Joe Gregory

Firstly, I’d like to say that after reading some reviews, I found it necessary to write my own and disclose that some people are giving “Smile” poor ratings because they think it should come with a trigger warning for suicide and mental health, or it may make someone relapse if they are in a bad headspace, etc. I’ll get into the themes in a bit, because there are some very upsetting and disturbing elements that you don’t see a lot of in mainstream horror, but I think that rating it poorly because of that is incredibly unfair, as the film has an R rating, and that is the only the trigger warning required. We all know that R-rated movies often have very serious thematic elements to them, which is why children aren’t allowed to see them until 17. Imagine “Requiem for a Dream” being PG or even PG-13? But anyway, this is one of the best horror movies I’ve seen in a long time. Violence was effective, jump scares were effective and tasteful, the overall tone of the movie was so incredibly nefarious, you’re almost uncomfortable the entire time. I know some reviews say the ending could have been stronger, and I agree with that, but I still think it left me feeling uneasy, which is exactly how you should feel after seeing a horror movie! While I don’t think it requires a trigger warning, this movie does have serious themes involving trauma, suicide and overall mental health issues. There are moments that are difficult to watch or even understand entirely, but that’s what made it so good to me. The audience’s “reality”, or POV, was entirely distorted, begging the question “Is this real? Is it another hallucination?” That in and of itself isn’t exactly new (i.e. Oculus), but the way it was done was really impressive. I was also surprised to see that the runtime was almost 2 hours, because the pacing of this movie was very good. Every scene leaves you wanting more, and you won’t even realize how much time has passed. I’ve never heard of this director before, but I’m excited to see what he does in the future. Also, shoutout to the actors, special effects / makeup artists, and the whole rest of the crew for really selling the “distorted reality and losing sanity” look and feel of the movie. Overall, if you like horror movies that aren’t filled with tropes, have a bit of originality, and will leave you a bit shaken-up and unnerved, this one is for you, and you will not be disappointed! 4.5/5 :)