Summary
With Remedy’s intense blending of live-action footage into their video games, it should be no secret that the creative team behindAlan Wake 2loves movies and television. You should not take this to mean that the 2023 horror game mimics classic films and has no identity of its own. On the contrary, Alan Wake 2 oozes originality in every moment.
However, there are definitely some films and TV shows from which it drew heavy inspiration. Not all of the entries below directly influenced the game, but they are essential viewing if you enjoyed Alan Wake 2’s intense dance between reality and fantasy told through the lens of a horrific detective story.
Alan Wake 2 was so good, in fact, that TheGamer gave it a five-out-of-five star rating inour official review of the game.
Updated on July 31, 2025, by Jason Wojnar:With several months having passed since Alan Wake 2’s launch, we can look back on it and judge it with the novelty of everything it offers having worn off. Fortunately, it’s still one of the most unique games out there and offers real depth in its story beyond the sheer originality of what it throws at us as players. With a new difficulty mode and alternate narrative being in an update, it is also an appropriate time to revisit this list and offer a few more movies and TV shows you may watch after the wild Alan Wake 2 ride.
13True Detective
It’s Grounded, But Still Creepy
A story doesn’t have to be supernatural to tackle philosophical questions and spirituality. True Detective’s first season proves this in strides. Upon its 2014 release, it immediately gripped audiences with its mystery, writing, and performances.
The story is also split between two timelines but done for the audience and not for any supernatural purpose. Where Alan Wake 2 makes unconventional storytelling techniques a literal part of the plot, True Detective and some of the entries on this list use it more abstractly while telling a grounded tale.
12The Cell
Enter The Mind Of A Serial Killer
Silence of The Lambs features a serial killer who expertly unravels most people’s minds through observation. The Cell flips this and follows a character entering a serial killer’s psyche to find out where the murderer has trapped the final victim before it is too late.
The plot is the perfect vehicle for such a visually inclined filmmaker like Tarsem Singh, whose career includes incredible music videos like REM’s Losing My Religion and, more recently, Lady Gaga’s 911. It’s a polarizing feature for sure, but makes up for any faults with its stunning originality.
11In The Mouth Of Madness
Books And Madness
John Carpenter’s horror movies run the gamut from slasher flicks like Halloween to stories that play on human flaws and distrust like The Thing. In the Mouth of Madness takes a more supernatural and psychological approach as it follows a character following the trail of a missing writer whose most recent book drives people insane.
It draws inspiration from H.P. Lovecraft with its cosmic horror elements but also relates to Alan Wake 2 in its ability to constantly make you question what is reality and what is fiction within the story.
10Twin Peaks
Perhaps The Most Obvious Influence On The Game
This is perhaps the most obvious one, which has been true since thefirst Alan Wake in 2010. From the American small-town setting to the focus on unexplainable mysticism, Alan Wake and Twin Peaks feel closely related. In the time between Alan Wake and its sequel, a third season of the show aired called The Return.
This third season is notably more unsettling and disturbing, feeling like the innocence in the town of Twin Peaks has all but withered away. The same can be said for the tonal jump from Alan Wake to Alan Wake 2. The first Alan Wake is dark, but the gameplay is action-focused, and the characters are mostly positive despite the terror. Alan Wake 2 is immediately gruesome.
The appropriate watching order for the series should be seasons one and two, followed by the movie Fire Walk With Me, and then season 3, also known as The Return.
9Twelve Monkeys
Mind-Bending Time Travel Epic
Unlike Alan Wake 2,Twelve Monkeys is a science-fiction tale. Still, Terry Gilliam’s films jump from funny to unsettling at a moment’s notice and are usually wrapped up in a plot that takes a rewatch to fully grasp. Even if they are confusing, they remain wildly entertaining.
Alan Wake 2 offers a similar range of contrasting emotions in quick succession. Fans of the developer will be grinning ear to ear at certain self-referential nods, only to be unnerved by grim imagery and haunting sound design a few moments later.
8Inception
Also Deals With The Dream World
Alan Wake 2 deals heavily with dreams in its plot and what is and isn’t one. Christopher Nolan fans asked the same questions in 2010 when Inception hit theaters.
The cerebral story elevates what is already an excellent action thriller into a memorable blockbuster people still talk about today. The visuals, in particular, are fantastic at drawing you in.
For further Nolan viewing, Memento is a grounded detective tale that would also please Alan Wake fans.
7X-Files
FBI Agents Tackling Supernatural Mysteries
In 1993, television viewers were treated to a show unlike any other. The X-Files had the power to terrify viewers with its monsters and alien conspiracy, all within the confines of 1990s television regulations. The relationship between Fox Mulder and Dana Scully develops through the season from partners to something more romantic.
The quirky FBI agent trope was well utilized in Twin Peaks and continues here. you’re able to draw a direct line from these two characters to Alex Casey and Saga Anderson with their wisecracking jokes and tendency to sip coffee at the exact same time.
6Videodrome
A Twisted Look Into TV’s Influence On Culture
If you enjoy the way Alan Wake 2 plays with the idea of fiction, you will certainly love Videodrome as well. The movie is about a local television programmer who discovers a channel that showcases brutal acts of violence. You can see it as a commentary on violence in media and its effect on viewers, or you can simply appreciate how the mystery unfolds.
Like in Alan Wake 2, it is sometimes hard to believe that what’s happening on screen is really what the characters are seeing and experiencing. Is it real? Does it really matter if it’s still affecting the characters so intensely?
5The Twilight Zone
Where The Night Springs Show Comes From
If you were ever wondering where the idea for the fictional television show Night Springs came from, look no further than Twilight Zone.This anthology seriesfrom the 1950s, created by Rod Serling, tells tales ranging from the supernatural to science fiction and everything in between.
They usually have some moral behind them or touch upon social issues, some of which are still relevant today. The supernatural episodes are rarely about explaining why strange things are happening and more about what it means to the characters.
There have been several revivals over the decades and even a feature film.
4Seven
A Spine-Tingling Detective Thriller
David Fincher’s detective film was a standout release in the 1990s with one of the decade’s most shocking endings. Seven established the director’s signature style and set the standard for crime thrillers to come.
There is nothing supernatural here, but if you are intrigued by Saga’s investigation into the murder cult and their motives, you will certainly appreciate the mystery in Seven. Both Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman put in stellar performances as well. The former would work with Fincher a couple of years later in Fight Club, a movie that weaves in and out of reality just like Alan Wake.
