Anyone reading this review should take the five star rating into significant consideration because not only have I rewatched this movie 4 times to date, but I have been a horror movie fanatic since I was a small kid and have seen most likely every worth-while horror movie. This is also the only movie I have written a review for, and it has been THAT good that I just had to do it.
Let me start off by saying that while this movie didn’t crazily scare me, it has left me more scared and unnerved than any other horror movie probably because I’ve been desensitized, and that alone is enough to earn a 5/5 for me. However, this movie is much, much more than that and even without an interpretable ending, I think about it frequently. I don’t particularly enjoy the acting/casting of most characters but Rose (Sosie Bacon) is a perfect fit for the role, and I applaud her for her acting. Because the movie revolves all around her, she makes up for the shortcomings from some of the other characters.
I will also say that the producers did an outstanding job of portraying the trauma monster. They give you a great hook in the beginning and I love the retro flashy intro after Laura passed the monster onto Rose. Throughout the movie, they stay true to what caught your attention in the first place and does a perfect portrayal of Rose as an experienced therapist descending into a dark madness. Even though the movie was overall kinda predictable imo, the execution was just something that I feel like was built for me and I couldn’t have loved it more.
There’s a lot of good things to say about the movie and my few complaints about it are slight, but there was never a perfect movie. Regarding the fact that no perfect movie exists, this has to remain one of my favorite movies of all time. As an avid lover of It Follows, Smile is still my overall favorite between the two, and for that this is a must watch for any horror movie lover reading this review. You won’t regret seeing this