What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedAfter Hours
Martin Scorsese · Film · 1985
If you loved After Hours, start with Carlito's Way (Brian De Palma, 1993) — a film from the same story. Below: 4 books, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to After Hours across media.
If you enjoyed the way After Hours traps its protagonist in a spiraling, surreal nightmare, you will appreciate these unsettling stories.
Start with the source
Adaptation
Carlito's Way
Brian De Palma · Film · 1993
Books on the same thread
The Metamorphosis
Franz Kafka · Book · 2019
Shares a thread with After Hours: Identity Crisis.
Just as Paul Hackett faces a bizarre urban descent in After Hours, Gregor Samsa experiences an abrupt, reality-shattering transformation that mirrors the film's sense of inescapable, existential absurdity.
Heart of Darkness
Joseph Conrad · Book · 2014
Explores: Imperialism and exploitation, Moral ambiguity, Descent into madness.
Much like the urban isolation found in After Hours, this novel tracks a psychological descent into darkness where moral boundaries blur and the environment becomes hostile to the protagonist.
The Complete Stories
Franz Kafka · Book · 2012
Explores: Bureaucratic nightmare, Alienation and isolation, Existential dread.
Fans of the relentless, dreamlike dread in After Hours will recognize the same suffocating bureaucratic atmosphere and existential horror that define these dark, allegorical tales of modern life.
The Trial
Franz Kafka · Book · 1992
Explores: Alienation, Bureaucracy, Guilt.
If the feeling of being unfairly targeted by the world in After Hours resonated with you, this story of a man facing an unexplained indictment provides the ultimate experience.
Series on the same thread
The Prisoner
Patrick McGoohan · Series · 1967
Shares a thread with After Hours: Identity Crisis.
This series captures the same fish-out-of-water anxiety seen in After Hours, trapping its lead in a bizarre, surveillance-heavy environment where his only goal is to find an exit.
The Night Of
Richard Price · Series · 2016
Explores: Wrongful Accusation, Criminal Justice System, Moral Ambiguity.
The premise of a night out spiraling into a legal nightmare directly echoes the trajectory of After Hours, focusing on the helplessness of a man caught in systemic chaos.
The Office
Greg Daniels · Series · 2005
Explores: Office life, Everyday life, Eccentric characters.
While lighter in tone than After Hours, this series explores the crushing, repetitive nature of office culture that originally drove Paul Hackett to seek his chaotic downtown adventure.
The Twilight Zone
Rod Serling · Series · 1959
Explores: Existentialism, Paranoia, Social Commentary.
This anthology echoes the paranoid, unpredictable structure of After Hours, frequently placing ordinary people into surreal, macabre situations where logic and safety have completely abandoned them.
Podcasts on the same thread
48 Hours
Podcast
Explores: Criminal Justice, Wrongful Conviction, Exoneration.
This podcast explores the grim reality of criminal investigations, mirroring the unsettling focus on wrongful accusation and the cold, unyielding nature of justice found in After Hours.
Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend
Team Coco & Earwolf · Podcast · 2026
Explores: parasocial relationships, professional intimacy, self-deprecating humor.
If you were drawn to the isolation of the city dweller in After Hours, this podcast examines the hollow nature of professional connections and the search for authentic human intimacy.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is After Hours based on a book or another adaptation?
After Hours is not based on a book or an existing adaptation. It is a standalone film directed by Martin Scorsese in 1985 that follows a man who ventures into downtown Manhattan to escape his routine.
How long is After Hours?
After Hours has a runtime of approximately 97 minutes. This 1985 film depicts the events of a single night as an uptown office worker attempts to navigate the chaos of downtown Manhattan after a mystery hookup.
Should I watch Carlito's Way if I enjoyed After Hours?
If you enjoyed the directorial style of After Hours, you may consider watching Carlito's Way. Both films were directed by Martin Scorsese, though they feature different narratives and settings, with Carlito's Way released in 1993.
What is the premise of After Hours?
After Hours follows Paul Hackett, an office worker who seeks to escape his mind-numbing routine. He travels to downtown Manhattan for a hookup with a mystery woman, leading to a series of desperate events throughout the night.