What is the horror movie ‘Smile’ based on?

Smile is a 2022 horror film about a therapist who is trailed by a sneering force that possesses her patients. The only people grinning more than Smile‘s antagonists are its producers, as the flick has grossed $137 million, an extravagant sum for horror.

Although Smile seems to have come out of nowhere to dominate the “nightmare-ket,” it is a faithful adaptation. Here’s what inspired Hollywood’s hottest horror.

What is Smile based on?

Smile comes from a short film titled, Laura Hasn’t Slept, which debuted in 2020. It stars Caitlin Stasey as a sleepless woman and Lew Temple as a therapist whom she seeks to rid her subconscious of a sinister smiling man. After it won the Special Jury Award at the South by Southwest film festival, director Parker Finn got the greenlight from Paramount to turn it into a feature. In 2021, the film was announced under the name Something’s Wrong with Rose with Sosie Bacon attached to star. It was retitled Smile and filmed with Bacon as Rose the therapist and the short film’s lead, Stasey, playing the lead patient.

Where you can watch Laura Hasn’t Slept

The short film that inspired Smile is not available on any of the standard video platforms. In fact, it seems to be absent from the internet in any legal form. We can presume that Laura Hasn’t Slept was suppressed by Paramount for Smile‘s release. Thankfully, a Redditor that appears to be Parker Finn revealed that the short will be included on the Smile Blu-ray. The 4K Blu-ray is set to be released on Dec. 13.