Smile is a horror film written and directed by Parker Finn. Sosie Bacon stars alongside a cast that includes Jessie T. Usher, Kyle Gallner, Caitlin Stacy, Kal Penn, and Rob Morgan.
Bacon plays an idealistic psychiatrist who witnesses a patient commit the most bizarre suicide she has ever encountered. She then begins to see people appearing in her house and in crowds with these strange, fixed smiles that resemble the one her patient wore when she sliced her own throat. Dr. Cotter begins to worry that she is losing her mind, but she discovers a strange thread of these deaths that followed these spooky smiles.
This latest addition to the horror film genre has some good points, but the conclusion is a bit of a stumbling mess. There were some moments that were effectively chilling. Bacon is a competent actress. The escalating moments of terror were well paced. A curse that is marked by the smile of strangers is an interesting idea, but I hope this doesn’t turn into a franchise.
Smile has a promising premise and some elements that work well enough. Some of the dialogue falls flat. Jessie T. Usher plays the fiancée who tries to be understanding. There was not much chemistry between them, but I suspect it had more to do with the writing.
The film is just uneven throughout. It’s not completely dreadful, but it seems rather forgettable in spite of a somewhat original concept. Par for the course when it comes to horror films in recent years.
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