#SMILEMOVIE 😊😃 mini review:

When it comes to demon possession horror films, familiarity and typical genre tropes are almost to be expected. In the case of first time director Parker Finn’s Smile, those familiar horror elements are utilized in unique and deeply unsettling ways that effectively got under my skin on more than one occasion. We’ve seen many horror films where people or entities stare in a creepy manner, but in this movie, the moments where characters stare with a sinister smile at the protagonist Rose are extremely unnerving and turn something as simple as a grin into a sinister tool to create uneasiness. When it comes to the lead character, Sosie Bacon does a great job as Rose, a therapist who witnesses a traumatic episode with her newest patient, and since then begins encountering terrifying supernatural visions. As the film progresses and she gets more unstable, Sosie Bacon really sold me on being the character in a horror film that is seeing demonic spirits yet almost no one believes her. The lighting during the “smile” sequences is super haunting and the eerie sound design matched with superb camerawork makes for some of the most frightening jump scares I’ve experienced in recent times. The movie is about 20 minutes too long and would’ve benefited from tighter pacing. Overall, while Smile may be a tad too long and can’t escape its undeniable similarities to other spirit possessing horror flicks, it overcomes these flaws with a compelling enough story, solid performances, fittingly tipsy camerawork, a slew of “scared the shit out of me” moments, and a stirring ending that absolutely sticks the landing.