I love a movie that lies to you. Unreliable narrators are my kryptonite, and there's a subtle art to setting up all the pieces of a story just convincingly enough to lull your audience into a sense of security before taking a shotgun to their understanding of how things work.
That's why I was excited to see one of the biggest surprise horror hits of the decade, "Smile," return to Netflix this week (May 14). I watch a lot of horror movies — it's easily my favorite genre — but they can be hit or miss, especially when we're not talking about the classics. So I'm always delighted to find a new one worth gushing over.
I first saw "Smile" in theaters back in 2022 and really enjoyed how it plays with your perceptions to chill you to the bone. The scares never feel cheap, there's no big "gotcha" moment. Rather, it takes you on a haunting, slow burn of paranoia that'll leave you giving every smile you see a second glance for a bit.
So if you've been looking for your next nightmare-inducing horror watch, here's everything to know before streaming "Smile" — and why you absolutely should.
What is 'Smile' about?
"Smile" stars Sosie Bacon as Rose, a therapist at a psychiatric ward in New Jersey who finds herself entangled in a terrifying supernatural ordeal, which starts with her new patient, Laura (Caitlin Stasey).
Laura admits to seeing strange things after witnessing a professor commit suicide, but just as she starts to open up about her trauma, she has what appears to be a psychotic breakdown. She freaks out and begins screaming at some unseen force in the room, then just as quickly goes quiet, a ghoulish smile on her face, and slits her throat.
Soon after, Rose begins to experience eerie, inexplicable visions and becomes convinced that a malevolent force is stalking her. As her friends and family write off her fears as signs of a mental breakdown, her sense of reality begins to unravel. She embarks on a race against time to understand and break the transferable curse that's latched onto her before it's too late.
'Smile' is a haunting reminder that great horror movies are still being made
I'll be the first to admit "Smile" isn't a perfect horror film. Its sadistically effective premise isn't an original one, and I definitely got "It Follows" vibes as I was watching it. I also wasn't impressed with the monster design; instead of being the terrifying reveal the filmmakers intended, it had my friends and I cracking up in the theater.
But with that aside, Bacon's spiral into madness is convincing and riveting to watch. She makes you feel the horror rather than just performing it, which makes the occasional jumpscare feel earned rather than a cheap shot.
I'm usually good at spotting twists, especially in horror movies, but there were several that even I didn't see coming, each delivered with a chilling gut punch that kept me on the edge of my seat. "Smile" manages to be so thoroughly unsettling by letting its central, nauseous motif do the bulk of the heavy lifting.
It's hard to go into detail about what "Smile" does well without spoiling anything, and trust me, this is one movie you're better off going in knowing as little as possible. My biggest gripe was that the trailer gave away some moments I would have preferred to experience on my first watch, because knowing what was coming took the fun out of those scenes a bit.
You need to stream ‘Smile’ on Netflix
If you haven't seen "Smile" yet, now's the perfect time since it's streaming on Netflix, and it's one of the best horror movies I've watched in years.
This haunting psychological thriller masterfully builds paranoia, delving into the unnerving ways trauma can claw through our defenses and distort perception. For Parker Finn's directorial debut ("Smile" was based on his short film "Laura Hasn't Slept"), it was a huge commercial success, grossing $217 million on a modest $17 million budget and inspiring a similarly acclaimed sequel, "Smile 2."
I’m not the only one who enjoyed it, either. "Smile" has a solid 79% on Rotten Tomatoes from nearly 200 reviews. The site's critics consensus reads: "Deeply creepy visuals and a standout Sosie Bacon further elevate 'Smile's' unsettling exploration of trauma, adding up to the rare feature that satisfyingly expands on a short."
I somehow have still yet to see the sequel, but after rewatching the original on Netflix, it's shot to the top of my watchlist.
You can stream "Smile" on Netflix now. If you're still not feeling it, be sure to check out everything new on Netflix in May 2025.
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