Movies like How They Smiled (2011)
The best movies like How They Smiled (2011) are Maniac (1963), The Dark Mirror (1946) and Dead of Night (1977). If How They Smiled hooked you with its mystery and horror, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedZ (2019)6.5/10 from 365 votes
- NewestALL OF ME (2025)Released 2025
Maniac (1963)
When a stranger enters a quiet, country town and is seduced by a sensuous married woman he unwittingly finds himself at the centre of a storm of sexual guilt and murder.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Dark Mirror (1946)
A sister and her disturbed twin are implicated in a murder and a police detective must figure out which one's the killer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDead of Night (1977)
This anthology tells three stories: a man buys a car that takes him back and forth through time; a tale of vampires; and a distraught mother asks for her drowned son to come back to life and gets more than she bargained for.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Night Stalker (1972)
Wisecracking reporter Carl Kolchak investigates a string of murders in Las Vegas and suspects the culprit is a vampire. His editor thinks he's crazy and the police think he's a nuisance, so Kolchak takes matters into his own hands.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Glass Key (1942)
A crooked politician finds himself being accused of murder by a gangster from whom he refused help during a re-election campaign.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Lady Vanishes (2013)
Young socialite Iris Carr befriends an older woman while traveling solo by train. When Iris wakes from a nap, the woman is gone and other passengers claim she never existed.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRace with the Devil (1975)
Two couples vacationing together in an R.V. from Texas to Colorado are terrorized after they witness a murder during a Satanic ritual.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhat's the Matter with Helen? (1971)
Two middle-aged women move to Hollywood after their sons are convicted of a notorious murder and open a dance school for children eager to tap their way to stardom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisBlack Angel (1946)
A falsely convicted man's wife, Catherine, and an alcoholic composer and pianist, Martin, team up in an attempt to clear her husband of the murder of a blonde singer, who is Martin's wife.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Mirror Crack'd (1980)
Jane Marple solves the mystery when a local woman is poisoned and a visiting movie star seems to have been the intended victim.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Blueprint for Murder (1953)
Whitney Cameron is in a quandary: he's attracted to his beautiful sister-in-law, Lynn, but also harbors serious suspicions about her. Her husband, Cameron's brother, died under mysterious circumstances, and now that the death of her stepchild, Polly, has been attributed to poisoning, he suspects that Lynn is after his late brother's estate, and killing everyone in her way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Shed (2019)
The story of Stan, an orphaned teenager stuck living with his abusive grandfather and tasked with routinely protecting his best friend from high school bullies. When Stan discovers a murderous creature has taken refuge inside the tool shed in his backyard, he tries to secretly battle the demon alone until his bullied friend discovers the creature and has a far more sinister plan in mind.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Jester (2016)
The Jester is the titular main antagonist of the horror/thriller analogy short films of the same name. He is an enigmatic and malevolent being who enjoys inducing suffering to individuals he comes across who don't appreciate his own tricks or break the rules of Halloween.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & horror
Worth the HypeMovies like thisZ (2019)
A family find themselves terrorized by their eight-year-old son's imaginary friend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Scarlet Claw (1944)
When a woman is found dead with her throat torn out, the local villagers blame a supernatural monster. But Sherlock Holmes, who gets drawn into the case from nearby Quebec, suspects a human murderer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSherlock Holmes Faces Death (1943)
During WWII several murders occur at a convalescent home where Dr. Watson has volunteered his services. He summons Holmes for help and the master detective proceeds to solve the crime from a long list of suspects including the owners of the home, the staff and the patients recovering there.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLady in the Lake (1946)
Private eye Phillip Marlowe wants to get out of the detective racket and into crime writing. But when he's called to the office of editor Adrienne Fromsett, it's not to talk about his story ideas — she wants him to locate the missing wife of her boss, Mr. Kingsby. The assignment quickly becomes complicated when bodies start turning up.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe House of Fear (1945)
The Good Comrades are a collection of varied gentlemen who crave one thing - solitude. They reside at Drearcliff House, ancestral home of their eldest member. All seems serene and convivial until one by one the members begin to perish in the most grisly of manners. Foul play is suspected by the Good Comrades' insurance agent, who turns to Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson for guidance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like this23 Paces to Baker Street (1956)
Philip Hannon, a blind playwright living in London, overhears part of a conversation , that leads him into a desperate race, to find a kidnapped child. When he gets no help from the police, he along with his butler, and his ex fiancée, attempt to track down the crooks.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSilent Zone (2025)
In a zombie-ravaged world, a resourceful teen and her protector fight for survival, facing relentless dangers and testing the limits of hope and loyalty.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisVery Prosperous Men (2025)
When a struggling door-to-door Bible salesman commits murder, he scrambles to dispose of the body while navigating a haunting consequence.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller & horror
The Thing from the Shed (2016)
Carly has a new house guest, from her shed!
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
What We Found Out There (2021)
Two friends find more than they bargained for while hiking out in the treacherous wilderness.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
The Amphibian (1991)
In a dark subterranean landscape, the Amphibian has lost its way.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Spectres (2021)
Three ancient heroes encounter the spectres of their dead loved ones and struggle to let them go.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery
Mother (2017)
An everyday conversation between Marta and her mother turns into a tragic race against the clock when Marta receives a phone call from Iván, her six-year-old son, who is on holiday in France with his father.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDevin (2019)
A typical day gets turned on its head for your average ghost when 4 unexpected visitors decide to barge in to his decaying home. See how Devin deals with his company in a freakishly funny way!
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
A Guads Neix Joah (2005)
A pair of friends just want to start New Year's Eve party as the dispute over a bottle of wine escalates...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Thunder (1982)
A woman’s face disappearing behind, and emerging from, a pair of hands. Flashing lights. An empty building full of dark hallways. Designs drawn in the air with light and long-exposure cinematography.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisALL OF ME (2025)
ALL OF ME is a short horror film made in 48 hours under the prompt Growing Pains.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Like How They Smiled and something else?
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like How They Smiled?
The closest matches to How They Smiled are Maniac (1963), The Dark Mirror (1946) and Dead of Night (1977). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after How They Smiled?
Start with Maniac (1963), the closest match to How They Smiled.
What is the highest-rated movie like How They Smiled?
Z (2019), rated 6.5/10 by 365 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like How They Smiled?
ALL OF ME (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like How They Smiled?
Yes: Maniac (1963), The Dark Mirror (1946) and Dead of Night (1977).
How are movies similar to How They Smiled chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside How They Smiled, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.