Where to Watch Smile

A little Smile is all you need.

Holiday movies during this time of year are irresistible with their takes on the season whether the interpretation is traditional or twisted, but sometimes you just need a break from the holiday cheer. Here’s a guide on where to watch Smile, a psychological horror jaunt that has nothing to do with the holidays and everything to do with trauma.

After a theatrical run, Smile is now available for streaming on Paramount+.

Watch Smile on Paramount+

From a Grin to a Smile

Smile is the debut feature-film effort from writer/director Parker Finn and originated from his 11-minute short film called Laura Hasn’t Slept which took a jury award at the 2020 SXSW film festival. Much like the terror of an ever-present nightmare in that short film, Smile grabs hold and doesn’t let go. Smile is a cinematic thrill ride of psychological horror full of mind-numbing themes that are both unsettling and disturbing. If anything, the movie is a PTSD expose done through the lens of the horror genre, as if PTSD isn’t horrific enough on its own. Smile may be the first feature film from Parker Finn, but the effort has all the markings of the work of a horror film savant. Finn weaves an effective, albeit unoriginal horror plot with a creepy aesthetic and solid characters that are enough to keep you on edge. Finn may not be out to redefine the genre with Smile, but he certainly puts his stamp on it.

Once You See It, It’s Too Late

Smile is all about trauma and in particular the sense of dread that can come from being afflicted by it. The prevailing trauma in Smile is witnessing suicide and the invariably accompanying dread here is in the form of a curse that can only be seen by the afflicted. The afflicted in Smile is Dr. Rose Cotter, a psychiatrist who witnesses a traumatic incident involving a patient. Following the tragedy, Dr. Cotter starts experiencing frightening and inexplicable occurrences that envelope her life in terror and dread. An initial self-diagnosis of PTSD gives way to a realization far more terrifying as she struggles against the unseen evil and her own sanity.

Though Smile may not represent anything innovative in the horror genre, there are plenty of excellent jump-scares, unseen evil lore, and other horror tropes to terrify you, it does get into your head with haunting visuals, sound, and tight direction. This adeptly produced horror set piece is made all the more impactful by a literally committed performance by Sosie Bacon as Dr. Cotter and an equally effective supporting cast of characters who only add to the tension and dread of the movie. So much of what Dr. Cotter is struggling against is bolstered by those who cause her to question herself and the reality of what she is experiencing.

Where to Watch Smile

This debut effort from Parker Finn is a psychological horror romp that will keep you in its clutches with an unrelenting and unsettling mind game of horror. If you need a mental break from holiday shenanigans, a little Smile is all you need. Settle in on the psychiatrist couch with a healthy dose of popcorn and horror as you tune in to Paramount+ and stream Smile.

Watch Smile on Paramount+