9 Movies Like Smile and How to Watch Them

In one of the best years ever for the horror film genre, 2022 gave fans a big surprise Smile – the feature film debut of writer and director Parker Finn, based on his short film Laura didn’t sleep. Despite its familiar gimmick, it’s a great horror film that deals with grief and trauma, thanks in part to Sosie Bacon’s performance as a psychiatrist who becomes attached to a deadly creature identified by its menacing grin.

This inevitably gave rise to one of the most anticipated upcoming horror films in the entire 2024 film schedule, in the form of Naomi Scott Starring Naomi Scott. Smile 2. The original is available with a Paramount+ subscription or a Hulu subscription, but there are other great horror films like Smile which you can watch while you wait to see where the franchise goes next.

(Image credit: RADiUS-TWC)

What follows (2015)

Director: David Robert Mitchell

With: Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist

What it’s about: After a disturbing sexual encounter, a young woman is haunted by a shapeshifter that only she can see.

Why this movie is worth watching if you like “Smile”: Featuring a protagonist who inherits a deadly curse passed on through morally challenging means (in this case, sexual intercourse). It follows (one of the best horror films on Netflix) fits the bill perfectly Smiledespite a quieter tone and different topics.

Here’s how to watch It Follows:

Naomi Watts sits in a dark hotel room and stares at the tape in her hands in The Ring.

(Image credit: DreamWorks Pictures)

The Ring (2002)

Director: Gore Verbinski

With: Naomi Watts, Martin Henderson

What it’s about: A reporter investigates a series of disturbing deaths linked to a mysterious videotape.

Why this movie is worth watching if you like “Smile”: An even more revered, frightening film about a woman struggling to get rid of a deadly chain curse is The ringwhich is inspired by the acclaimed Japanese horror film, Ringu.

How to watch “The Ring”:

Alison Lohman and Lorna Raver in “Drag Me To Hell.”

(Image credit: Universal)

Drag Me to Hell (2009)

Director: Sam Raimi

With: Alison Lohman, Justin Long

What it’s about: After rejecting an older woman’s request for a loan extension, she falls victim to a demonic curse.

Why this movie is worth watching if you like “Smile”: One of Sam Raimi’s best films, Drag me to hellis another wacky curse film, but also one of the more humorous of the bunch, with a rare scream queen role for lead actress Alison Lohman.

Here’s how to watch Drag Me to Hell:

Toni Collette in Hereditary.

(Image credit: A24)

Hereditary (2018)

Director: Ari Aster

With: Toni Collette, Alex Wolff

What it’s about: After a tragic loss, a family’s suffering only worsens as they are beset by a series of inexplicable circumstances.

Why this movie is worth watching if you like “Smile”: At the core is Smile is a meditation on the damaging effects of traumatic experiences, which is also an essential theme of Ari Aster’s acclaimed debut shocker and one of the best A24 horror films of all time: The Mourning Film Hereditary.

How to watch “Hereditary”:

The Babadook Book

(Image credit: IFC Films)

The Babadook (2014)

Director: Jennifer Kent

With: Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman

What it’s about: A widowed single mother believes she and her young son are being taunted by a disturbing children’s book character.

Why this movie is worth watching if you like “Smile”: The entity in Smile resembles the titular villain The Babadook (one of the scariest modern horror movie villains) as it serves as a metaphorical representation of the protagonist’s struggles with grief.

Here’s how to watch The Babadook:

Sandra Oh screams in Umma

(Image credit: Sony)

Umma (2022)

Director: Iris K. Shim

With: Sandra Oh, Fivel Stewart

What it’s about: A Korean-born farmer’s relationship with her daughter is threatened when the return of her own mother’s remains brings distressing memories to the surface.

Why this movie is worth watching if you like “Smile”: The most important topics Smile Intergenerational trauma and child abuse are also common Ummahfrom producer Sam Raimi of evil Dead Shame.

Here’s how to watch Umma:

Karen Gillan and Brenton Thwaites in Oculus

(Image credit: Relativity Media)

Director: Mike Flanagan

With: Karen Gillan, Brenton Thwaites

What it’s about: A brother and sister try to prove that their disturbing childhood was the work of a mysterious ancient mirror.

Why this movie is worth watching if you like “Smile”: The protagonists’ confrontation with their childhood trauma is also the focus of one of the best films by author and director Mike Flanagan: Oculuswhat, how Smilealso has a surprising and startling finale.

How to watch Oculus:

Elisabeth Moss in “The Invisible Man.”

(Image credit: Universal)

The Invisible Man (2020)

Director: Leigh Whannell

With: Elisabeth Moss, Aldis Hodge

What it’s about: A woman suspects her supposedly deceased tech billionaire husband found a way to taunt her without being noticed.

Why this movie is worth watching if you like “Smile”: Gaslighting is another well-known topic in Smile and one of the central themes of Blumhouse’s frightening and cleverly modernized reimagining of the classic Universal monster film. The invisible man.

How to watch The Invisible Man:

What follows (2015)

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