How scary is ‘Smile?’

Smile was the surprise hit horror from last year that grew a reputation for its solid direction and viral marketing campaign leading up to it, such as people spotted at baseball games hired by Paramount sporting an unbroken creepy grin directed at the cameras. However, is it really that scary, or is it just overblown hype?

Such a question is subjective, of course. However, being a fan of horror movies and someone who personally reviewed Smile last year, I believe I can give you a ballpark estimate for what to expect. On an intellectual level, Smile relies on a lot of tropes, making it less titillating than something like Get Out or The Witch. However, I wouldn’t entirely count it out as a fairly entertaining flick to get you in the mood for the spooky season. Entertaining is one thing, but scary is another. So does this film deliver?

First of all, we must define how we are rating how scary something is. For my purpose, I will use a scale of 1-5, as per the list below:

1. Not scary at all
2. A little bit scary
3. Very scary
4. “I’m about to poop my pants in fright”
5. “Not only do I need new trousers, I need a therapist”

Will I need a new pair of pants after watching Smile?

Smile centers on a therapist character named Rose, played by Sosie Bacon, who becomes the subject of some kind of curse or supernatural entity of sorts. It’s not really fully explained what this monster is. However, after she inadvertently witnesses the horrific suicide of a patient, Rose begins to see frightening images everywhere she goes. Most notably, she sees people in her life — from complete strangers to close family members — who take on a devilish and insidious smile with unbroken eye contact. It’s a simple yet effective premise, bolstered by scenes that are well-executed behind the camera and some fine performances.

In my view, the considerably jolting and high number of jump scares, horrifically violent imagery, surreal monstrosities, and chilling theme of the contagious nature of mental illness and suicide earns Smile a scariness score of 4 – “I’m about to poop my pants in fright.” What this means is that Smile is not quite the scariest movie ever made (The Exorcist is definitely a 5 by comparison), but it is scary enough that the fainter-hearted among us might just give out a yelp while watching it like I did.