Coming off the back of being the surprise hit of 2022, does Smile justify the box office dollars?
Resoundly yes!
While made for a fairly nominal budget ($17 million), Smile feels like a high-budget affair, with some slick cinematography and genuinely great scares.
We follow Dr. Rose Cotter, who after a traumatic incident at her surgery, where a patient commits suicide, becomes haunted by an entity which feeds off the fear of its victims.
All of its victims to date have been found with a massive grin on their faces, sometimes a ‘joker’ smile, but can Rose find out its origins and stop it before it gets her too?
My main comparison for Smile, was It Follows, as the villain of the piece can be mostly anyone from time to time, with the true horror being this virus being passed on.
Its at times gruesome and will have you wincing, but on the flipside we have a very layered performance from Sosie Bacon (daughter of Kevin) as Rose, who is vulnerable, tough but likeable in the face of what feels like impossible odds.
She is ably backed up by Kyle Gallner, her former love interest who is now investigating these mysterious smiley deaths. Gallner himself is carving out quite the niche within the genre in recent years, having also been part of Scream 2022 and the excellent The Cleansing Hour.
Believe the hype, Smile is fun, scary and gripping and given its huge success, don’t be surprised if a sequel isn’t already in the works.
Smile is available now all home entertainment platforms.
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