Best movies like Happy Face Murders
Last updated March 2024
Looking for movies similar to Happy Face Murders? Share your insights to navigate others find tv series and films you've viewed already that might suit them too. Aid in growing the cohort of people putting forward videos to one another. We welcome your contribution!
Plot Summary:
An eccentric older woman (Ann-Margret) implicates her brutal & controlling lover in the murder of a young retarded girl. Absorbed with "Murder She Wrote" and "Matlock", she creates details of the murder from clues she picks up from the detectives (Marg Helgenberger, Henry Thomas) on the case. Implicating herself and sentenced to jail, she then recants her testimony. But no one believes her until clues surface from the real killer that he is still out there, has killed before, and will kill again. He signs his messages with Happy Faces.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 392
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags:
Best tv shows and movies like Happy Face Murders (1999):
Similar in 84%
Speck (2002)
Plot Summary:
Gruesome true story of murderer Richard Speck who killed eight nursing students in one night in Chicago during the late sixties. The story also follows him to his prison fate and uncovers more of his strange behavoir before his death.
IMDB Rating: 3.6
IMDB Votes: 271
Genere: Crime, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 79 min
Plot tags: suspense
Similar in 76%
Unnatural & Accidental (2006)
Plot Summary:
Unnatural & Accidental is the feature length dramatic film adaptation of the stage play entitled, The Unnatural and Accidental Women by renowned Metis playwright Marie Clements and is based loosely around the "unnatural and accidental" downing deaths of native women living on skid row. Rebecca has returned home to be with her dying father. His last wish is that she track down her mother, an aborig.
IMDB Rating: 4.6
IMDB Votes: 269
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: Canada
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 87%
The Rapist (1994)
Plot Summary:
A serial rapist is loose in the Hong Kong suburb of Tuen Mun. Based on the true story of Lam Kwok-wai, who raped and murdered women in the early 90s.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 127
Genere: Crime, Horror
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: grindhouse, poliziottesco
Similar in 81%
Sametoví vrazi (2005)
Plot Summary:
A thriller loosely based on one of the most violent Czech criminal cases of the nineties, popularly known as the Orlík murders. The film delves into the motivation behind the killings, exposing their exceptional cruelty and an absolute absence of moral values. The perpetrators executed four people on their way to achieving material gain. Two of the bodies were found at the bottom of Orlík reservoir, the third perished in a bomb blast, and the forth was shot at home.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 289
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: Czech Republic
Duration: 137 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 87%
The Swinging Barmaids (1975)
Plot Summary:
A cop goes after a psycho who is killing cocktail waitresses.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 306
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: slasher, grindhouse, cult classic, psychotronic, independent film, cult film
Similar in 85%
The Versace Murder (1998)
Plot Summary:
This docu-drama focuses on the true story of the murder of fashion designer Gianni Versace by alleged serial killer Andrew Cunanan.
IMDB Rating: 3.4
IMDB Votes: 301
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: independent film
Similar in 77%
3 Acts of Murder (2009)
Plot Summary:
In 1928 Arthur Upfield, Australia’s premier crime writer, plotted the perfect murder for his novel The Sands of Windee. Meanwhile, one of his friends, stockman Snowy Rowles, put the scheme into deadly effect, even before the book was published. This true story resulted in one of Australia’s most sensational murder trials of the 1930’s and catapulted Upfield’s name onto the world stage.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 147
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: Australia
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: detective
Similar in 79%
If Looks Could Kill (1996)
Plot Summary:
The true story of John Hawkins as featured on America's Most Wanted.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 299
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 80 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 90%
April Showers (2009)
Plot Summary:
A look inside a tragedy through the eyes of a survivor. Based on actual events, April Showers is about picking up the pieces in the direct aftermath of school violence.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: sincere, serious, captivating, realistic, gloomy, independent film
Similar in 90%
Death of a Soldier (1986)
Plot Summary:
Based on a true story, James Coburn portrays a military lawyer assigned to defend a confessed psychotic killer. Set in the context of WWII and the uneasy US-Australian military alliance. The accused killer claims to have killed 3 women in order to possess their voices. Despite the defense lawyer's concerns that the killer is not fit to stand trial, the US military presses forward with the case and its desire to have the killer executed in order to strengthen the shaky alliance.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 266
Genere: Crime, Drama, War
Country: Australia
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, suspenseful, disturbing, independent film
Similar in 89%
A Killer Among Friends (1992)
Plot Summary:
The film tells why a girl was killed by two of her best friends.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: unusual plot structure, suspense, enigmatic, suspenseful, neo noir, slasher, teen
Similar in 90%
Overkill: The Aileen Wuornos Story (1992)
Plot Summary:
This film is based on the true story of Aileen Wuornos a prostitute-turned-serial killer who preyed mostly on truck drivers.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 235
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 82%
Twisted Desire (1996)
Plot Summary:
A teenage girl convinces a young, love-struck ex-con that the only way they can be together is to do away with her domineering parents.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: ridiculous
Similar in 76%
Karla (2006)
Plot Summary:
Based on real events, Canada's most notorious serial killers, Paul Bernardo and wife Karla Homolka kidnap, sexually abuse, and murder three young girls.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: psychological, rough, realistic, suspenseful, disturbing, erotic, psychological thriller, sexy, suspense, controversial
Similar in 86%
Honor Thy Father and Mother: The True Story of the Menendez Murders (1994)
Plot Summary:
TV movie based on the novel "Blood Brothers," about the murder of Jose Menéndez and his wife Kitty by their sons, Erik and Lyle.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 165
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 79%
Murder: By Reason of Insanity (1985)
Plot Summary:
A crime drama dircted by Anthony Page.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 149
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 88%
Roberto Succo (2001)
Plot Summary:
'Kurt' claims to be a sales rep. He also claims to be English in spite of his heavy Italian accent. Kurt is an habitual liar and a dangerous driver, at the very least. In the south of France he meets Léa, age 16. Between his increasingly strange dates with Léa, Kurt engages in a number of armed robberies, some successful, some not... The police are perplexed by a series of crimes including disappearances and a murder. They conclude that they are dealing with a madman... After he proposes, Léa breaks up with Kurt. The attempt to find a new girlfriend leads to a shooting by Kurt, now calling himself André. Léa's information identifies Kurt/André as Roberto Succo, psychiatric patient and parental murderer. The police hunt for Roberto covers three countries.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama
Country: France, Switzerland
Duration: 124 min
Plot tags: rough, melancholic, suspenseful, captivating
Similar in 84%
At Close Range (1986)
Plot Summary:
Based upon the true story of Bruce Johnston Sr., his son, and his brothers; together, they constituted one of suburban Philadelphia's most notorious crime families during the 1970's. Their criminal activities ranged from burglary, theft... and ultimately, murder.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 17000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: neo noir, disturbing, tense, bleak, realistic, entertaining, cynical, crime drama, independent film, rough
Similar in 87%
A Murderous Affair: The Carolyn Warmus Story (1992)
Plot Summary:
A married man meets a beautiful woman and they begin an affair.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 373
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 86%
Jack (2015)
Plot Summary:
Delving deep into the soul of one of Austria’s most infamous real-life convicts, Jack is a fascinating, unprejudiced look at the path to redemption and the obstacles that bar the way.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 147
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: Austria
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, unusual plot structure, suspense, suspenseful, contemplative
Similar in 88%
Judgment Day: The John List Story (1993)
Plot Summary:
The pious John List regularly goes to church and is respected by his neighbours. But one day the police finds his wife Helen and their three children slayed in their house - obviously by John, who left two letters for the police and his priest and disappeared. Chief Richland is disgusted by the murder and starts an intensive investigation. In flashbacks we learn about the history of the disaster.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 250
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 88%
This Is Personal: The Hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper (2000)
Plot Summary:
This is a dramatisation of the real-life investigation into the notorious Yorkshire Ripper murders of the late 1970s, showing the effect that it had on the health and career of Assistant Chief Constable George Oldfield who led the enquiry.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 418
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: psychological, exciting, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 77%
Black Widow Murders: The Blanche Taylor Moore Story (1993)
Plot Summary:
Elizabeth Montgomery plays serial killer, churchgoer, and grandmother Blanch Taylor Moore in this, one of her last films before her untimely passing. Childhood memories of her womanizing and abusive father fill Moore with a hidden rage towards all men. Her former boyfriend, first husband and father all died of arsenic poisoning. Now her fiancé, the town's minister, is stricken the same way. Based on the true crime book Preacher's Girl: The Life and Crimes of Blanche Taylor Moore, the film is buoyed by Montgomery's startling performance, and keeps you on the edge of your seat until its final moments.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 309
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 81%
The Todd Killings (1971)
Plot Summary:
Based on the true story of '60s thrill-killer Charles Schmidt ("The Pied Piper of Tucson"), Skipper Todd (Robert F. Lyons) is a charismatic 23-year old who charms his way into the lives of high school kids in a small California town. Girls find him attractive and are only too willing to accompany him to a nearby desert area to be his "girl for the night." Not all of them return, however. Featuring Richard Thomas as his loyal hanger-on and a colorful assortment of familiar actors in vivid character roles including Barbara Bel Geddes, Gloria Grahame, Edward Asner, Fay Spain, James Broderick and Michael Conrad.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 404
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: slasher, splatter, independent film
Similar in 82%
Manhunt: Search for the Night Stalker (1989)
Plot Summary:
Based on the true story of Richard "The Night Stalker" Ramirez who terrorized California in 1985 and the two Los Angeles police detectives who try to track him down.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 475
Genere: Crime, Drama, History, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 75%
Freeway Killer (2010)
Plot Summary:
For years he terrorized California motorists as he rode the endless highways searching for his next victim. The discarded bodies turned up beaten, sexually assaulted and horribly mutilated. Deceptively charming and intelligent, the scheming murderer easily avoided police at first. But as police closed in and the killer’s pattern grew more erratic, the only question was how many more will die?.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, suspenseful, scary, mind bending, realistic
Similar in 80%
Unabomber: The True Story (1996)
Plot Summary:
The real story behind the hunt for Theodore J. Kaczynski, later known as the Unabomber, a terrorist who sent several bombs through the mail, alarming authorities and society. The movie follows a postal inspector who tracks down the suspect; a obstinate detective; and Kaczynski's brother, who suspected of Ted after the publishing of his manifesto explaining the reasons for the bombings.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 495
Genere: Crime, Drama, History, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 79%
Murder One (1988)
Plot Summary:
This crime drama is based on the true story of Billy Isaacs. Freshly escaped from prison, Isaac is picked up by his brothers, and the entire dysfunctional brood embarks on a crime spree that takes them through a dozen states, claiming the lives of six innocent people.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 359
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 82 min
Plot tags: rough, bleak, serious, realistic, disturbing, gloomy
Similar in 76%
The Case of the Hillside Stranglers (1989)
Plot Summary:
The true chilling story of the "two of a kind", killing cousins Angelo Buono and Kenneth Bianchi, better known as the Hillside Stranglers, is told in this TV drama.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 754
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: tense, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 83%
Murder in the Heartland (1993)
Plot Summary:
A wanna-be tough guy and his 14-year-old girlfriend go on a murder spree.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 661
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 157 min
Plot tags: