Here's When You Can Watch Smile At Home
There's a fine line between a grin being an expression of happiness or something more sinister, and the recent horror flick "Smile" manages to achieve the latter. In early fall 2022, promotion began for the feature-length adaptation of director Parker Finn's short film "Laura Hasn't Slept." As if the trailer depicting individuals with creepy, overly-large smiles wasn't bad enough, eerily-cheesing promoters began popping up in stands at baseball games (via Fox 5).
These initiatives achieved the goal of garnering much anticipation for the movie, which has raked in $209,977,000 worldwide at the box office (via Box Office Mojo) since its release on September 30. Starring Sosie Bacon as therapist Rose Cotter, "Smile" begins with the mental health professional witnessing the self-demise of Laura Weaver (Caitlin Stasey), who brutally ends her life while grinning. Soon after, there are freaky smiles wherever Rose turns, forcing her to investigate and get to the bottom of this horrifying situation.
Many recent horror releases have been available simultaneously in theaters and digitally, such as "Halloween Ends" and "Orphan: First Kill." As for "Smile," this was one of the rare exceptions since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic that was not instantly watchable on a streaming platform. Rather, anyone who wanted to see it had to do so the old-fashioned way: in a theater full of scared strangers while inhaling the buttery scent of popcorn.
However, those who missed out on its theatrical release will soon be able to witness the struggles of Rose Cotter from the comfort of home.
Smile is heading to Paramount+
On November 15, "Smile" will be available for viewing on Paramount+ and Digital, according to an official announcement on the streaming platform's social media. A number of followers expressed their excitement, including @samorips5, who tweeted, "Can't wait to watch this movie again."
Those who want to watch "Smile" but aren't interested in a Paramount+ subscription can get their hands on a physical copy of the film starting December 13. As reported by Fangoria, options will include DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K UHD. The latter two will have special exclusive features, including commentary by director Parker Finn, deleted scenes, a making-of video, and the short that started it all, "Laura Hasn't Slept."
For Finn, this is an exciting way for viewers to see both of his projects back-to-back and understand how they relate to each other. In an interview with Bloody Disgusting, he said, "I look at them more as spiritual siblings rather than a direct adaptation. I wanted to take some of the DNA from the short, thread it into the feature and then add little Easter eggs."
Overall, Finn's feature-length psychological thriller went over well with audiences and received a "Certified Fresh" badge on Rotten Tomatoes. Joe Lipsett, of the Horror Queers Podcast, wrote, "A very solid horror film with mass appeal, Smile combines great jump scares with a formula perfected by The Ring and It Follows." However, this reviewer was "iffy on the mental health stuff."
A quick search on TikTok for "Smile movie review mental health" will show that many weren't prepared for the trauma-heavy plotline of the movie and felt triggered by some moments. Many users urged potential viewers of the film to keep this in mind before hitting play.
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 988 or by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255).