Smile Review (2022) A Nothing To Grin About Horror Movie
Despite its title, Smile is a horror film that won't make you smile. On the other hand, Smile, Parker Finn's directorial debut, will make you cringe and maybe feel deeply depressed as you teeter on the fine line between despair and general despair... Oh, and more blood and death.
Produced by Paramount Studios before the horror film season begins in October, Smile is a film that is sure to blow your mind. It's gritty, graphic, and plays with story threads of madness and the supernatural. But when the stage lights come on and the movie starts playing, the big question remains. Warning, this review will touch upon Smile's story, which contains direct references and images of suicide, so keep that in mind before continuing.
If you are still with us and ready to plunge into the dark abyss, let's find out what Smile really means. The modern thriller has a simple and somewhat linear premise that many horror fans will surely hear in other horror films like It Follows or the cult ghost film The Ring.
Rose Kotter (Susie Bacon), an ER and trauma therapist, is a woman with a dark past. After watching his mother die in front of him at the age of 10, he spends most of his days dealing with his guilt while helping others at a local hospital. However, after meeting her new patient Laura (Caitlin Stacey), who claims to be haunted by an evil creature, Rose's life is turned upside down.
Laura committed suicide in front of Rose, who later became the target of the mysterious creature we talked about earlier. The plot is tense but predictable as it is revealed that the Doctor is now cursed by a monster that will cause him to die a week after being tortured.
On paper, the story is engaging, playing with the concepts of psychology, obsession, and monsters (all tracks are gold stars when it comes to the horror genre), and Smile manages to wow us with all the creature mind games and stunning looks. . rose life.
life itself.
Eventually, however, you can't help but feel that the smile loses its power and emerges as a tone as the film progresses. Given the monster movies I mentioned earlier, It Follows and The Ring both have a similar premise to Finn's story, but balance their heavy atmosphere by softening the protagonist with a few victories here and there, or engulfing us in unsolved mysteries. Revealed before the climax of the thriller Ghost.
On the other hand, right from the start, Smile uses its impressive sound system to create tension even during random scenes. While the film is clean, it has a predictable script, scenes where diagonal angles are overused to create suspense, and is filled with fear and strong themes, giving audiences no pause. In short, it may appear to be a singular observation and, dare I say, plunged into the emotional turmoil of suicide and self-torture, without being associated with any new ideas.
While this may sound a bit harsh, don't get me wrong, Smiles has its moments. While there are plenty of standard noise-based scary jumps and a few fake releases, there are some really scary moments in the film. There were sightings of a huge monster and goosebumps from its peak. Finn definitely has great ideas and instincts that make Smiley stand out among the fear factor of the 2022 horror scene, so he deserves credit.
Similarly, Bacon's performance as Rose is impressive as she beautifully portrays a woman in constant turmoil without exaggerating her moments of desperation or shock. With all of this in mind, Smiley manages to salvage a quirky tone and very familiar lyrics.
If you are looking for new popcorn movies that will inspire you with more jumps, then Paramount horror movies will be your pick. On the other hand, if you're used to the horror type, smiling might just be a "see and do" state.
That smile is now in the hall. For a scarier pick, here's our guide to the best zombie movies.
Smiling has its moments, but it's hard to come up with new ideas.