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Movies like Unthinkable: The Susan Smith Story (2024)

The best movies like Unthinkable: The Susan Smith Story (2024) are Predators (2025), Deliver Us from Evil (2006) and Paradise Lost 2: Revelations (2000). If Unthinkable: The Susan Smith Story hooked you with its documentary and crime, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. Predators (2025)

    In the mid-aughts, Dateline NBC's To Catch a Predator drew millions of weekly viewers to watch sting operations: men planning to meet minors for sex would instead be confronted by polished host Chris Hansen, then by the police — all on hidden camera.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & crime

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  2. Deliver Us from Evil (2006)

    Documentary filmmaker Amy Berg investigates the life of 30-year pedophile Father Oliver O'Grady and exposes the corruption inside the Catholic Church that allowed him to abuse countless children. Victims' stories and a disturbing interview with O'Grady offer a view into the troubled mind of the spiritual leader who moved from parish to parish gaining trust ... all the while betraying so many.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  3. Paradise Lost 2: Revelations (2000)

    Revisiting the 1994 Arkansas murder of three 8-year-old boys and the three teenagers convicted of the crime. A follow up to Paradise Lost, Revelations features new interviews with the convicted men, as well as with the original judge and police investigators.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & crime

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  4. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008)

    In 2001, Andrew Bagby, a medical resident, is murdered not long after breaking up with his girlfriend. Soon after, when she announces she's pregnant, one of Andrew's many close friends, Kurt Kuenne, begins this film, a gift to the child.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & crime

    Absolute CinemaMovies like this
  5. Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory (2012)

    A further investigation into the arrest of three teenagers convicted of killing three young boys in Arkansas who spent nearly 20 years in prison before being released after new DNA evidence indicated they may be innocent.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & crime

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  6. O.J.: Made in America (2016)

    A chronicle of the rise and fall of O.J. Simpson, whose high-profile murder trial exposed the extent of American racial tensions, revealing a fractured and divided nation.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & crime

    Absolute CinemaMovies like this
  7. The Thin Blue Line (1988)

    One night in November 1976, after his car breaks down on a road outside Dallas, Randall Dale Adams accepts a ride from teenager David Harris. Harris is driving a stolen vehicle and, later that night, when Dallas police officer Robert Wood pulls the car over to check its headlights, he is shot and killed. A jury believes Adams is the killer, but stylized reenactments and interviews with key figures, conflicting testimonies and evidence are presented to argue that Adams was framed by a corrupt justice system, ultimately leading to his exoneration.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  8. Naqoyqatsi (2002)

    A visual montage portrait of our contemporary world dominated by globalized technology and violence.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  9. Heart of a Dog (2015)

    Musician and performance artist Laurie Anderson reflects on the deaths of her husband Lou Reed, her mother and her beloved dog.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  10. Titicut Follies (1967)

    Employing methods of direct cinema–observation, limited stylization, and non-intervention–this stark look into the State Prison for the Criminally Insane in Bridgewater, Massachusetts shows its denizens, who were often kept in barren cells and infrequently bathed, forced to strip naked publicly, force feeding, and the indifference and bullying by many of the hospital's staff.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  11. More Brains! A Return to the Living Dead (2011)

    Retrospective documentary about the making of the horror cult classic "The Return of the Living Dead."

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  12. I Am Ali (2014)

    Unprecedented access to Muhammad Ali's personal archive of "audio journals" as well as interviews and testimonials from his inner circle of family and friends are used to tell the legend's life story.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  13. The Irishman: In Conversation (2019)

    Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Al Pacino in conversation about The Irishman.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  14. The Crystal Calls - Making The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019)

    Go behind the scenes with stars, puppeteers and creators as they bring Jim Henson's magical world of Thra back to life in a sweeping fantasy series.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  15. RBG (2018)

    Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg now 84, and still inspired by the lawyers who defended free speech during the Red Scare, Ginsburg refuses to relinquish her passionate duty, steadily fighting for equal rights for all citizens under the law. Through intimate interviews and unprecedented access to Ginsburg’s life outside the court, RBG tells the electric story of Ginsburg’s consuming love affairs with both the Constitution and her beloved husband Marty—and of a life’s work that led her to become an icon of justice in the highest court in the land.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  16. Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction (2013)

    An impressionistic portrait of the iconic actor Harry Dean Stanton comprised of intimate moments, film clips from some of his 250 films and his renditions of American folk songs.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  17. Halloween: 25 Years of Terror (2006)

    Follow the evolution of the 'Halloween' movies over the past twenty-five years. It examines why the films are so popular and revisits many of the original locations used in the films - seeing the effects on the local community. For the first time, cast, crew, critics and fans join together in the ultimate 'Halloween' retrospective.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  18. Katy Perry: Part of Me (2012)

    Giving fans unprecedented access to the real life of the music sensation, Katy Perry: Part of Me exposes the hard work, dedication and phenomenal talent of a girl who remained true to herself and her vision in order to achieve her dreams. Featuring rare behind-the-scenes interviews, personal moments between Katy and her friends, and all-access footage of rehearsals, choreography, Katy’s signature style and more, Katy Perry: Part of Me reveals the singer’s unwavering belief that if you can be yourself, then you can be anything.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  19. The Year Earth Changed (2021)

    Never-before-seen footage shows how our living in lockdown opened the door for nature to bounce back and thrive. Across the seas, skies, and lands, Earth found its rhythm when we came to a stop.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Absolute CinemaMovies like this
  20. Being James Bond (2021)

    Daniel Craig candidly reflects on his 15 year adventure as James Bond. Including never-before-seen archival footage from Casino Royale to the upcoming 25th film No Time To Die, Craig shares his personal memories in conversation with 007 producers, Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  21. Freight Train: Slayer of Innocence (2017)

    This documentary details the investigations into the disappearances and murders of several young boys throughout the Midwest in the 1970s. Detectives conducted a nine-day, twenty-four-hour surveillance of a suspect for several hundred miles with a team of police officers from several agencies. With William 'Freight Train' Guatney in custody the kidnappings and murders of young boys stopped.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary & crime

  22. 300 ans des 4 saisons de Vivaldi (2025)

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  23. Half Past Dead (2002)

    A man goes undercover in a hi-tech prison to find out information to help prosecute those who killed his wife. While there, he stumbles onto a plot involving a death-row inmate and his $200 million stash of gold.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime

  24. Marked for Death (1990)

    Just retired from the Drug Enforcement Agency, John Hatcher returns to his hometown and quickly discovers that drugs have infiltrated his old neighborhood. Determined to drive the dealers out, Hatcher crosses paths with a ferocious Jamaican drug lord who vows that Hatcher and his family are now marked for death.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  25. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)

    Arriving in Chicago, Henry moves in with ex-con acquaintance Otis and starts schooling him in the ways of the serial killer.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  26. The Dead Pool (1988)

    Dirty Harry Callahan returns for his final film adventure. Together with his partner Al Quan, he must investigate the systematic murder of prominent figures. By the time Harry learns that the murders are part of a sick game to predict such deaths, it may be too late.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  27. A Short Film About Killing (1988)

    Jacek climbs into the taxi driven by Waldemar, tells him to drive to a remote location, then brutally strangles him, seemingly without motive.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  28. 2 Days in the Valley (1996)

    In a sleepy bedroom community of LA's San Fernando Valley, the murder of a professional athlete by two hit men sets into motion a chain of events that puts the mundane lives of a dozen residents on a collision course. This clever tale tells the story of two hit men, a mistress, a nurse, a vindictive ex-wife, a wealthy art dealer and his lovelorn assistant, a suicidal writer and his dog, and a bitter cop and his partner.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime

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  29. Red Corner (1997)

    An American attorney on business in China, ends up wrongfully on trial for murder and his only key to innocence is a female defense lawyer from the country.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  30. Fallen (1998)

    Homicide detective John Hobbes witnesses the execution of serial killer Edgar Reese. Soon after the execution the killings start again, and they are very similar to Reese's style.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this

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Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like Unthinkable: The Susan Smith Story?

The closest matches to Unthinkable: The Susan Smith Story are Predators (2025), Deliver Us from Evil (2006) and Paradise Lost 2: Revelations (2000). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after Unthinkable: The Susan Smith Story?

Start with Predators (2025), the closest match to Unthinkable: The Susan Smith Story.

What is the highest-rated movie like Unthinkable: The Susan Smith Story?

O.J.: Made in America (2016), rated 8.4/10 by 271 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like Unthinkable: The Susan Smith Story?

300 ans des 4 saisons de Vivaldi (2025) is the most recent release on this list.

Are there English movies like Unthinkable: The Susan Smith Story?

Yes: Predators (2025), Deliver Us from Evil (2006) and Paradise Lost 2: Revelations (2000).

How are movies similar to Unthinkable: The Susan Smith Story chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Unthinkable: The Susan Smith Story, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.

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