10 RIDICULOUS Horror Movies That Are TERRIFYING
2. Smile
The marketing for Smile admittedly did it no favours at all, focusing on the most tropey and conventional elements of its high-concept setup, enough that many assumed it'd be another Blumhouse-tier slop-fest in the vein of 2018's Truth or Dare.
The story revolves around a therapist, Rose (Sosie Bacon), who is preyed upon by a trauma demon which forces her to witness visions of those around her wearing eerily enthusiastic smiles on their faces, as part of its plan to torment her to death.
The trailers made it look resoundingly stupid, but credit to filmmaker Parker Finn, who actually crafted a surprisingly character-driven, stylish, and brilliantly acted slice of horror that made its dubious premise genuinely unnerving. Better yet, Finn managed to repeat this success with the recent Smile 2, which arguably turned out to be even better than its predecessor.
What an outcome for an initial logline that invited so little optimism from horror fans.