Paramounthas released a new featurette for the upcoming horror flickSmile, featuring commentary from writer/director Parker Finn. Finn - who is known for his shortsLaura Hasn’t SleptandThe Hidebehindin 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 sincethe originalSmiletrailerdebuted earlier this year.Smilefeatures 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. TheParamountfilm also stars Jesse T. Usher, Rob Morgan, Kal Penn, Kyle Gallner, and Caitlin Stasey.
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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 excitingpsychological 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 forLaura Hasn’t Slept.The honor has created a lot of buzz around the upcomingSmilefilm, considering it is based onLaura Hasn’t Slept.Smileis Finn’s feature film debut.
Smileis 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 madefilms likeIt FollowsandHereditarypopular 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.
