Even with its unique blending of genres, there are a number of movies like Companion that fans can seek out. While Companion is the kind of movie that is best experienced with as little knowledge as possible, it is impossible to talk about it without spoiling the early twist that Iris is an AI girlfriend designed to love Josh unconditionally.

There has been a rise in AI-centered horror movies and thrillers, with Companion taking a fresh approach. It also leans into the dark humor with a Companion's climactic ending for Iris and Josh. With all these aspects that make Companion special, there are also a number of other movies that deliver the same kind of genre-bending fun.

10 Ex Machina (2015)

Directed By Alex Garland

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Ex Machina
Release Date
April 10, 2015
Runtime
108 minutes
Director
Alex Garland
  • Headshot Of Alicia Vikander
    Alicia Vikander
  • Headshot Of Domhnall Gleeson
    Domhnall Gleeson

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Writers
Alex Garland

Companion's Iris makes for the latest in a long line of terrific AI movie characters, exploring the near-future possibilities of what kind of strange leaps technology could make. However, one of the most complex characters of this kind is Ava from Ex Machina. The sci-fi thriller stars Domhnall Gleeson as Caleb, an employee at a tech company who is invited to the isolated mansion of his boss, Nathan (Oscar Isaac). With just the two of them there, Caleb is invited to meet the state-of-the-art AI creation Nathan developed, named Ava (Alicia Vikander).

Ava and Iris differ significantly as Ava is fully aware she is a creation and resents her cruel creator, while Iris is exposed to her reality and must fight against her programming to love and obey Josh. However, despite also having very different tones, with their isolated settings and their themes of gender dynamics, there are a lot of similarities between the two movies. They also both challenge the audience to cheer for the AI creation over the humans.

9 Death Of A Unicorn (2025)

Directed By Alex Scharfman

Death of a Unicorn official poster

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Death of a Unicorn
Release Date
March 28, 2025
Director
Alex Scharfman
Writers
Alex Scharfman

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Companion isn't the only wild horror-comedy to already come out in 2025, as A24's new horror movie Death of a Unicorn, has surprisingly similar vibes. Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega star as a father and daughter who travel to visit Rudd's wealthy employer's estate and meet his self-centered family. However, when they accidentally run over a unicorn on the drive, they become targeted by the mystic yet terrifying creatures.

Related
Companion's Post-Credits Scene Explained

Companion's post-credits scenes confirm the final fate of Iris after the events of the film in a way that also leaves the door open for sequels.

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Death of a Unicorn leans more into fantasy than sci-fi as Companion does, but the movies have very similar vibes in of humor and plot. The villainous characters are proven to be greedy monsters themselves, with Will Poulter's hilarious rich heir feeling very similar to Companion's villainous Josh. It is also another movie where the isolated setting of a luxury estate in the woods provides the perfect place for mayhem to ensue without the rest of the world interfering.

8 Midsommar (2019)

Directed By Ari Aster

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Midsommar
Release Date
July 3, 2019
Runtime
147 minutes
Director
Ari Aster
  • Cast Placeholder Image
    Julia Ragnarsson
  • Cast Placeholder Image
    Rebecka Johnston

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Streaming

Writers
Ari Aster

Companion offers a lot of interesting commentary on relationships, with the dynamic of Iris and Josh using the unique sci-fi element to explore the idea of toxic relationships. For those looking for a horror movie about toxic relationships, few are as brilliant and acclaimed as Ari Aster's Midsommar. Florence Pugh stars as Dani, a young woman dealing with a horrific trauma who s her boyfriend, Christian (Jack Reynor), and his friends on a trip to a Swedish cult festival where the locals have sinister plans of their own.

While Midsommar is a cult horror movie, it is also an exploration of a woman trapped in a selfish relationship. Christian is not a brutal or evil boyfriend, but his careless and mean-spirited behavior is more subtle and grounded. Midsommar is certainly more of a harrowing experience compared to the fun of Companion, but it is interesting to see the overlap in Iris and Dani's respective journeys.

7 Fresh (2022)

Directed By Mimi Cave

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Fresh
Release Date
March 4, 2022
Runtime
114 minutes
Director
Mimi Cave

WHERE TO WATCH

Streaming

Writers
Lauryn Kahn

Companion is a movie that is not afraid to throw curveballs at the audience with its wild shifts in story. When the movie begins, it would be easy to assume that this is going to be a romantic-comedy of some sort, with the relationship of Iris and Josh offering a charming and light vibe, only for things to take a sudden, violent turn. This drastic switch is pulled off with even more boldness in the movie Fresh.

Once again, the movie begins like a fairly typical rom-com, following Noa (Daisy Edgar-Jones) as she struggles with the modern dating world only to meet a seemingly perfect man in Steve (Sebastian Stan). However, his dark side is soon revealed through his sickening appetites. Like Companion, it also manages to balance some comedy even as the story gets darker, but Fresh's ending mirrors the crowd-pleasing conclusion of Companion with the brutalized protagonist fighting back.

6 You're Next (2013)

Directed By Adam Wingard

You're Next Movie Poster

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You're Next
Release Date
August 23, 2013
Runtime
94minutes
Director
Adam Wingard
  • Headshot Of Sharni Vinson
    Sharni Vinson
  • Cast Placeholder Image
    Nicholas Tucci

WHERE TO WATCH

Streaming

Writers
Simon Barrett

The sci-fi elements of Companion make it a fun and unique ride, but You're Next feels quite similar while being a more traditional and grounded horror movie. You're Next follows a wealthy family and their guests who get together in their isolated cottage for an evening, only to find themselves under attack by a group of masked killers. However, an unexpected element is that one of the guests, Erin (Sharni Vinson), proves to be more of a survivor than they anticipated.

You're Next is a bloodier movie than Companion, with some truly gruesome kills. However, it still manages to include a fair bit of dark humor throughout.

You're Next is a bloodier movie than Companion, with some truly gruesome kills. However, it still manages to include a fair bit of dark humor throughout. Erin makes for a terrific hero, similar to Iris, with the audience rooting for these characters as they prove themselves more capable than the villains anticipated.

5 Borderline (2025)

Directed By Jimmy Warden

01690770_poster_w780.jpg

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Borderline
Release Date
March 14, 2025
Runtime
110 minutes
Director
Jimmy Warden
  • Headshot Of Samara Weaving
    Samara Weaving
    Sofia
  • Headshot Of Ray Nicholson
    Ray Nicholson
    Duerson
  • Cast Placeholder Image
    Jimmie Fails
    Rhodes
  • Headshot Of Eric Dane In The Los Angeles Special Screening Of 'One Fast Move' at Culver Theater
    Bell

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Writers
Jimmy Warden
Producers
Hadeel Reda, Shawn Williamson, Brian Duffield, Tom Ackerley, Josey McNamara, Jameson Parker, William G. Santor, Denise Loren

Companion uses its AI relationship at the center of the story to delve into the themes of control and a person's willingness to fight for their freedom. This is also explored in another wild genre-bending horror movie from this year, with Borderline. Samara Weaving stars as Sofia, a famous pop star in the 1990s who finds her home invaded by an obsessive stalker, Duerson (Ray Nicholson), who is convinced that they should get married.

While the dynamic between the two main characters in Borderline is obviously extreme, like Companion, it takes this larger-than-life scenario to speak to the real relationship dynamics that exist. Duerson and Josh are two men with different mindsets and motivations, but they are both led by the feeling that they are owed control in this situation. Meanwhile, Iris and Sofia exemplify the kind of fight women and the survival instincts women need to have to escape such relationships.

4 Upgrade (2018)

Directed By Leigh Whannell

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Upgrade
Release Date
June 1, 2018
Runtime
100 minutes
Director
Leigh Whannell
  • Headshot Of Betty Gabriel
    Betty Gabriel
  • Headshot O FLogan Marshall-Green
    Logan Marshall-Green

WHERE TO WATCH

Streaming

Writers
Leigh Whannell

Companion is a horror movie that subverts expectations of AI characters, making the audience cheer for Iris even at the expense of the human characters. Upgrade is another movie with an intriguing AI character but with a much more complex story, filled with twists. Logan Marshall-Green stars as Grey, a paralyzed man who allows his experimental AI helper to take over his entire body in order to hunt down the people who shot him and killed his wife.

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Companion Hinted Iris Almost Gained Self-Control Before Her Reboot With One Word

Iris was forced by Josh to do horrible things in Companion, and before one that led to her reboot, it seemed like she almost gained self-control.

Upgrade is a sci-fi action movie in many ways, with a number of thrilling action sequences. However, these also lead to kills so brutal that they can very well be classified as a horror movie. Upgrade also grows darker as the story continues and the truth about the AI system becomes clearer.

3 M3GAN (2023)

Directed By Gerald Johnstone

M3GAN Movie Poster

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M3GAN
Release Date
January 6, 2023
Runtime
82 Minutes
Director
Gerald Johnstone
  • Cast Placeholder Image
    Amie Donald
  • Cast Placeholder Image
    Kimberley Crossman

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Writers
Akela Cooper, James Wan

One of the most popular robot movie characters to come out in recent years is M3GAN, the titular AI doll in the surprise hit from 2022. M3GAN tells the story of a young girl who loses both of her parents and is gifted with the state-of-the-art M3GAN as a way of helping her cope. However, as M3GAN takes her job as the young girl's friend and protector too seriously, she begins to turn deadly in ensuring that she is happy.

While Iris is a human-like AI creation who has a personality and is sympathetic, M3GAN is hilariously creepy and is emotionless in her brutality, which eventually comes. However, there is also a quality to M3GAN that makes her likable, which is perhaps why they are going the Terminator 2 route and making M3GAN the hero in the sequel.

Directed By Zoe Kravitz

Blink Twice 2024 Film Release Poster

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Blink Twice
Release Date
August 23, 2024
Runtime
102 Minutes
Director
Zoë Kravitz

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Writers
Zoë Kravitz, E.T. Feigenbaum

Blink Twice is another thriller that avoids the sci-fi elements that make Companion so special but still manages to touch on similar themes. Naomi Ackie stars as Frida, a mild-mannered girl whose random encounter with tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum) gets her an invite to his private island. However, in the drug-fueled parties with him and his friends, she begins to uncover a dark secret about why she is there.

Like Iris in Companion, Frida gradually uncovers the reality of her situation. Blink Twice is more of a slowburn mystery with the pieces gradually falling into place, and like Josh in Companion, some of the people are not as virtuous as they seem. Fans should be warned that, despite a good deal of humor, the reveal in Blink Twice is quite disturbing, but it also makes for strong commentary overall.

1 Ready Or Not (2019)

Directed By Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett

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Ready or Not
Release Date
August 21, 2019
Runtime
95 minutes
Director
Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett
  • Headshot Of Nat Faxon
    Nat Faxon
  • Cast Placeholder Image
    Kate Ziegler

WHERE TO WATCH

Streaming

Writers
R. Christopher Murphy, Guy Busick

Companion goes for the classic setup of isolating characters in a specific location and then having the bloody mayhem unfold. Whereas Companion takes the story into a wooded mansion, Ready or Not takes place on a grand estate of a wealthy family whose son just got married to a more grounded wife, Grace (Samara Weaving). However, the wedding night takes an unusual turn as Grace is required to take part in an ancient family tradition where she must play a game of hide and seek with deadly consequences.

Ready or Not is another horror movie that fully embraces the comedy of its gory story, with modern horror movie queen Samara Weaving delivering a hilarious performance even as she is running for her life. Like Iris, Grace is a hero the audience finds easy to root for as she fights for survival. It also features a twist that suggests the caring boyfriend is not the gentleman he seems to be.

Companion - Poster

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Companion
Release Date
January 31, 2025
Runtime
97 Minutes
Director
Drew Hancock

WHERE TO WATCH

Writers
Drew Hancock