10 Exact Moments Recent Horror Movies Won Us Over

Nat King Cole argued for smiling when your heart is aching, but it's unlikely that the iconic crooner meant for the sentiment to extend to situations where a person was slicing their own neck open.

Psychological horror Smile grabs the audience's attention from the movie's opening seconds and doesn't loosen its grip for 115 minutes. The 2022 offering received rave reviews upon release, with particular praise reserved for the disturbing visuals and immersive atmosphere.

Still, audiences may have found themselves questioning just how terrifying this film was actually going to be. The macabre grins featured across promotional material leading up to Smile's release were certainly unsettling, but was this thematic base solid enough to build an entire horror film on?

After experiencing director Parker Finn's introductory sequence, that answer should be a definite yes. The scene in question introduces the viewer to protagonist Rose Cotter attempting to treat a hysterical patient in a psych ward - said patient believes she is being terrorized by a supernatural entity after witnessing her professor die by suicide.

In one of recent horror's more unforgettable openings, Rose's patient begins screaming and thrashing hysterically. Calling for help, Rose turns to see her sudden docile charge grinning at her like a Cheshire Cat, before gruesomely slitting her own throat without breaking eye contact.

Yes. Smiles can definitely be scary.