Plot: Thriller set in a future in which people can travel across the globe by swapping bodies with someone at their destination. A businessman discovers that his body has been hijacked by a terrorist, and with only a couple of days left before the life span of his cloned temporary body runs out, he must battle to win back his own physical being.

KBZ’s Take: This is a 90’s film with a great concept but questionable acting and low budget. Had this film had a much higher budget and recast some of the roles, it would likely be a much better known and appreciated film of the subgenre.

As it stands, the film does have some great things going for it. Kyle McLachlan makes an excellent ‘bad’ guy and Kim Coates is good as the initial Toffler. The film also takes a unique perspective on the premise of ‘swapping bodies’. Why waste time exercising when you can swap consciousness with another who will do it for you.

On the down side, Stephen Baldwin is not a bad actor, but wasn’t right for the genetic clone / Toffler 3 in this film. And though the film doesn’t feature many special effects, the low budget is apparent in more than a few scenes.

Xchange has more good elements that outweigh the bad and fans of the subgenre should enjoy the film’s unique body swap premise and concepts.

Additional Lists: Top Cyberpunk Films You Haven’t Seen #6

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: Killed in a tragic accident, a woman’s (Lili Taylor) spirit returns to possess her 16-year-old daughter (Olivia Thirlby).

KBZ’s Take: There are many romantic Body Swap Films in the subgenre and though The Secret has some underlying romantic elements, it’s much more of a suspenseful drama and thriller. The film trades the typical comedy associated with a body swap to take an existential look at life to examine how a mother might react while in possession of her daughter’s body (knowing that she, the mother, died in the accident).

This film all hinges on the performance of Olivia Thirlby who convincingly plays both an angst-ridden teenager and a mother suddenly learning about her daughter’s secret life. Her interactions with David Duchovny (as her father/husband) drive the film and make it one of the better explorations of a body swap in the subgenre.

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: Angel City trooper Jack Deth is sent back in time from 2247 to 1985 L.A. to inhabit the body of his ancestor. Deth’s assignment is to find his archenemy, Whistler, who turns people into zombies, before the fiend is able to kill all the ancestors of the future’s governing council.

KBZ’s Take: Trancers is a B-movie version of The Terminator except without Robots or Arnold Schwarzenegger. However, it’s a great B-film that ties together many subgenres – Time Travel, Film Noir, Zombies and Body Swaps. Though more science fiction focused, there are some humorous body swap situations with people transported back in time but not into the bodies they’re expecting.

The film also has some of the heaviest Noir influences of any film within the subgenre. There’s Jack Deth and his Film Noir-like voiceover throughout the film, the sleazy characters Deth encounters during his investigation and the very Noir-like settings both in the future and present. Also, be on the lookout for Helen Hunt in one of her earlier starring roles.

Additional Lists: Top Time Travel Films You Haven’t Seen – 1980’s #4, Top Future Noir Films You Haven’t Seen #6, Top Body Swap Films You Haven’t Seen #9

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: As a killer named Cinderhella stalks the student body at the high school in Grizzly Lake, a group of co-eds band together to survive while they’re all serving detention.

KBZ’s Take: This was a bit of a controversial film for our #1 pick in our More Body Swap Films You Haven’t Seen list as it’s a film that isn’t about one subgenre or theme. It’s a Teen Comedy, Slasher Film, Time Travel Film and Body Swap Film all blended together for a strange yet fun experience. This film also has a very frenetic presentation with constant text on the screen and quick edits that might turn off older viewers. But in our opinion, the presentation helps augment the fast-paced life and thoughts of the teens in the film.

As for the Body Swap theme in the film, it involves one of the teens that has body swapped with her mother and the teens need to travel back in time to 1992 to stop the end of the world. It’s a convoluted plot but somehow works thanks to a very funny script and performances from Josh Hutcherson, Shanley Caswell and Spencer Locke. It’s not your typical Body Swap subgenre film as it provides equal amounts of comedy, horror and thrilling moments.

Additional Lists: More Body Swap Films You Haven’t Seen #1, Top Time Travel Films You Haven’t Seen – 2010 – 2016 #3, The Best Films of the Body Swap Film Subgenre #8

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: A teenager who falls from a roof and finds himself in the body of a gangster.

KBZ’s Take: Though a few teen-oriented Body Swap films tackle the bullying issue in school, this film does it the best. What could go wrong for bullies when an overweight teen’s body is suddenly inhabited by a ruthless gangster? This South Korean film touches on quite a few subjects including the bullying issue and the effects of single parenting in the country, and it excels when it focuses on these areas.

There are also some very well-done action sequences that make the film hard to define as a Comedy / Drama / Fantasy / Action hybrid. However, it’s one of the lesser known but best films of the subgenre you shouldn’t miss.

Additional Lists: Even More Body Swap Film You Haven’t Seen #3

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: As a detective corners the serial killer who murdered his partner years ago, they get into an accident. When the detective wakes up in a hospital, he realizes he switched bodies with the murderer.

KBZ’s Take: We can’t go too in-depth into this film as it’s better to see without knowing much about it. What we will say is that it does involve a detective and serial killer swapping bodies and the resulting suspense as to how the body swap occurred and where the serial killer’s partners are operating (and continuing with murder).

The film is bloody and violent in the vein of other South Korean thrillers such as The Chaser (2008) and I Saw the Devil (2010). However, it’s a tier below those films but still one worth seeing for fans of the subgenre and fans of South Korean Thriller Action Films.

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: The tables are turned as four teenagers are sucked into Jumanji’s world – pitted against rhinos, black mambas and an endless variety of jungle traps and puzzles. To survive, they’ll play as characters from the game.

KBZ’s Take: While Jumanji doesn’t break new ground with some of the Body Swap Film tropes found within the film, it’s the execution of these tropes that make them some of the funniest of the subgenre – especially with young Bethany (Madison Iseman) inhabiting the male game character of Jack Black.

Although the film is primarily a comedy, it has a surprising amount of action and thrills to make it the best adventure-themed film of the subgenre.

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: A man loses his memory and wakes up in a new body every twelve hours.

KBZ’s Take: Most films in the Body Swap subgenre are comedic by nature. This is not one of those films. This is the rare outlier within the subgenre that foregoes comedy for Dark Fantasy, Mystery and some very violent Action. If John Wick (2014) involved Body Swaps, you would have Spiritwalker.

This South Korean film involves a man who swaps into another body every 12 hours with multiple people seemingly trying to kill him (and his new identity). How and why he continues to transfers into new bodies is the film’s mystery that is slowly revealed between some very violent and action-packed sequences.

This is a very good film that could have been a classic if not for a somewhat muddled second act. However, the first and third acts of the film are some of the best action sequences you’ll find and reminiscent of films like John Wick (2014) and The Man from Nowhere (2010). If you’re looking for more thrilling Body Swap themes coupled with mystery and ultraviolence, then look no further than Spiritwalker.

Additional Lists: New Body Swap Films #1

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: A boy is given the ability to become an adult superhero in times of need with a single magic word.

KBZ’s Take: While Big (1988) will always be the best Body Swap Film to introduce your kids to, Shazam is close behind as the second. Though DC Comics took a more adult and darker tone with their DCEU (DC Extended Universe) films, Shazam! was an outlier that appealed to all age ranges and was often hilarious. It somehow makes overused and tired Body Swap Film tropes fresh with Zachary Levi giving a career defining performance to rival that of Tom Hanks in Big.

Additional Lists: The Best Films of the Body Swap Film Subgenre #3

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: A serial killer swaps bodies with a 17-year-old girl.

KBZ’s Take: If you enjoyed Christopher Landon’s Happy Death Day (2017) and Happy Death Day 2U (2019), then you’ll also enjoy this film (if not more). Similar to how Happy Death Day created a unique experience by meshing together the Time Loop and Slasher Film subgenres, Freaky molds the Serial Killer and Body Swap subgenres into a hilarious yet often suspenseful creation.

Highly recommended film to see especially for Vince Vaughn’s many hilarious physical moments as the ‘teen girl’.

Additional Lists: New Body Swap Films #2, Top Slasher Films You Haven’t Seen #3, The Best Films of the Body Swap Film Subgenre #4

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon