When Smiles Turn Deadly: Unraveling the Horror of Smile (2022)

 

Release Information

Smile is a 2022 American psychological horror film written and directed by Parker Finn, in his feature-film debut. It was produced by Paramount Players in collaboration with Temple Hill Entertainment. The film runs around 115 minutes. The main cast includes Sosie Bacon as Dr. Rose Cotter, with supporting roles from Jessie T. Usher, Kyle Gallner, Caitlin Stasey, Kal Penn and others. Smile premiered on 30 September 2022 in the United States; international release dates including Indonesia.

Synopsis (Spoiler Light)

Smile follows Dr. Rose Cotter, a psychiatrist whose life is shaken when she witnesses a disturbing suicide by one of her patients, who kills herself while wearing a sinister, unnatural smile. After the incident, Rose begins to experience eerie and disturbing phenomena: she sees unsettling smiles on people around her, suffers hallucinations, and becomes convinced that a malevolent force is manipulating reality. As the horror tightens around her, Rose struggles to maintain her sanity and unravel the mystery behind the curse, even as those around her doubt her. 

Personal Analysis and Impressions

Many critics and horror fans praised Smile for its ability to build a persistent atmosphere of dread. The lead performance by Sosie Bacon is often highlighted as a strong anchor — her portrayal of a unraveling, terrified psychiatrist gives emotional weight to the horror. The film uses visual and auditory cues effectively — unsettling imagery, abrupt shifts between calm and shock, and sound design that keeps the viewer on edge. For many viewers, Smile succeeds when approached as a psychological horror: not necessarily for a deeply original story, but for its capacity to provoke real fear, discomfort, and a lingering sense of unease. 

At the same time, some reviews note that Smile’s concept — a curse triggered by witnessing traumatic death — draws heavily on classic horror tropes and familiar narrative beats. The pacing may feel uneven: the film builds tension effectively at times, but at other moments seems to rely on repeated jump scares and horror clichés rather than deeper development. Overall, if you appreciate horror that doesn’t over-explain and prefers dread over clarity, Smile delivers an unsettling experience.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths

• Sosie Bacon gives a compelling performance as Rose Cotter, grounding the horror in realism and emotional distress.

• The film builds strong atmospheric tension: visuals, sound design, and editing combine to deliver effective scares and lingering unease. 

• The horror leans on psychological terror and supernatural dread rather than gore — making it more unsettling than shock-driven. 

• The central concept — a curse linked to traumatic witnessing and a horrifying smile — offers a chilling metaphor for trauma and its hidden consequences.

Weaknesses

• The storyline can feel derivative, borrowing familiar horror motifs from predecessors. 

• Pacing is uneven: while tension builds in parts, other scenes feel padded — the runtime sometimes drags. 

• Heavy reliance on jump scares may feel predictable or formulaic, especially for viewers familiar with horror tropes. 

• The film does not always offer clarity or deep exploration of its supernatural rules — leaving some plot threads ambiguous or underdeveloped.

Who Should Watch the Movie

• Fans of psychological horror and supernatural thrillers that emphasize atmosphere, dread, and slow-burn terror over gore.

• Viewers who appreciate horror films that play with trauma, mental instability, and uneasy ambiguity rather than clear-cut scares.

• Those who enjoy performance-driven horror, where the protagonist’s emotional journey anchors the scares.

• Audiences willing to accept a film built around genre tropes if they are handled effectively — including jump scares and unsettling visuals.

If you dislike horror that leaves questions unanswered or relies on some horror clichés, Smile may feel frustrating.

Conclusion

Smile (2022) is an effective modern horror film that mixes psychological trauma, supernatural curse, and horror visuals to deliver a truly unsettling experience. Its strengths lie in strong lead acting, atmosphere, and the way it exploits fear of the uncanny. At the same time, its reliance on familiar horror tropes, sometimes uneven pacing, and occasional predictability prevent it from being a horror masterpiece. Based on aggregated critics and audience responses — including its 79% approval rating on one aggregator and generally favorable reviews overall — a fair final score would be 7 / 10. For those open to a horror that creeps under your skin rather than slashes it with gore, Smile is worth watching.