A smile, features usually form a pleased, kind or amused expression. But sometimes a smile is more sinister. Audiences are given proof of such a smile, in the new horror movie, Smile. 

The movie follows therapist  Dr. Rose Cotter, who is very dedicated to her patients in a psych ward. Soon after witnessing one of her patients commit a brutal act right in front of her, Cotter is traumatized. Post traumatic event hallucinations are what she believes is happening, but they become more severe, soon leading her to take actions that she does not even remember doing, and Cotter notices a disturbing pattern in witnesses just like her to suicides.

The movie has been given lots of attention. Users posted videos on TiK Tok of people’s reactions before and after watching the movie, and most were “traumatized.”. Many posts included people crying, shocked, or extremely creeped out.

 On the other hand, some have said that it was not scary at all. In a matter of a week, this horror movie has already attained a reputation as one of the scariest movies ever. 

Smile lived up to this recognition, with jump scares that had me spilling my popcorn in the theater. Going into the movie, based on the trailers, I really didn’t know what it was abou, which made it ten times scarier due to not knowing what was going to happen, or who was going to be scaring me. 

Most horror movies do not manage to shake me, but this one definitely left me with shivers as I left the theater. The physiological aspect really seemed to freak audiences out. Most scary movies include monsters or ghosts haunting them, but what terrifies me is the fact that the movie forced Cotter to question if she was the monster without knowing what’s even happening to her as she tries to convince those around her that she is not losing her mind. 

The movie has a plot that is easy to follow and left me questioning what was going to happen next. The unexpected scares led me to jump even when it was only a loud noise of a house alarm, or the characters simply just closing their door. 

 It was exciting to watch and left me and my friends giggling out of fear after being scared during the movie. Although I believed the ending was a bit cliche, Smile is definitely worth the watch to get an adrenaline rush and a smile full of terror.