What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedGoodnight Mommy
Severin Fiala · Film · 2015
If you loved Goodnight Mommy, start with Homecoming (Sam Esmail, 2018) — a series on the same thread. Below: 4 books, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to Goodnight Mommy across media.
You were drawn to the suffocating paranoia of Goodnight Mommy where the people closest to you become terrifying, unrecognizable strangers.
Books on the same thread
The Housemaid
Freida McFadden · Book · 2022
Shares a thread with Goodnight Mommy: gaslighting.
Like the fractured trust in Goodnight Mommy, this story forces you to question the reality of your surroundings when someone you rely on hides a dark, calculated agenda.
Sharp Objects
Gillian Flynn · Book · 2018
Explores: Dysfunctional Family, Small Town Secrets, Trauma.
This narrative mirrors the domestic dread of Goodnight Mommy, exploring how deep-seated trauma and family secrets warp the bonds between mothers and children into something truly dangerous.
The Haunting of Hill House
Shirley Jackson · Book · 1987
Shares 3 threads with Goodnight Mommy: childhood trauma, gaslighting, Psychological Horror.
This classic builds the same claustrophobic tension found in Goodnight Mommy, trapping you in a space where the line between sanity and supernatural influence becomes dangerously thin.
Play Nice
Rachel Harrison · Book
Explores: inherited trauma, grief, family secrets.
Much like the unsettling environment of Goodnight Mommy, this story centers on how inherited grief and family history can transform a home into a site of psychological terror.
Series on the same thread
The Haunting of Hill House
Mike Flanagan · Series · 2018
Shares a thread with Goodnight Mommy: Psychological Horror.
The fractured family dynamics here echo the trauma seen in Goodnight Mommy, forcing characters to confront the haunting, blurred memories that have poisoned their relationships for years.
Monster
Series · 2004
Explores: Moral Dilemma, Existentialism, Nature vs. Nurture.
If the moral ambiguity of Goodnight Mommy gripped you, this intense pursuit of a psychopath will challenge your perception of identity and the roots of human evil.
Homecoming
Sam Esmail · Series · 2018
Shares a thread with Goodnight Mommy: Identity Crisis.
This thriller captures the same gaslighting and memory manipulation present in Goodnight Mommy, leaving you to wonder what is true when your own identity feels like a fabrication.
Severance
Dan Erickson · Series · 2022
Shares a thread with Goodnight Mommy: Identity Crisis.
Like the identity crisis in Goodnight Mommy, this story explores the terrifying prospect of not knowing who you are, creating a chilling disconnect between your internal and external life.
Podcasts on the same thread
The Deca Tapes
Lex Noteboom · Podcast · 2025
Explores: social isolation, paranoia, confinement.
This confined mystery taps into the same intense paranoia found in Goodnight Mommy, forcing you to distrust everyone around you as you search for truth in total isolation.
Scamanda
Lionsgate Sound · Podcast · 2025
Explores: medical fraud, parasocial relationships, deception.
This story of medical deception mirrors the parental distrust in Goodnight Mommy, exposing how carefully crafted lies can hide a horrifying reality from those closest to the truth.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is Goodnight Mommy about twin brothers living in the countryside?
Yes, Goodnight Mommy follows nine-year-old twin brothers who live in a lonesome house in the countryside. The story centers on their anticipation of their mother's return home following her cosmetic surgery and their subsequent doubts regarding her true identity.
What happens when the mother returns in Goodnight Mommy?
In Goodnight Mommy, the mother returns home with her face bandaged after undergoing cosmetic surgery. Upon her arrival, the twin brothers notice that nothing is like it was before, leading them to question whether the woman under the bandages is actually their mother.
Does Goodnight Mommy take place during the summer?
Yes, the events of Goodnight Mommy occur during the heat of the summer. The setting is a remote house in the countryside where the two young brothers wait for their mother to come back from her medical procedure.
Why do the children doubt their mother in Goodnight Mommy?
The children in Goodnight Mommy begin to doubt their mother because her behavior changes after she returns home bandaged from cosmetic surgery. The boys become suspicious that the woman who arrived at their countryside home is not who she says she is.