There’s something about an elongated smile that sends chills up the spine. When said Joker-ish smile is a returned gaze from a character on the screen, a stranger, we have the makings of uncanny horror. And this is what we’re getting from the trailer for Parker Finn’s forthcoming horror film “Smile.” The new trailer features plenty of creepy smiles and that hint at something deeply sinister.
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“Smile” is being adapted from a 2020 short film by Parker Finn titled “Laura Hasn’t Slept.” The film garnered critical acclaim upon release and won the SXSW Film Festival’s special jury recognition Midnight Award. “Laura Hasn’t Slept Yet” follows the eponymous Laura (Caitlin Stasey) as she seeks help from her therapist while she’s in the midst of being tortured by a recurring dream. While this film features Stasey in an as-of-yet unknown supporting role, the cast is led by Sosie Bacon, as she plays Rose, “a psychiatrist plagued by what she believes to be something supernatural.” If Bacon’s last name sounds familiar, it is because she is the daughter of Kevin Bacon, the acclaimed veteran actor, who has starred in everything from “Footloose” to “Mystic Pizza.”
Here’s the official synopsis:
After witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient, Dr. Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon) starts experiencing frightening occurrences that she can’t explain. As an overwhelming terror begins taking over her life, Rose must confront her troubling past in order to survive and escape her horrifying new reality.
“Smile” also features Jessie T. Usher, Kyle Gallner, Robin Weigert, Caitlin Stasey with Kal Penn, and Rob Morgan.
With its air of mystery, chilling promises of the uncanny and indescribable, and a release date of September 30, “Smile” seems like an appropriate release as any to initiate the countdown to Halloween.