GRAPHIC | Tara Espinoza
“Smile” is Parker Finn’s feature directorial debut that has spooked cinemas across the United States, grossing nearly $80 million at the time of writing this. With a budget of only, and trust me, it’s not a lot in the context of filmmaking, $17 million, you could undoubtedly call Paramount’s investment into Parker Finn a successful one.
“Smile” follows Dr. Rose Cotter, who witnesses a traumatizing incident regarding one of her patients. All her patients have crazed delusions and horrifying smiles on their faces. She must face this mysterious staggering terror as she unravels the patient’s deceptions.
If you are looking for a film that guarantees at least one scary jumpscare this Halloween season, “Smile” is the film for you. This is one of those cheap blockbusters that will have you covering your eyes at times and mocking the cheesy moments at others. If you have some spare cash and don’t have anything better to do, then certainly check out this film. But in the world of horror, this is just another movie to sweep under the rug.
Besides the never-ending series of jumpscares, this film doesn’t provide much more. The story here feels like padding to fill the space between each jumpscare, never really emotionally affecting the audience.
“Smile” simply has the flavor and quality of other horror movies filled with the same cheap thrills. Horror has seen far too many atrocious films; this lackluster experience adds to the pool.
While “Smile” tackles the approach of having the main character go mad seeking out this mysterious horror, the concept has been done considerably better in classics of the horror genre, such as “The Lighthouse,” “Midsommar,” “The Shining” and “The Evil Dead” come to mind.
Save your money. Save your time. I would encourage people to smile, but you are better off missing this one.
