By Keith Walther | Rose Law Group Reporter
Another horror film hits the big screen with “Smile,” but with one big difference, this film seeks to scare its audience. While current horror films mostly rely on innovation and unexpected plot twists to entertain, this movie stays true to its roots to deliver a more traditional fright fest.
Clinical psychologist Dr. Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon) experiences a traumatic event when she witnesses one of her patients commit suicide in a gruesome manner. This leads her to suffer increasingly horrific delusions over the next several days that make her closest friends and family begin to question her sanity. Even her husband, Trevor (Jessie T. Usher), becomes unhinged from her volatile behavior.
Seeking to understand what is happening to her, Rose investigates with the help of her detective friend/ex-boyfriend, Joel (Kyle Gallner). A truly troubling pattern of suicides is uncovered with one unsettling connection, their smile.
Writer/director Parker Finn uses tried and true horror genre conventions to escalate tension and fear. He incorporates a highly powerful “monster” that seems impossible to defeat, shadowy lighting to put the audience on edge, and sound/silence coupled with clever cinematography to bring about several jump scares. It’s true that Finn doesn’t really bring anything new to the table, but that’s actually the smart and safe play, seeing as this is his feature film debut and he doesn’t have a high caliber cast to bail him out.
Where Parker Finn does come up short is with the overuse of closeups (think of the moley scene from “Austin Powers in Goldmember”) and gore that distract from the suspense. A lot of aspiring horror film directors make this same mistake in thinking that excessive gore leads to more fear. However, the more experienced directors realize that keeping things less visual heightens the terror, because the imagination is always more terrifying than the actual reveal.
Headlining the cast is Sosie Bacon (yes, the daughter of Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick). She’s earned her dues in television for the past several years, acting in well-regarded series like “13 Reasons Why,” “Narcos: Mexico,” and “Mare of Easttown.” Having the lead role in a horror film is no easy task, but Bacon delivers a solid and believable performance as a psychologist who seamlessly transitions from treating severe psychosis in her patients to experiencing her own mental break.
The supporting cast was very mediocre and forgettable. Jessie T. Usher should stick to his A-Train role for “The Boys” on Amazon Prime. Kyle Gallner was also in the most recent “Scream” movie but fails to impress as the ex-boyfriend with persistent feelings. Kal Penn got lost on his way to White Castle to appear in a meaningless role in “Smile.” Unfortunately, this performance proves Kal can’t act outside of roles featuring weed and overrated burgers.
Overall, “Smile” provides the suspense and the scares with just enough of an intriguing storyline to keep audiences invested and traditional horror fans appreciative. As a comparison, it’s reminiscent of “The Happening” and “The Crazies” with a touch of “Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors.” Don’t expect it to give any more than the classic horror vibe but do expect a curiously hidden back story and open ending to generate sequels for years to come.
This movie earns:
