Review: Smile

It’s that time of year again when big screens up and down the country are flooded with horror films in the lead up to the 31^st October, and this year is no different.  Halloween Ends, Unwelcome and Prey for the Devil are all recently released or set to be in the coming weeks. However, it is Smile that appears the most intriguing of this year’s horror offerings, with prominent publicity and an 18-certificate rating fuelling optimism for that rarest of things in today’s industry; an original horror film that plagues viewers with nightmares long after they have left their seats. Indeed, after notable releases in recent years including Get Out and Midsommar, expectations seem to have grown significantly, with demand for more intelligent and thought-provoking horror in contrast to the tired and well-worn concepts that plague modern horror. 

However, a mere 20 minutes is enough to realise that Smile falls into the latter category. Despite a promising opening, it soon becomes apparent that this is nothing we haven’t seen before. The story is copy and paste; there’s a sinister supernatural force on the loose intent on wreaking havoc, and only one person who can stop it. That person is Dr. Rose Cotter, a therapist who suddenly finds herself the object of the force’s attention in a nightmarish race against time to break a chain of sinister and suspicious suicides. Unfortunately for Rose, nobody seems to believe her – not the sister with whom she shares a strained relationship, nor the distant fiancé – causing her life to spiral into chaos and madness. However, with the exception of a couple of scenes, this is never particularly interesting chaos, leaving the viewer to wonder at what might have been. One insignificant but incredibly frustrating cliché that also cannot be ignored is the fact that the protagonist lives in a relative mansion, despite an early conversation in which it is revealed that her job as a therapist pays very poorly. The last scene is the final nail in the coffin. It is another example of a script writer unable to find a strong conclusion to the film, and is in truth laughable more than anything else. 
The trouble with Smile is that there’s no time given to character development, so there’s nothing to atone for the fact that we’ve seen this all before. Not even a spirited performance from Sosie Bacon in the lead role can save this film from falling into the category of B-movie failure. Whilst moderately entertaining for a couple of hours, there’s nothing of substance here, leaving viewers more likely to exit the cinema with a frown than a smile.

Featured Image Credit: The Guardian