The horror genre appears to be a popular choice for adapting short films into feature films - Lights Out, The Babadook, Oculus, When a Stranger Calls, and Terrifier are just a few examples, and now Parker Finn's Smile can be added to the list (based on his short film Laura Can't Sleep). Despite not being initially impressed by the trailers for the movie, the excellent viral marketing for Smile caught my attention and I'm happy to report that the film lived up to its promotion. While Smile may not be the most original horror movie, drawing comparisons to It Follows, Truth or Dare, and The Ring, it effectively executes the basics and shows a commendable level of restraint with its central gimmick - there have been far worse horror movies in recent years that have similar concepts but fail due to a lack of restraint (such as The Conjuring 3 and Antebellum). Smile features a solid lead performance by Sosie Bacon, unsettling imagery, well-executed jump scares, and a decent sense of mystery. It's clear that Finn aimed to make the film as grounded as possible, though the third act threatens to deviate from this, but it manages to stay on track thanks to some impressive and alarming imagery. One of the standout elements is the restraint shown in the use of smiley faces, despite the title and marketing, as it keeps the dread high when they do appear - Cristobal Tapia de Veer's haunting score also contributes to the sense of unease. In addition to being a creepy and suspenseful film, Smile also touches on themes of past trauma and grief, although these elements could have been stronger and I didn't find the movie as deep as it seemed to think it was, particularly in its depiction of mental health. However, as a pure horror movie, Smile is a welcome surprise and exceeded my initial expectations.
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El género de terror parece ser una opción popular para adaptar cortometrajes a largometrajes: Lights Out, The Babadook, Oculus, When a Stranger Calls y Terrifier son solo algunos ejemplos, y ahora Parker Finn's Smile se puede agregar a la lista ( basado en su cortometraje Laura Can't Sleep). A pesar de que inicialmente no me impresionaron los avances de la película, el excelente marketing viral de Smile me llamó la atención y me complace informar que la película estuvo a la altura de su promoción. Si bien Smile puede no ser la película de terror más original, al hacer comparaciones con It Follows, Truth or Dare y The Ring, ejecuta efectivamente los conceptos básicos y muestra un nivel encomiable de moderación con su truco central: ha habido películas de terror mucho peores en últimos años que tienen conceptos similares pero fallan por falta de moderación (como The Conjuring 3 y Antebellum). Smile presenta una sólida actuación principal de Sosie Bacon, imágenes inquietantes, sustos bien ejecutados y un sentido de misterio decente. Está claro que Finn pretendía hacer la película lo más sólida posible, aunque el tercer acto amenaza con desviarse de esto, pero se las arregla para mantenerse en el camino gracias a algunas imágenes impresionantes y alarmantes. Uno de los elementos destacados es la moderación que se muestra en el uso de caras sonrientes, a pesar del título y el marketing, ya que mantiene el temor alto cuando aparecen: la inquietante partitura de Cristóbal Tapia de Veer también contribuye a la sensación de inquietud. Además de ser una película espeluznante y llena de suspenso, Smile también toca temas de trauma y duelo pasados, aunque estos elementos podrían haber sido más fuertes y no encontré la película tan profunda como parecía pensar que era, particularmente en su descripción. de salud mental. Sin embargo, como película de terror puro, Smile es una grata sorpresa y superó mis expectativas iniciales.

As an avid horror fan, I can genuinely say that Smile unsettled me beyond belief. In many horror films of today, directors rely solely on jump scares to create this sense of shock and horror. But in Smile, Parker Finn is able to build suspense and tension throughout a scene to then crescendo into a jump scare that the audience knows is coming but are so tense that they cannot help but to release into fright.

While this movie does not break major ground in terms of plot and storytelling there is some depth that is added with mental health and the feeling of isolation during manic episodes. I felt for Rose throughout this entire film, as she used to be the one helping patients through mental crisis and now that she is having one of her own, she is met with the same doubts even though it is a genuine fear. The sense of hopelessness grows throughout the movie as hope drains from our lead actress.

Speaking of our lead actress, Sosie Bacon is fantastic in this movie. She carries every single scene she is in, which is just about every one. Her minor facial movements and eye expressions were so sad and realistic to that of someone experiencing trauma. I loved everything about her performance and will be excited to see her moving forward. The other performances were average across the board, but they didn't really have a lot to work with and filled their roles well. Jessie Usher felt a little out of place though, I feel like he did the nice and charismatic husband role well but when he had to display genuine fear and anger he overacted quite a bit.

Finally, I wanted to touch on the ending. I am not going to spoil anything for the audience, but this is exactly what I wanted throughout the entire film. I kept asking myself, are they going to do it? But second guessed myself and when the payoff happened, I left the theater with a big Smile on my face.

**Score:** _75%_ |
**Verdict:** _Good_

After witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient, Dr. Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon) starts experiencing odd occurrences that she can't explain. As an overwhelming terror begins taking over her life, Rose must confront her past in order to survive and escape her horrifying new reality.

I really enjoyed this movie; it’s well-acted, and nicely shot, and the dread and suspense maintain throughout.

Recommended.

Jebus! 😱 This is the most effective horror experience I've had since The Ring. Possibly ever. Holy. Crap. Glad there's still time to watch an animated family movie before I need to sleep. 45 years old, didn't think I could ever be this scared again from a horror movie 😂 This is sublime. I wouldn't change a single thing about it. Fire up that OLED, turn off the lights, and do yourself a favor and put on those earphones.

"Dr. Rose Cotter" (Sosie Bacon) is a dedicated clinical psychologist who witnesses the gruesome suicide of a young woman in her hospital consulting room. Traumatised, as you might expect, she gradually starts to suffer from unexpected goings on in her own life. Her relationship becomes unstable and soon she appears to have but a tenuous grasp on reality herself. What's going on? Is she doomed to a similar fate? This has something of the "Azazel" theory to it, and as the story develops director Parker Finn manages to build quite a degree of mystery and suspense. The malevolence of her haunting spirit is well captured by those working the audio - the sound effects and the score contribute well to the overall feel of this film. The acting though, well I am sorry - I found that to be a terrible let down. Initially, Bacon owned the film but after a few moments she just hadn't the weight to carry the thing in what is, essentially, a one-hander. Her support comes mainly for her ex-boyfriend/cop and all round sceptic about the whole thing "Joel" (Kyle Gallner) after her boyfriend "Trevor" (Jessie T. Usher) and her own erstwhile psychiatrist played by an indifferent Robin Weigert give up the ghost with her. Sadly, they offer little to add depth to this rather superficial horror effort. There are jump moments, but they lose their potency as this actor fails to capitalise on the tensions being created around her. Perhaps had the story spent less time on her character development, and the pace been tightened up a bit then we might have had less time to worry about that; but the style of the photography with too many lingering images merely serves to sterilise the whole thing for me. I was really disappointed, and after a while just wanted to go watch "Fallen" (1998) instead.