What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedVillains
Robert Olsen · Film · 2019
If you loved Villains, start with The Villa (Rachel Hawkins) — a book on the same thread. Below: 4 books, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to Villains across media.
If Villains hooked you, you clearly crave stories where ordinary, dysfunctional people find themselves tangled in dangerous, high-stakes moral compromises.
Books on the same thread
The Disney Villain
Ollie Johnston, Frank Thomas · Book · 1993
Explores: Villainy, Animation Techniques, Disney History.
Much like the unsettling charm found in Villains, this exploration of iconic antagonists deconstructs the craft behind the villains you love to fear, revealing their dark, calculated origins.
The Villa
Rachel Hawkins · Book
Explores: artistic obsession, female friendship, dark academia.
This mystery echoes the claustrophobic dread of Villains, trapping you in a location where a sinister history forces characters to confront their own dark, complicated impulses.
Lights Out
Navessa Allen · Book
Explores: power dynamics, obsession, vulnerability.
If you enjoyed the high-tension vulnerability of the couple in Villains, you will appreciate how this story forces its characters to navigate dangerous, obsessive power dynamics together.
The Bad Guys
Aaron Blabey · Book
Explores: Redemption, Unlikely friendships, Subverting tropes.
While lighter in tone, this shares the subversion of criminal tropes found in Villains, focusing on unlikely outcasts who find themselves constantly at odds with the world.
Series on the same thread
Your Friends & Neighbors
Jonathan Tropper · Series · 2025
Shares a thread with Villains: dark comedy.
This show mirrors the spiraling criminal stakes of Villains, showing how a desperate person's decision to rob their own neighbors leads to an increasingly deadly, inescapable situation.
Santa Clarita Diet
Victor Fresco · Series · 2017
Shares a thread with Villains: Dark Comedy.
Fans of Villains will recognize the blend of suburban domesticity and lethal chaos, as this couple navigates the messy, destructive consequences of their sudden, dark lifestyle shift.
Killing Eve
Phoebe Waller-Bridge · Series · 2018
Shares a thread with Villains: Moral ambiguity.
The intense, mutual obsession between the leads in this series captures the same volatile, cat-and-mouse energy that drives the dynamic between the characters in Villains.
Mr Inbetween
Scott Ryan · Series · 2018
Shares 2 threads with Villains: Moral Ambiguity, Dark Comedy.
Just as Villains balances crime with a strange, dark humor, this series explores the moral ambiguity of a man trying to maintain a personal life alongside criminal work.
Podcasts on the same thread
Small Town Murder
James Pietragallo, Jimmie Whisman · Podcast · 2026
Explores: provincial life, tragic irony, forensic breakdown.
This podcast shares the dark comedic perspective found in Villains, using wit to unpack the horrific, small-town tragedies that occur when ordinary lives go completely off the rails.
Crime in Sports
James Pietragallo, Jimmie Whisman · Podcast · 2026
Explores: athlete misconduct, legal absurdity, scandalous behavior.
If you appreciate the grim, humorous absurdity of the crimes in Villains, you will enjoy this deep dive into the real-world scandals of athletes who broke the law.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is Villains a movie about a couple on the run?
Yes, Villains follows a couple on the run who are headed southbound for a fresh start. When their car breaks down, they break into a nearby house looking for a new vehicle, only to discover a dark secret kept by the homeowners.
What happens when the couple in Villains breaks into the house?
In Villains, the couple expects to find a new set of wheels but instead encounters a dark secret. They also face a pair of homeowners who are determined to do anything necessary to ensure that their secret remains hidden from the intruders.
Does Villains feature a pair of homeowners?
Yes, Villains centers on a couple who break into a house and encounter a pair of homeowners. These homeowners are described as sweet-as-pie but are willing to go to extreme lengths to protect the dark secret they are hiding inside their home.
Are the characters in Villains trying to get to the Sunshine State?
Yes, the couple in Villains is headed southbound for a fresh start in the Sunshine State. Their journey is interrupted when their car breaks down, leading them to break into a nearby house in search of a new set of wheels.