What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedSmile
Parker Finn · Film · 2022
If you loved Smile, start with Play Nice (Rachel Harrison) — a book on the same thread. Below: 4 books, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to Smile across media.
What hooked you in Smile was the way an inescapable, contagious trauma forces you to question your own fragile mental stability.
Books on the same thread
Play Nice
Rachel Harrison · Book
Explores: inherited trauma, grief, family secrets.
Like Smile, this story explores how inherited trauma manifests as a relentless, supernatural force that slowly dismantles the lives of those left behind by a tragic family death.
Ring
Kōji Suzuki · Book · 2003
Shares 2 threads with Smile: Contagion, Psychological Horror.
This classic shares the core contagion mechanic seen in Smile, where a terrifying curse spreads from person to person, proving that some horrors are impossible to escape once triggered.
Come Closer
Sara Gran · Book · 2023
Shares a thread with Smile: Psychological horror.
Just as Dr. Rose Cotter descends into psychological disintegration in Smile, this novel masterfully blurs the line between a genuine demonic possession and the terrifying loss of one's own agency.
Psycho
Robert Bloch · Book · 1959
Shares a thread with Smile: Psychological Horror.
If the psychological unraveling of the protagonist in Smile kept you on edge, you will appreciate how this classic tracks a descent into obsession, isolation, and fractured mental states.
Series on the same thread
The Haunting of Hill House
Mike Flanagan · Series · 2018
Shares 2 threads with Smile: Trauma, Psychological Horror.
This series mirrors the way Smile uses a supernatural threat to externalize deep-seated grief and trauma, forcing a fractured family to confront the haunting memories of their past.
FROM
John Griffin · Series · 2022
Shares a thread with Smile: Supernatural Horror.
Much like the inescapable dread found in Smile, this show traps its characters in a nightmare where they must survive an encroaching, unexplained force that threatens their sanity.
13 Reasons Why
Brian Yorkey · Series · 2017
Shares 2 threads with Smile: Mental Health, Trauma.
This series echoes the somber exploration of suicide contagion found in Smile, focusing on how the traumatic echoes of a tragic death ripple through everyone left in its wake.
Smiling Friends
Michael Cusack · Series · 2020
Explores: Existentialism, Corporate Satire, Misanthropy.
While much darker, this show satirizes the same forced performative happiness that makes the central entity in Smile so deeply unsettling, highlighting the thin line between optimism and cynicism.
Podcasts on the same thread
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
Exactly Right and iHeartPodcasts · Podcast · 2026
Explores: mental health awareness, female friendship, coping mechanisms.
For those who found the clinical focus on trauma in Smile compelling, this podcast provides a community-driven space to process the darker, more unsettling aspects of the human experience.
Dr. Insanity
Podcast · 2026
Shares a thread with Smile: Supernatural Horror.
If you were drawn to the unsettling atmosphere of Smile, this collection of stories offers a similar dive into the intersection of true crime and inexplicable supernatural horror.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is Smile based on a specific traumatic event?
Smile is not based on a real event. The film follows Dr. Rose Cotter, who begins experiencing unexplainable and frightening occurrences after witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient. The story is a fictional narrative created by writer and director Parker Finn.
What happens to the protagonist in Smile?
In Smile, Dr. Rose Cotter witnesses a bizarre and traumatic incident involving a patient. Following this event, she begins to experience a series of frightening and unexplainable occurrences that disrupt her life. The film focuses on her struggle to understand and survive these manifestations.
Who directed the 2022 movie Smile?
The 2022 film Smile was written and directed by Parker Finn. It centers on the character Dr. Rose Cotter, who encounters unexplained and terrifying phenomena after a patient suffers a traumatic incident in her presence.
Is Smile a supernatural horror film?
Smile is a horror film centered on Dr. Rose Cotter, who faces unexplainable, frightening occurrences after witnessing a traumatic incident with a patient. The narrative focuses on her psychological and physical experiences as she attempts to comprehend the bizarre events unfolding around her.