What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedThe Kingdom
Lars von Trier · Series · 1994
If you loved The Kingdom, start with The Kingdom (2007) — a film from the same story. Below: 4 books, 4 films and 2 podcasts, each matched to The Kingdom across media.
You were drawn to The Kingdom because you enjoy stories where rigid institutional logic crumbles under the weight of inexplicable, haunting phenomena.
Start with the source
Adaptation
The Kingdom
Film · 2007
Books on the same thread
Kurt Wallander
Henning Mankell · Book · 1991
Explores: Existentialism, Social Commentary, Moral Ambiguity.
Much like the staff in The Kingdom, Wallander navigates a world where professional competence is constantly undermined by the dark, persistent shadows of human misery and existential isolation.
The Name of the Rose
Umberto Eco · Book · 1984
Explores: Religious Heresy, Medieval Philosophy, Secrets and Conspiracy.
The Name of the Rose mirrors the investigative tension found in The Kingdom, forcing characters to reconcile their rational pursuit of truth with the terrifying presence of unexplained mysteries.
The Trial
Franz Kafka · Book · 1992
Shares a thread with The Kingdom: Existential Dread.
The Trial captures that same sense of suffocating bureaucratic absurdity present in The Kingdom, where the individual is trapped within a system that defies all logic and human understanding.
A Series of Unfortunate Events
Lemony Snicket aka Daniel Handler · Book · 1999
Explores: Orphans, Conspiracy, Misfortune.
If the dark humor and institutional incompetence of The Kingdom resonated with you, you will appreciate how this series places vulnerable characters within a labyrinthine and hostile social structure.
Films on the same thread
Breaking the Waves
Lars von Trier · Film · 1996
Explores: Faith and Doubt, Sacrifice, Guilt.
Sharing the same creator as The Kingdom, this film explores the intense collision between personal faith and objective reality, pushing its characters to their psychological limits through profound suffering.
Melancholia
Lars von Trier · Film · 2011
Shares a thread with The Kingdom: existential dread.
This film masterfully builds the same atmosphere of impending, unavoidable dread that defines The Kingdom, showing how ordinary lives fracture when confronted with forces beyond human control or comprehension.
Ordet
Carl Theodor Dreyer · Film · 1955
Explores: Faith and Doubt, Religious Fanaticism, Family Conflict.
Like The Kingdom, this classic Danish work examines the fragile boundary between clinical reality and the miraculous, challenging your perspective on what is truly possible within a family setting.
The Trial
Film · 1962
Explores: Existentialism, Bureaucratic Oppression, Guilt.
This adaptation captures the same surreal, oppressive atmosphere of The Kingdom, illustrating the helplessness of individuals caught in a sprawling, indifferent system that demands their total, unquestioning submission.
Podcasts on the same thread
Forensic Files
Podcast
Shares a thread with The Kingdom: Medical Mystery.
If you were fascinated by the medical mystery elements of The Kingdom, this program provides the same focus on technical analysis applied to the most unsettling and inexplicable real-world cases.
The Truth
The Truth · Podcast · 2026
Explores: human condition, experimental storytelling, moral ambiguity.
These stories evoke the same eerie, experimental tone found in The Kingdom, offering short, immersive glimpses into worlds where the ordinary is constantly interrupted by deep moral and existential ambiguity.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is The Kingdom a movie or a television series?
The Kingdom is a television series originally released in 1994 by Lars von Trier. While the 1994 version is a TV production, there is also a 2007 movie adaptation titled The Kingdom that covers the source material.
What is the premise of The Kingdom?
The Kingdom is set in the most technologically advanced hospital in Denmark. The staff encounters uncanny occurrences including a phantom ambulance, mysterious voices in the elevator shaft, and a fetus developing at an unnatural speed, which challenges their faith in medical science.
Should I watch the 2007 movie version of The Kingdom?
The 2007 movie titled The Kingdom is an adaptation of the original 1994 television series. You can watch this version if you are interested in an alternative format of the story surrounding the uncanny events at the Danish hospital.
What does The Kingdom explore regarding the hospital setting?
The Kingdom explores the tension between scientific advancement and the supernatural. Despite being a gleaming bastion of medical science, the hospital is plagued by phantom ambulances and strange voices that force the staff to question the reality of their environment.