dystopic survival story is Battle Royale. Based on a Japanese novel, this movie follows 42 teenagers who are dropped on a deserted island and forced to fight one another to the death. The last one standing is considered the winner.

Of course, Yellowjackets and Battle Royale follow very different rules, but their scenarios aren’t necessarily that far off from each other. In Battle Royale, teens are ordered to kill each other, leading to a brutality that is both thrilling and heartbreaking. The girls in Yellowjackets find themselves in a similar boat, as they must make tough decisions in order to survive. Overall, Battle Royale will definitely give viewers the violence they may be looking for, but in a more dystopian package.

1

The Descent

Young Women Explore Mysterious Caves

A final perfect horror movie to watch like Yellowjackets is The Descent. After facing an intense emotional trauma, a young woman named Sarah goes on a trip with her friends to explore a series of caves in North Carolina. What starts out as a relaxing girls’ trip turns into a nightmare as the women discover strange cave paintings and realize that they are not alone.

The Descent is like an alternative version of Yellowjackets. Though the characters start out in different circumstances, they end up facing the same horrifying situations, from isolation to being pursued by terrifying creatures. Though lacking alternating plotlines, The Descent has pretty much everything Yellowjackets has, just in a more condensed format. Overall, it is a great horror movie and the perfect watch after finishing Yellowjackets.