Smile
The brief
Parker Finn's feature debut builds genuine dread through an insidious premise that gets under your skin and stays there, following Sosie Bacon's psychiatrist as smiling faces become increasingly sinister. The film earns its scares through sustained psychological tension rather than cheap jump scares, though it definitely has those too when you least expect them. Bacon anchors the escalating paranoia with a performance that makes you feel her grip on reality slipping in real time. Perfect for fans of The Ring or Sinister who want their horror with actual psychological weight behind the supernatural nonsense.
The verdict
If you crave psychological horror that builds genuine dread through sustained tension and don't mind a nearly two-hour runtime, this is a genuinely scary entry that gets under your skin. If you're squeamish about disturbing imagery or prefer your horror quick and punchy, the extended paranoia and sinister smiling faces will likely feel like an endurance test.
Watch with
- 👥 Horror fans who appreciate slow-burn scares
- ⚠️ Skip if you're sensitive to psychological horror
Heads up
- Frequent jump scares throughout (frequent)
- Self-harm and suicide themes (moderate)
- Disturbing medical/psychiatric imagery (moderate)
- Graphic violence in climactic scenes (moderate)
Credits
- Director
- Parker Finn
- Cast
- Sosie Bacon, Kyle Gallner, Jessie T. Usher, Robin Weigert, Caitlin Stasey, Kal Penn, Rob Morgan
Official synopsis
After witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient, Dr. Rose Cotter starts experiencing frightening
The Double
Make a night of it
Pair this with Perfect Blue (1998)
Both explore psychological deterioration through disturbing identity distortion and paranoia.
Total runtime: 1h 55m + 1h 22m = 3h 17m
