Paramount has released a new featurette for the upcoming horror flick Smile, featuring commentary from writer/director Parker Finn. Finn - who is known for his shorts Laura Hasn't Slept and The Hidebehind in the indie horror community - talks about the process of creating the film and what he hopes to accomplish for the viewer.
Excitement has been building since the original Smile trailer debuted earlier this year. Smile features Sosie Bacon (13 Reasons Why, Scream) as Dr. Rose Cotter, a psychiatrist whose patient kills herself in the office, but not before passing on a horrific affliction. After the suicide, Rose begins experiencing the same eerie smiling on the faces of those she encounters. Rose struggles to both save her own life and discover the source of the terrifying visage as it appears on the faces of those around her with more and more frequency. The Paramount film also stars Jesse T. Usher, Rob Morgan, Kal Penn, Kyle Gallner, and Caitlin Stasey.
In the new featurette, Finn discusses his desire to create an intensely psychological experience that “feels like an escalating nightmare.” The smile in the film becomes a symbol of the masks that people wear. The unidentified evil uses the mask to hide its true intentions. Finn hopes that the film fosters a growing and creeping sense of dread that is unlike anything audiences have experienced before. The featurette also features commentary by actors Penn (House, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle) and lead Sosie Bacon, who praises the unique way the camera tells the story in the film.
According to Finn, ”Nothing can prepare you for what’s going to happen” in this exciting psychological horror film. Finn's early work in short films has been met with audience excitement and critical acclaim, including a winning top Midnight Short at the 2020 SXSW Film Festival for Laura Hasn't Slept. The honor has created a lot of buzz around the upcoming Smile film, considering it is based on Laura Hasn't Slept. Smile is Finn's feature film debut.
Smile is set to premiere at the end of September, just in time for October's pre-Halloween horror blitz, and looks to be a promising mix of both the jump scares and slow, creeping dread that has made films like It Follows and Hereditary popular among horror lovers. Judging from the trailer and featurette, the film's moody atmosphere, innovative camera work, and intense performances bode well for creeping its way into the hearts and minds of horror lovers.
Smile premieres in theaters on September 30, 2022.
Source: Paramount