20 Horror Movies Nobody Expected To Be Good

While a spattering of disturbing imagery and unsettling smiling in the first trailers for writer-director Parker Finn's feature debut left a strong impression, its marketing made the film look like another generic supernatural affair. Despite initial reactions drawing parallels to The Ring and It Follows, nobody could have anticipated how great Smile actually was.

Inspired by Finn's 2020 short film Laura Hasn't Slept, the plot follows Rose (Sosie Bacon), a psychiatrist whose life is turned upside down after she witnesses a patient violently take their own life. Rose experiences strange and harrowing events throughout the following days as she becomes targeted by an always-grinning demonic entity, and it's up to her to find a way to stop herself from becoming the next victim.

Although this feature adheres to the familiar break-the-curse trope, Smile nevertheless stands out thanks to a handful of solid scares alongside a ferocious performance from Bacon. More impressively, it functions as a poignant metaphor for trauma and mental health.

The film became a mammoth hit, earning over $217 million at the box office before going on to spawn a sequel that improved on its predecessor in every way.