lila

The movie Smile is an insult to all things horror. Yes, the film incorporates many of the traditional horror concepts, but that's not to say they execute them right. The movie relies on jumpscares to actually scare the viewer and even then, they are minimal and played out for way too long. The trailer practically revealed them all, taking away the element of surprise which is vital for jumpscares. Plus, the techniques used to make the viewer feel "uneasy" was completely misused. For example, the upside-down camera shot (which is basically copied from Midsommar) the movie CONTINUES to abuse is completely ineffective. The point of that technique is to FOLLOW the focus point, not to pan away, making the use of it pointless and boring for the viewer. Furthermore, while inspiration is vital to create a movie, this film practically copies other movies without crediting them. It's storyline is a carbon copy of Hereditary, even replicating scenes from the movie (fire to 'kill' the demon, surprised face, etc.). The movie is way too long and literally pointless. I had predicted every the entire storyline and was constantly pointing out what the movie actually should've done. The concept was interesting but the execution was not. Considering the year, this did not succeed as a horror film and would only scare 5 year olds who happened to accidentally stumble across the film. It is a complete waste of time and even if you do watch it, you won't be scared but rather frustrated at the poor quality of the film.