After director Parker Finn released his first feature-length film Smile in 2022, it quickly became the highest-grossing horror film of the year. Full of creeping tension cut by superbly timed jump-scares, and a compelling plot surrounding a deadly curse that can only be passed on through murder, Smile has since gone on to become one of the top horror films of the 21st century thus far.
Riding on the first film’s momentum, Smile 2 was released in late 2024, providing an excellent continuation of the deadly smile entity’s reign of terror. But if you’ve watched and rewatched the two Smile films and cannot get enough of the thrills, here are 10 more movies to watch if you loved Smile and Smile 2. Check out the full list below and scroll all the way down to the bottom to find out where you can stream all the entries!
It Follows
It Follows is a 2015 horror-thriller written and directed by David Robert Mitchell, and starring Maika Monroe. The film follows Jay who, after a sexual encounter, finds herself stalked by a shapeshifting entity that will eventually kill her if she cannot pass on the curse to someone else through another encounter. It Follows is similar to Smile in many ways, not least the nature of being pursued by a shapeshifting, malevolent being, and that the curse itself can be passed along.
The Ring
The Ring is a 2002 horror film directed by Gore Verbinski, starring Naomi Watts and Brian Cox, amongst others. The film centres around a cursed video tape that, once played, condemns the viewer to die within 7 days. Much like Smile, the curse in the Ring is passed along, creating tension from the knowledge of what is to come and the hope that somehow the person will find a way to dodge their fate.
Oculus
Oculus is a 2014 mystery horror film written and directed by Mike Flanagan. The film focuses on siblings Kaylie and Tim, who witnessed the psychological destruction and murder of their parents due to a cursed antique mirror and its ability to warp perception. As adults, the two attempt to prove the mirror was responsible for the deaths, even as they put themselves in the path of the mirror’s mind games again. Like Smile, Oculus plays with cursed entities that only the pursued can see.
Midsommar
Midsommar is a 2019 horror film directed by Ari Aster for A24, starring Florence Pugh. The story follows a group of friends who are invited by a Swedish exchange student to join his family’s Midsommar festivities in the Swedish countryside. Once they arrive, they begin to realise the ancient festivities may involve more sacrifice than they had anticipated.
1408
1408 is a psychological horror film from 2007 directed by Mikael Håfström and starring John Cusack. The film is based on a short story written by Stephen King, which follows Mike Enslin, a paranormal sceptic who lost his young daughter to illness. To test himself, he decides to see if he can last an hour in the haunted room 1408 at The Dolphin hotel, which has already claimed 56 lives.
The Autopsy of Jane Doe
The Autopsy of Jane Doe is a 2016 horror-thriller directed by André Øvredal and starring Brian Cox and Emile Hirsch. The two play a father-son pair of coroners who are tasked with conducting an autopsy on the body of a Jane Doe. As the autopsy continues, they discover that something not all that dead might be still living inside of her.
Pulse
Pulse is a 2001 horror film written by Wes Craven and starring Kristen Bell and Ian Somerhalder. The film follows a group of friends who, after the suicide of one their friends, discover he had forged a connection to the dead through the internet. However, the discontented dead now seek to claim the lives of the living — and now have a path through to the world of the living.
Hereditary
Hereditary is a 2018 horror film directed by Ari Aster for A24. After the death of their grandmother, a family starts to be haunted by escalating strange occurrences that lead them to the discovery that the deadly secret is being passed on through the generations. Like Smile, Hereditary explores the terrifying prospect of inheriting a curse.
The Grudge
The Grudge is a 2004 horror film directed by Takashi Shimizu and starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Bill Pullman, and others. The Grudge, like Smile, is based on the premise of a curse that can be passed along. In the case of The Grudge, if someone dies in an extreme state of rage and hurt, the energy left in their wake moves on to someone else if they come into contact with it.
Talk to Me
Talk to me is a 2023 horror film directed by Danny and Michael Philippou and produced by A24. The film follows a group of friends who discover they have the power to connect with the dead via an embalmed hand. But what starts as a thrilling game turns into a nightmare as they realise they have far less control than they thought. If you liked Smile for its creepy possession scenes, make sure to check out Talk to Me.
Where to watch movies like Smile and Smile 2 online
Find out where to watch all these movies like Smile and Smile 2 streaming online right now in the United Kingdom down below!
