Smile

Directed by Parker Finn, Smile follows a therapist who begins experiencing terrifying visions after witnessing a traumatic event. As the horror escalates, the film creates an oppressive atmosphere filled with anxiety, disturbing imagery, and lingering tension. If you enjoy slow-burn psychological horror movies that stay with you long after the credits roll, Smile delivers one of the most unsettling horror experiences in recent years.

Moments later, Laura violently takes her own life in front of Rose, leaving the psychiatrist deeply shaken. After the incident, Rose begins experiencing disturbing visions, unexplained events, and terrifying smiling faces everywhere she goes. At first, she tries to rationalize what is happening, but the paranoia and emotional pressure quickly begin consuming her life.

As the terrifying experiences grow more intense, Rose realizes the entity may not just be a hallucination tied to trauma and grief. To survive, she must confront painful memories from her past before the overwhelming psychological horror completely destroys her.

What Works

Parker Finn wrote and directed Smile, the 2022 psychological horror film that quickly became one of the most talked-about horror releases of the year. Before Smile, Finn directed the short horror films The Hidebehind and Laura Hasn’t Slept. That short film later became the foundation for Smile and helped shape many of the movie’s unsettling ideas about trauma, paranoia, and emotional horror.

In interviews, Parker Finn explained that Laura Hasn’t Slept was originally meant to stand on its own. However, the disturbing atmosphere and psychological tension of the short inspired him to expand the concept into a larger supernatural horror story. Because of that, Smile feels deeply focused on emotional dread, trauma, and the terrifying fear of losing control of your own mind.

Much of Smile’s success comes from its oppressive atmosphere and slow-building psychological horror. Instead of relying only on cheap jump scares, the movie creates a constant feeling of dread that grows more intense as the story unfolds. Parker Finn uses unsettling camera angles, disturbing imagery, and emotional tension to keep viewers uncomfortable throughout the film.

Sosie Bacon also delivers a strong performance as Dr. Rose Cotter. She helps ground the supernatural horror in real emotional fear and anxiety, which makes the disturbing moments feel more believable and effective. Meanwhile, the supporting cast, including Jessie T. Usher, Kyle Gallner, Kal Penn, and Rob Morgan, helps maintain the film’s tense and emotionally exhausting atmosphere.

What Doesn’t Work

Smile works extremely well as a psychological horror movie, but some viewers may find the pacing slower than expected. The film spends a large amount of time building emotional tension and paranoia before fully escalating the horror. Because of that, viewers looking for nonstop action or constant jump scares may lose patience during certain scenes.

Some horror fans may also feel the movie relies a little too heavily on familiar trauma-horror themes that have become more common in modern psychological horror films. Even so, Smile still manages to create enough disturbing imagery and emotional dread to separate itself from many similar horror movies.

Final Thoughts

Critics and horror fans responded very positively to Smile after its release. Many praised the movie for its creepy atmosphere, disturbing imagery, and emotionally exhausting tension. Others highlighted how effectively the film handles psychological horror and trauma while still delivering genuinely frightening moments. As a result, Smile became one of the most unsettling and memorable horror movies released in recent years.

Overall, Smile succeeds because it combines psychological horror, emotional trauma, and supernatural dread into a deeply uncomfortable viewing experience that stays with viewers long after the credits roll.

Keep Exploring Horror