What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedThe Villa
Rachel Hawkins · Book
If you loved The Villa, start with The Housemaid (Paul Feig, 2025) — a film on the same thread. Below: 4 films, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to The Villa across media.
What hooked you in The Villa was the way artistic obsession and dark, buried histories blur the lines between past and present.
Films on the same thread
The Housemaid
Paul Feig · Film · 2025
Shares a thread with The Villa: Obsession.
Much like the toxic dynamics found in The Villa, this story explores how a seemingly perfect setting can mask dangerous secrets and a seductive, unraveling game of power.
Swimming Pool
François Ozon · Film · 2003
Explores: Writer's Block, Creative Process, Identity Crisis.
If the creative tension in The Villa captivated you, you will appreciate how this film examines the intersection of writer's block, isolation, and the dark consequences of artistic ambition.
Hokum
Damian McCarthy · Film · 2026
Explores: Haunted locations, Trauma-induced hallucinations, Unreliable narrator.
This story mirrors the atmospheric dread of The Villa by trapping a novelist in a haunted location where his own past trauma distorts his perception of a historical mystery.
The Woman in Cabin 10
Simon Stone · Film · 2025
Explores: Conspiracy, Mistaken Identity, Isolation.
The Villa centers on the struggle to uncover truth amidst unreliability, a feeling that defines this high-stakes narrative where a witness is gaslit while investigating a disappearance at sea.
Series on the same thread
The Haunting of Hill House
Mike Flanagan · Series · 2018
Explores: Trauma, Family Secrets, Mental Illness.
Like the dual-timeline structure of The Villa, this series forces a fractured family to confront the lingering, terrifying memories of a home that shaped their darkest secrets and grief.
The Fall of the House of Usher
Mike Flanagan · Series · 2023
Explores: Family Secrets, Corporate Corruption, Mortality.
Fans of The Villa will recognize the interplay between legacy and corruption as this family dynasty crumbles under the weight of past secrets and a mysterious, vengeful presence.
Twin Peaks
Mark Frost · Series · 1990
Explores: Small Town Secrets, Doppelgangers, Good vs Evil.
This series captures the same surreal mystery found in The Villa, where a small community’s facade hides deep, dark secrets that pull investigators into a web of existential dread.
Only Murders in the Building
Steve Martin · Series · 2021
Explores: True Crime Obsession, New York City, Intergenerational Friendship.
If you enjoyed the way The Villa treats true crime as an obsession, this show mirrors that fixation by following strangers who become entangled in a real-life murder mystery.
Podcasts on the same thread
Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra
Rachel Maddow, MS NOW · Podcast · 2026
Explores: Authoritarianism, Domestic Espionage, Threats to Democracy.
This podcast explores the same fascination with historical investigation seen in The Villa, focusing on how past political corruption and treason continue to haunt the present day.
CounterClock
Audiochuck · Podcast · 2025
Explores: unsolved homicide, seeking justice, historical mystery.
Similar to the investigative drive in The Villa, this series turns back time to peel away the layers of a cold case, seeking justice for a decades-old homicide.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is The Villa based on a true story?
The Villa is a fictional novel by Rachel Hawkins. While the story centers on a specific Italian villa where a murder occurred alongside the creation of a horror novel and a platinum album in the 1970s, these events are products of the author's imagination rather than historical fact.
What is the central mystery in The Villa?
The plot of The Villa follows two women who visit an Italian villa. They become fixated on the property's dark history, specifically how a series of events in the 1970s involving a murder, a famous horror novel, and a platinum album remain connected to the present day.
How do the 1970s events impact the plot of The Villa?
The events from the 1970s serve as the foundation for the suspense in The Villa. The narrative explores how the creation of a horror novel, the recording of a platinum album, and a mysterious murder at the Italian villa continue to influence the lives of the two protagonists.
Does The Villa take place in a single location?
Yes, the primary setting for The Villa is an Italian villa. The story explores the atmosphere of this location as the two main characters investigate the dark history of the property and the interconnected events that took place there during the 1970s.