It’s officially spooky season as we have finally entered October, and for this month we are bringing you some reviews and suggestions on where to get your spooks from this Halloween season. Of course though the movie being reviewed will be done so entirely spoiler free and will provide insight into the content on its looks, the plot, a general review and much more. So to kick off the first Spoiler-free Spook, here’s a heavy hitter that I give a solid 9 out of 10 Spooks.

Content Warning

Smile is Rated R and contains language and violence. It is no spoiler to let you know that this movie is graphic and deals with serious issues including mental illness, self harm and suicide. If you are triggered in any way by these things it is a fair warning to let you know that this movie is riddled with very graphic depictions of murder and suicide. The movie contains no nudity and receives its R rating for the violence and language alone.

The Plot

After Dr. Rose is tasked with treating a patient in extreme distress, she witnesses something horrifying unlike anything she has ever seen and from that point on she is tasked with fighting with the evil that has set out to destroy her life through events that only seem to make the world turn away from her in her time of need. Dr. Rose must battle with life around her and her own mind to determine what is real and escape the diabolical evil plaguing her entire existence.

The Review

From the acting, to the music, the color grading and set pieces that make you feel the scene before anything even happens for the entire runtime of 1 hour and 55 minutes, the movie is incredible, and better yet, it is actually pretty scary.

If you’re looking for a movie to go out with your friends and get some great laughs from some perfectly-timed jump scares (there are a lot), this will not disappoint. Even if you are not really a fan of jump scares you may find yourself enjoying these because they are not just gimmicks.

You can truly feel the thought behind the build up of each jump scare and the movie goes out of its way to not let you know exactly when a scare is about to occur and as the viewer, I really respected the care they gave each and every moment.

My wife and I love horror films and watch them very frequently, but only a handful have actually made us want to cover our eyes during scenes and we found ourselves doing it several times during this movie. Right from the start of the movie you’re being thrown into the action and it does not stop until the credits roll.

Dr. Rose is played by Sosie Bacon and she delivers a fantastic performance in this role and the whole cast around her is generally great. I didn’t find many times where I had my focus taken away from the film because the acting fell flat and a lot of that credit can also be given to the writing which was done very well and kept the actors interacting through all of the craziness through the film and kept the ball rolling.

This was a very refreshing horror film in my opinion because for the longest time I have felt like horror films are a bit uninspired and just a studio’s attempt to make a low-budget movie that has a paranormal activity type of success. It’s a fun, horrifying,and bloody rollercoaster for nearly two hours straight and you will constantly be on edge waiting for what will happen next.

Notes

-The camera angles are right in the character’s face, continuously making you think something crazy is about to happen and makes everything that much more tense.
– The music is incredible and adds to the horror and tone of scenes as it is often powerfully delivered and feels unique to the situation.
– So many jump scares!
– Gets straight into the action.
– Shows so much into how people view others who have a mental illness and highlights the horrible comments that are made and how the people are treated because of their illnesses.
– Unique shots that add to the creativity of the film and make you admire what you’re seeing.
– Interesting transitions between shots where a few shots have you going through tunnels or doors into the next scene.
– Did not see that ending coming! WOW.

In conclusion…

Smile came out just before October began on Sept. 30 and was produced by Paramount Players Temple Hill Entertainment on a 17 million dollar budget.

Since Oct. 2, the movie has grossed $22.6 million dollars in the United States and Canada combined and $14.5 million dollars in other countries, which means the film has raised $37.1 million dollars in its first week out globally.

The movie is directed by Parker Finn who also directed the film “Laura Hasn’t Slept.”

The music was composed by Canadian score composer, Cristobal Tapia de Veer.

If this review inspired you to go see the film please let us know what you think and be sure to look out for more reviews on spooky suggestions to see for the Halloween season!