Finally, a horror movie New Yorkers can really stand behind. smileParamount Pictures’ latest stab at horror, exists on the premise that someone just randomly smiling at you is one of the most offensive, frightening things there is—and the studio is certainly rearing to prove its point. Fresh off a creepy Jumbotron-based marketing stunt at three different Major League Baseball games last weekend, smile has one last trailer for viewing pleasure before the film’s premiere on September 30.
Mare Of Easttown alum Sosie Bacon stars in smile as Dr. Rose Cotter, a medical professional with some questions about her own mental health. As we soon learn, Rose has some questions the DSM-5 can’t exactly answer; she’s been seeing an evil entity that manifests itself as a too-wide, Joker-esque smile.
At the onset of the trailer, Rose visits a male prison inmate who she believes might have the key to her unique problem, as he’s the only person who has seen this entity and lived. Unfortunately, once the inmate realizes Rose has seen what he’s seen, his only answers for her involve screaming violently at Rose to get away from him.
Whatever malady Rose picked up is heavy on jump scares and light on boundaries; she begins to see the smile possess everyone from patients at her workplace to an entire group of children at a party. One particular trailer jump scare (which we’ll refrain from spoiling) takes the stress of someone knocking on your car window to a new level.
Much like The Ring, One Missed Call, Truth Or Dare and so many before it, the meat of smile‘s plot exists in Rose’s race to end the curse before it catches up to her. If she’s not careful, her perpetually aghast expression (expertly rendered by Bacon) could transform into the world’s least cheer-inducing grin.
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