'Smile' Movie Review: An Unsettling Horror Film That Fails To Realise Its True Potential
Express News Service
Horror, as a genre, has been in an interesting place recently. Horror films want to do more than scare the camera to create a fear-inducing rush of adrenaline and dopamine. If the recently published The Barbarian was so good, Smile was able to replicate it with some success.
Drawing on the tradition of many of the genre's cult classics, Smiley is the story of one person, in our case psychiatrist Rose Cotter (the amazing Susie Bacon), who must deal with increasingly unsettling and terrifying supernatural encounters that may be happening to her and her alone. Face.. She just needs to get to the bottom of it and not just "break the chain", but convince her fiancé, her family and everyone around her that she's still sane.
Based on the 2020 short film Laura Never Sleeps, Smiling Parker Fenn follows Rose's traumatic childhood, including the death of her mother. Finn carefully tweaks the plot with input from the audience and Rose, who knows that Finn wants to be buried under the sands of time in the present and his own past.
The plot itself is similar to many cult classics such as The Ring, The Following and Hereditary, but that doesn't stop Smiley from being disturbing in his own twisted and unexpected ways. In many ways, the film reflects how mental health is viewed in today's society and helps viewers understand its importance. Although Finn doesn't quite jump to the surface, he's the film's best performer and adds to the tension in some scenes.
Actor Kevin Bacon is fun to watch in horror/thrillers and has classic horror films like Friday the 13th, Tremor and The Hollow Man under his belt. His daughter, actress Susie Bacon, does a great job of showing that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. As the film progresses, Rose's condition deteriorates, both physically and mentally, Bacon attempts to portray a character who must go through a traumatic experience as his character prepares to face another downfall.
A Smile is one of those rare recordings that gives you chills but leaves you wanting more. The film slows down, especially in the second half, and often wanders of its own accord at the expense of what it did in the first place - horror. Otherwise, the film offers much less and includes a half-hearted attempt to shake off the stigma associated with mental health and untreated illness. Smiley has some scary moments that make us jump out of our seats and walk away with that satisfying "you got me" smile on our faces...but we recorded more than just Smiley.
Movie: Laughter
Cast: Susie Bacon, Jesse T. Asher, Kyle Gallner, Robin Wiegert, Kal Penn
Director: Parker Finn
Rating: 2.5/5 stars
(This story originally appeared in Cinema Express)
