There are plenty of great must-watch fantasy movies out there, but it’s important to shine a light on the incredible releases that seem to fall under the radar. While everyone is well aware of the appeal of Harry Potter or The Lord of the Rings, there’s far more to the fantasy genre than these tentpole releases.

While many of the best fantasy movies of all time have achieved widespread recognition among mainstream viewers, the same cannot be said for several smaller-scale fantasy movies that didn’t hit big at the box office. Whether it was heartfelt romantic switcheroos or thought-provoking children’s stories, all these fantasy films deserve more attention.

10

Just Like Heaven (2005)

The 2000s were an excellent time for rom-coms, but somehow, among all the praise and enduring appeal of releases like 13 Going on 30 or How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Just Like Heaven got totally forgotten about. This fantasy rom-com starred Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo in the story of a spirit haunting her old apartment.

Putting a unique spin on close-proximity romance stories, Witherspoon played a comatose woman whose spirit lingers in her apartment, where she clashes with the new tenant played by Ruffalo. With two charming lead characters, Just Like Heaven more than delivers on its promise of fantastical entertainment and deserves to be much better known.

9

The Family Man (2000)

Taking cues from It’s a Wonderful Life, The Family Man was an underappreciated fantasy comedy starring Nicolas Cage as a workaholic Wall Street executive who is given a glimpse at the life he could have led. While Cage’s Jack Campbell relished his bachelor lifestyle, he’s forced to confront life’s purpose when he wakes up married to his ex.

The Family Man was a heartfelt look at the path not taken and the possibilities of second chances, undoing one’s regrets, and turning back the clock. With so many films to his name, Cage has had plenty of underseen roles, but few were as wholesome and earnest as The Family Man.

8

Drop ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Fred (1991)

It’s common to have an imaginary friend as a child, but Drop ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Fred asked what would happen if they reappeared in your life as an adult. With Phoebe Cates as a troubled young woman haunted by her chaotic childhood fantasy companion, comedy legend Rik Mayall played the unwieldy and cartoonish Drop ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Fred in a story that tackled mental health.

While Drop ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Fred was marketed as a children’s film, it tapped into themes of childhood neglect and emotional abuse. The dark subtext of this strange story made it difficult to market, and it received poor reviews; however, looking back, Drop ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Fred told a compelling story that had addressed how imagination can be used to mask trauma.

7

Horns (2013)

Daniel Radcliffe and the fantasy genre are inextricably linked, as he first came to prominence as the child star of the Harry Potter series. However, there’s another lesser-known Radcliffe fantasy story that deserves more attention, as he starred in the strange Alexandre Aja fantasy horror Horns.

With Radcliffe as Ignatius Perrish, a man falsely accused of murdering his girlfriend, he starts to look a lot more guilty when horns start to inexplicably sprout from his head, and he gains paranormal abilities. In a surreal, genre-bending journey, Ignatius uses these new powers to try to uncover the real killer.

6

Ruby Sparks (2012)

Fictional characters can often feel like real, living, breathing humans for authors, but Ruby Sparks took this to a whole other level. With Paul Dano as the young author Calvin Weir-Fields, fiction becomes reality when the girl of his dreams that he’s been writing about springs into existence and enters his life.

While this might sound like a happily-ever-after, Ruby Sparks took a dark turn when Calvin started rewriting his newfound girlfriend’s personality to his own liking. As a thought-provoking examination of controlling relationships and imbalanced power dynamics, Ruby Sparks works well as both a compelling romantic fantasy and a cautionary tale.

5

The Point! (1971)

From The Rocky Horror Picture Show to Tommy, the 1970s saw a plethora of great movie musicals that have maintained their cultural relevance and cult appeal. However, works like The Point have been largely forgotten, even though it was envisioned by musical legend Harry Nilsson.

The Point was a children’s fantasy story that featured music by Nilsson and told the fable of a round-headed boy in a world full of pointy people. This poignant story about carving one’s own path and embracing individuality had a heartfelt message, yet it’s rarely mentioned alongside the best fantasy movies of the 1970s.

4

Suzume (2022)

Japanese filmmaker Makoto Shinkai finished off his acclaimed Disaster Trilogy with Suzume, a fantasy coming-of-age adventure that captured the same appeal as his works like Your Name. Telling the story of a 17-year-old high schooler and a young stranger teaming up to prevent disasters across Japan, the blend of fantasy concepts and stellar animation worked beautifully.

When it comes to anime movies, Studio Ghibli steals much of the thunder from other releases, yet movies like Suzume showcase the global appeal of these kinds of stories. As the fourth-highest-grossing Japanese movie of all time, Suzume was a significant hit and deserves more attention from Western audiences.

3

Dream Scenario (2023)

Nicolas Cage delivered one of his most fascinating recent performances in Dream Scenario, a surreal film in which one man starts to appear in the dreams of people around the world. While this turns him into a celebrity at first, things take a dark turn as his appearances in people’s dreams turn violent and sadistic.

As a powerful commentary on celebrity culture, the internet, and how quickly the tide can turn on public figures, Dream Scenario had a lot to say about the age in which we live today. By tapping into the strange nature of our unconscious, Cage reflected society back onto itself.

2

The Purple Rose Of Cairo (1985)

The magical way that movies collide with real life has been explored in classics like Cinema Paradiso and was powerfully captured in Woody Allen’s underseen release The Purple Rose of Cairo. As a film that’s not nearly as well-known as Allen favorites like Annie Hall or Manhattan, this story saw a movie character literally leap from the screen and enter reality.

With Mia Farrow giving a heartfelt performance as a Depression-era woman struggling at work and in an abusive marriage, the cinema was her one escape to a fantasy world. Yet, this collided with her real life as she found herself in a whirlwind romance with the lead character of her favorite film.

1

Defending Your Life (1991)

The acclaimed comedian Albert Brooks showed off his talents as writer, director, and star of Defending Your Life, an incredible afterlife fantasy that rarely gets its due. With Brooks as a deceased man who was put on trial and must defend his right to enter the next phase of existence, this was a powerful story about living one’s life to the fullest.

Brooks delivered an incredible performance as Daniel Miller in Defending Your Life, which explored the importance of letting go of anxiety and living in the moment. Tackling many of the same concepts that made The Good Place such a hit decades later, anyone who hasn’t seen it should go back and watch Defending Your Life.