One of the Best Jump-Scare Movies of the Past Few Years is on Netflix This Wednesday
I actually enjoy this one more than the sequel.
Elevated by a wonderful lead performance from Sosie Bacon, Smile is one of the best popcorn & jump-scare horror movies in recent memory.
At its core, Smile is a “curse” movie along the lines of films like It Follows (2014) and The Ring (2002). Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon) is a therapist who becomes cursed after she witnesses a smiling patient commit suicide right in front of her. The curse comes in the form of an entity that attaches itself to her and torments her with disturbing visions, primarily of people smiling at her in a sinister way.
Rose also begins losing her grip on what is real, which only gets worse as the days go by. As her mind slips, Rose discovers that she is one in a chain of people who have been cursed by the same entity. Victims typically didn’t survive more than a week.
A layer of depth is added to the story of Smile by equating the curse with deep-seated trauma and guilt, but the ultimate focus of the movie is on fun and frights. Many of the jump-scares are extremely well done, and they build to a fittingly monstrous finale.
If you’ve never seen it, be sure to check out Smile when it joins Netflix on Wednesday, May 14th.
Smile also has an excellent sequel which was released last year. Smile 2 isn’t on Netflix, but you can currently watch it on Prime Video and Paramount+.
