Smile (2022)

September 23, 2022 (US) • Horror, Mystery • 115m

Overview

After witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient, Dr. Rose Cotter starts experiencing frightening occurrences that she can't explain.

Director

Sosie Bacon

Keywords

suicide new jersey post-traumatic stress disorder (ptsd) therapist detective paranoia trauma curse hospital doctor mental illness evil self-harm demonic smile supernatural horror based on short film body horror psychological horror horror

Where to watch

Free / Included

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Top Billed Cast

Crew

Collection

Smile Collection

Smile

Smile 2

Reviews

The Movie Mob

⭐ 2/10

September 29, 2022

**Smile’s creepy trailers and clever marketing were the best parts of a movie with a meager plot drenched in uneasy sounds, and way too many jump scares.**

Smile obsesses over saturating every moment in unsettling dread. The score and sound effects make every moment uneasy and uncomfortable, and not in a good way. Smile’s premise bore many similarities to It Follows with much poorer execution. Smile stumbled from jump scare to jump scare. I st… read the rest.

Nathan

⭐ 7/10

October 14, 2022

As an avid horror fan, I can genuinely say that Smile unsettled me beyond belief. In many horror films of today, directors rely solely on jump scares to create this sense of shock and horror. But in Smile, Parker Finn is able to build suspense and tension throughout a scene to then crescendo into a jump scare that the audience knows is coming but are so tense that they cannot help but to release into fright.

While this movie does not break major ground in terms of plot and storytelling there is some depth that is added with mental health and the feeling of isolation during manic episodes. I felt for Rose throughout this entire film, as she used to be the one helping patients through mental crisis and now that she is having one of her own, she is met with the same doubts even though it is a genuine fear. The sense of hopelessness grows throughout the movie as hope drains from our lead actress.

Speaking of our lead actress, Sosie Bacon is fantastic in this movie. She carries every single scene she is in, which is just about every one. Her minor facial movements and eye expressions were so sad and realistic to that of someone experiencing trauma. I loved everything about her performance and will be excited to see her moving forward. The other performances were average across the board, but they didn't really have a lot to work with and filled their roles well. Jessie Usher felt a little out of place though, I feel like he did the nice and charismatic husband role well but when he had to display genuine fear and anger he overacted quite a bit.

Finally, I wanted to touch on the ending. I am not going to spoil anything for the audience, but this is exactly what I wanted throughout the entire film. I kept asking myself, are they going to do it? But second guessed myself and when the payoff happened, I left the theater with a big Smile on my face.

**Score:** _75%_ |
**Verdict:** _Good_

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CinemaSerf

⭐ 5/10

October 21, 2022

"Dr. Rose Cotter" (Sosie Bacon) is a dedicated clinical psychologist who witnesses the gruesome suicide of a young woman in her hospital consulting room. Traumatised, as you might expect, she gradually starts to suffer from unexpected goings on in her own life. Her relationship becomes unstable and soon she appears to have but a tenuous grasp on reality herself. What's going on? Is she doomed to a similar fate? This has something of the "Azazel" … read the rest.

Manuel São Bento

⭐ 7/10

October 26, 2022

MORE SPOILER-FREE MINI-REVIEWS @ https://www.msbreviews.com/movie-reviews/mini-reviews-2022-edition

"Smile deserves the praise it has received since its release.

Parker Finn's feature directorial debut contains haunting levels of suspense, consequently creating surprisingly effective jumpscare sequences. Sound design generates an immersive atmosphere rarely seen in horror films, but it turns out to be the moving, character-driven narrative … read the rest.

Horseface

⭐ 10/10

November 25, 2022

Jebus! 😱 This is the most effective horror experience I've had since The Ring. Possibly ever. Holy. Crap. Glad there's still time to watch an animated family movie before I need to sleep. 45 years old, didn't think I could ever be this scared again from a horror movie 😂 This is sublime. I wouldn't change a single thing about it. Fire up that OLED, turn off the lights, and do yourself a favor and put on those earphones.

JPV852

⭐ 6/10

January 9, 2023

Some creepy moments for sure and a decent performance from Sosie Bacon, this is just another supernatural-horror film that I didn't find terribly entertaining and is pretty predictable. I suppose there are worse ways to spend two hours and since it's on Paramount+, maybe it's worth the time especially if you're a fan of these sorts of films. **3.0/5**

tmdb46047577

February 3, 2023

After witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient, Dr. Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon) starts experiencing odd occurrences that she can't explain. As an overwhelming terror begins taking over her life, Rose must confront her past in order to survive and escape her horrifying new reality.

I really enjoyed this movie; it’s well-acted, and nicely shot, and the dread and suspense maintain throughout.

Recommended.

Dean

⭐ 10/10

February 6, 2023

First thing that I like about this movie is that, it's unique. It's not like a copy of another copy like we usually see these days. Story's unique. Second thing that I liked about this movie is that it's scary, it's quite scary. If you're horror fan, you should definitely watch this. I suggest you to watch it in the dark, preferably alone. Also, the actress playing the main character does outstanding job. Overall, I'm going to put this movie in m… read the rest.

r96sk

⭐ 7/10

October 18, 2024

Suitably creepy, even if it does lose effectiveness as its progresses.

2022's <em>'Smile'</em> is still, all in all, a good movie. The premise ought to bring entertainment and I'm pleased to say that it does, at least for me. I like the trajectory of how and why the thing works the way it does, the scene with Rob Morgan is particularly well done in that regard.

Sosie Bacon gives a fairly strong performance in the lead role, with Kyle Gallne… read the rest.

RalphRahal

⭐ 6/10

December 14, 2024

I liked Smile.

It’s a solid horror movie that kept me engaged, but I couldn’t help feeling like it was missing something. The premise is really strong, and it teases a deeper psychological exploration that I was excited for, but it didn’t fully deliver on that front. Sosie Bacon gave a good performance as Dr. Rose Cotter, and the film did a great job building tension and delivering scares, but the direction and script felt like they held back … read the rest.

Narate

⭐ 8/10

January 1, 2025

"_It's the worst smile I've ever seen in my life._"

I would say this was a little predictable from the middle to the end, but it's still enjoyable. The whole third act might haunt you if you are not used to disturbing scenes, but it made the movie for me. Reminds me of It Follows.

Alunauwie

⭐ 7/10

September 29, 2025

Smile presents a gripping psychological horror rooted in dread rather than jump scares, yet it falters with a weak story foundation and underdeveloped character arcs. While the visuals, sound design, and unique camerawork build suspense effectively, repetitive effects and a predictable ending slightly dull the impact. Despite strong moments from the lead actress, inconsistent performances and unresolved plot elements leave this debut feeling intr… read the rest.

Sierbahnn

⭐ 7/10

June 16, 2026

This is proficient and creepy
The tension ratches a bit unevenly, but the scares are good, the acting solid, the direction and writing lovely. It is a strange story, one I can appreciate, and it is not some run-of-the-mill thing. I think this movie gets a lot more flak than it deserves, and I think it is a good watch. It is refreshing to see novel ideas like this made into movies of this quality.