Highlights
- Smile has become a standout horror film that captivates audiences with its haunting smile motif and impressive box office performance.
- Fans of Smile can find similar scares, themes, styles, and tones in other horror movies like Midsommar, It Follows, and Hereditary.
- Viewers seeking more scary films during the Halloween season can explore a variety of horror movies, including Scream, Gothika, and The Ring, to satisfy their thrill-seeking desires.
Smile kicked off the spooky season in 2022 as the horror film to beat, earning an amazing box office performance and high marks from critics. The film is based on its director and writer, Parker Finn's short film "Laura Hasn’t Slept." The movie’s signature motif, a haunting, cruel smile that stalks its victims, has swept across the Internet.
The perversion of a gesture of kindness into a sinister symbol of doom has fascinated horror fans and left an unforgettable impression on all. For those who loved Smile, here are some horror movies that deliver similar scares, themes, styles, and tones.
Updated October 31, 2023 by Collins Erasmus: When it comes to horror films, Smile is right up there with the best of them. However, if viewers are left wanting more painful and horrifying stories after leaving the theater, there is no shortage of horror films. These films transport viewers into terrifying worlds, complete with suspenseful plots, creepy settings, and terrifying atmospheres. During the Halloween season, viewers are on the lookout for scary films to watch with their families. The approaching holiday of Halloween means that people are looking for more scary films to watch.
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14 Midsommar
July 3, 2019
- Running Time: 148 minutes
- Produced by: Square Peg, B-Reels Films, A24
This one-of-a-kind cinematic experience stands out thanks to its sunny, brightly colored horror atmosphere. After a tense few minutes into the movie, the rest is filled with moments of dark comedy, relationship drama, and fantastic folk horror.
In Midsommar, a group of friends visits a commune in Scandanavia. After a fun night of ecstasy and free love, the friends get shocked to see two elderly commune members commit ritual suicide by jumping off a cliff, after which the film takes one dark turn after another. Made by Ari Aster, Midsommar is one of the most bizarre, darkly comedic, and horrifying breakup movies ever made.
13 It Follows
March 3, 2015
- Running Time: 100 minutes
- Produced by: Northern Lights Films, Animal Kingdom, Two Flints
Smiles are in short supply in this chilling horror film about a supernatural entity that slowly but steadily makes its way toward its victim. “It” doesn’t make its presence known with any particular expression as Smile’s antagonist does, but it does invoke a similar sense of tension and suspense.
Viewers are forced to the edge of their seats as they scan the figures on the screen, wondering which one could be a monster hiding in plain sight. It Follows is currently available to stream on Netflix.
12 Hereditary
June 8, 2018
- Running Time: 127 minutes
- Produced by: A24, Palmstar Media, Finch Entertainment, Windy Hill Pictures
The events of Hereditary follow Annie and her househol. As they cope with the death of Annie's mother, they begin to experience strange and frightening happenings in their home and in their lives. Things look ominous for Annie and her family when she opens a box from her mother's house and finds it full of weird spiritual items.
Then, in perhaps the most shocking event ever, Annie's daughter Charlie tragically passes away. The horror that rips their souls comes from the ripple effect of Charlie's passing away, the family's loss, and Peter's guilt over his role in all of it.
11 Truth Or Dare
April 13, 2018
- Running Time: 100 minutes
- Produced by: Blumhouse Production
If Smile's eerie smiles delighted viewers, this movie is full of artificial smiles that are certain to cause similar unease. Truth or Dare centers on a group of college students whose night of playing the eponymous game takes a deadly turn when they realize a supernatural presence has hijacked the game.
An unearthly smirk overtakes the faces of people being used to challenge the players, to tell the truth, or to perform a dare. It's by far the scariest things about this movie. Truth or Dare is currently only available to rent or purchase.
10 Babadook
January 17, 2014
- Running Time: 94 minutes
- Produced by: Entertainment One, Smoking Gun Productions, Causeway Films
The Babadook, an Australian horror film that has become a cult classic, is one of the most well-known examples of its genre. A miserable mother named Amelia has an anxiety attack after being left to care for her challenging child after the death of her husband in this unsettling psychological horror film.
The titular creature in The Babadook is a symbol of trauma and sorrow. It is eventually revealed that the protagonists will never be able to kill or defeat it; instead, they will just have to learn to live with it. Anyone who has yet to see the film is in for an exciting journey, as it features numerous terrifying and unsettling scenes.
9 Umma
March 18, 2022
- Running Time: 83 minutes
- Produced by: Stage 6 Films, Raimi Productions, Starlight Media
Sandra Oh headlines in this grim film that touches on similar underlying themes in Smile, such as childhood trauma, abusive parenting, and family estrangement. Deriving its title from the Korean word for “mother,” the plot follows Oh’s character, Amanda, after she receives her late mother’s ashes.
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Receiving her umma’s ashes triggers a series of supernatural occurrences, forcing Amanda to battle her umma’s influence on her both psychologically and physically, or risk following in her umma’s footsteps. Umma is currently available to stream on Netflix.
8 Scream
December 20, 1996
- Running Time: 111 minutes
- Produced by: Woods Entertainment, Dimension Films
Those who like horror classics and are looking for something new will enjoy the Scream remake. A new Ghostface killer, who has a connection to the previous killings in the series, systematically murders a group of teenagers in the fifth installment.
Whether or not viewers have seen the previous films in this iconic horror series, they owe it to themselves to see this latest installment because of how effectively it will scare them. While this film is not quite as terrifying as Smile, it is still certain to make the audience laugh.
7 Gothika
November 21, 2003
- Running Time: 98 minutes
- Produced by: Warner Bros., Columbia Pictures, Dark Castle Entertainment
The psychological and supernatural are so intertwined in this thriller flick that even the characters question whether it's their own diseased minds pulling the strings, or if there is something more unearthly at play. Halle Berry takes the lead as a prison psychiatrist, Miranda, who is convinced that a ghost possessed her and butchered her husband.
The rest of the world, however, is not so certain. Like Smile’s victims, Miranda is written off as a lunatic, albeit one with homicidal tendencies. Gothika is currently only available to rent or purchase.
6 Polaroid
October 11, 2019
- Running Time: 88 minutes
- Produced by: Dimension Films, Eldorado Film, vertigo Entertainment, Benderspink
The supernatural horror movie, based on the director's short film of the same name, tells the tale of a polaroid camera with a murky past and a determination to murder anyone who has the misfortune of having their photograph developed by it.
Similar to Smile, the movie’s characters are immediately drawn into a deadly situation. They spend most of the runtime urgently trying to find a way to survive the fatal circumstances they have found themselves in. Polaroid is available to stream on STARZ.
5 Drag Me To Hell
May 29, 2009
- Running Time: 99 minutes
- Produced by: Ghost House Pictures
Like Smile’s protagonist, bank loan officer Christine must contend with a curse and discover how to circumvent its wrath after denying a mortgage extension to an elderly woman with a talent for dark magic and a nasty habit of holding grudges. Rather than merely ending her life early, Christine’s curse will damn her to hell for eternity.
Sam Raimi, the director of the Spider-Man trilogy and the famous Evil Dead series, co-wrote and directed the film, which won numerous film awards. Drag Me to Hell is available to stream on Peacock.
4 The Purge
June 7, 2013
- Running Time: 85 minutes
- Produced by: Blumhouse Productions and Platinum Dunes
The first installment of The Purge franchise is notorious for not only the wide-toothed uncanny valley masks its bloodthirsty antagonists don but also the sinister smile their leader wears under his mask as he politely asks the Sandin family to allow them to murder a man, lest the Sandins be massacred themselves.
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The Purge offers eerie smirks from beginning to end for viewers who enjoy being unnerved by a scary smile. The Purge is available to stream on HBO Max.
3 The Ring (2002)
October 18, 2002
- Running Time: 115 minutes
- Produced by: Benderspink, Vertigo Entertainment, MacDonald/Parkes Production
This iconic horror movie is an adaptation of the acclaimed Japanese film, Ring or Ringu. Like Smile, the plot revolves around a lethal curse that has a time span of a week and spreads to new victims in a chain-mail-type fashion. The Ring centers around a mysterious video tape that supposedly inflicts death on whoever watches it.
Rachel, a journalist, watches the disturbing video herself. She quickly realizes that its rumors are true and that she’ll have to race against the clock to save her life. The Ring is available to stream on Paramount Plus.
2 Goodnight Mommy
September 16, 2022
- Running Time: 92 Minutes
- Produced by: Playtime, Animal Kingdom, and Big Indie Pictures
A remake of an Austrian film of the same name, the psychological horror film focuses on a pair of twin brothers who move into their mother’s isolated home. The two begin to suspect that their bizarrely behaving mother, whose face is completely covered in surgical bandages, is not the woman she claims to be.
The tension and hesitance of having to question whether your loved ones are who you think they are is a major aspect of Goodnight Mommy and Smile. Goodnight Mommy is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
1 The Invisible Man
February 28, 2020
- Running Time: 124 minutes
- Produced by: Blumhouse Productions, Goalpost Pictures, Nervous Tick Productions
This movie offers a modern twist on the infamous novel and even more notorious protagonist, all of which share the same name. The Invisible Man tells the tale of a woman struggling to escape the clutches of her abusive ex-boyfriend, who is seemingly willing to break the laws of science and mortality to maintain his hold on her.
Similar to Smile, protagonist Cecilia struggles to convince the people around her that her fears are valid and is forced to bear the blame for her tormentor's actions. The Invisible Man is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.