10 Great Horror Movies That Started Out As Short Films
5. Smile
Parker Finn's Smile was originally destined for the streaming service Paramount+, but test screenings were so positive that the studio opted to release it in theatres. And what a good decision that was.
The film made a shedload of money, ending up as 2022's highest-grossing horror, and it currently sits amongst the 50 biggest money-making horror films of all time. Its 2024 sequel, Smile 2, was also highly praised and is projected to take another significant chunk of change.
Finn's journey into the world of demons that pass on a curse through freaky smiles began in 2020, when he directed the short film Laura Hasn't Slept.
Featuring Caitlin Stasey as the title character, the film is set in a therapy session between Laura and her counsellor, Dr. Parsons (Lew Temple). Laura explains to the shrink that she keeps seeing a smiling demon in her dreams, only for the good doctor to reveal himself as the demon and that Laura is trapped in a nightmare.
Stasey was rewarded for her efforts with a role at the beginning of Smile as the first woman to kill herself as part of the curse.