Since its first teaser trailer popped up in theaters ahead of legendary sequel Top Gun: Maverick, Smile has been haunting audiences. The horror movie has made waves since it began promoting, from jump-scaring fans across social media to manifesting at major league baseball games and national television. So, what is it about this movie that has people declaring it "unsettling," "unnerving," and "disturbing?" In an interview with Bloody Disgusting, Smile's writer and director Parker Finn spoke on the production's special effects that made the film's imagery so deeply sinister.
Based off of his own 2020 short film Laura Hasn't Slept, Finn wanted to expand on the critically acclaimed short when "...something about the idea kept nagging at [him]." Focusing the film's plot on Sosie Bacon's character Rose Cotter, Finn sees Smile and Laura Hasn't Slept "...more as spiritual siblings rather than a direct adaptation." Through the original character Laura's (Caitlin Stasey) psychiatrist, we explore the origins of this bizarre happening as it spreads through its victims like a terrifying disease.
What sets Smile apart from so many of the recently-released and upcoming fright flicks this season is the haunting imagery it plasters across the web. It's Stasey's face, smiling grimly, that catches the eye in a way that makes us feel like we probably shouldn't look too long at it. It's that Uncanny Valley phenomenon, where there's something just a little off about the grin that makes our stomachs churn uneasily. Finn says, "There is a visual motif clearly of the smile throughout the film, but I didn’t want anything to become stale. I wanted to constantly keep people sort off-kilter, not knowing where the next scary thing would come from." In order to deliver those eye-catching scares, the director enlisted the help of two horror movie legends, Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff Jr, saying:
"I grew up on their work. They built the Alien Queen in Aliens with Stan Winston. I love practical effects. As a kid, I was so fascinated with them. It drew me to horror films and why I wanted to become a filmmaker. I knew very early on that I wanted to use practical effects in the film and told the studio that. They’re like, ‘are you sure, that makes it way more difficult.’ But it’s so worth it. I think the juice is definitely worth the squeeze on that."
Opting for the use of practical effects, Finn sought the help of StudioADI (Starship Troopers) and Aliens alums, Gillis and Woodruff Jr to bring his vision to life. After a Zoom meeting, where Finn confessed the two played a huge hand in his childhood and the inspiration to make movies, the artists were all in. The trailer doesn't give too much away as far as SFX, leaving most of the horrors to our imaginations. It's in the heart-stopping final seconds of the clip, when a woman approaches a car and her twisted neck and smiling head drop down, that we feel the uniquely cruel and spot-on decision to utilize practical effects.
In addition to Stasey and Bacon, the film's cast includes Kyle Gallner, The Boys' Jessie T. Usher, Kal Penn, Robin Weigert and Judy Reyes. Robert Salerno (I'm Thinking of Ending Things) executive produces, with Marty Bowen, Wyck Goddfrey and Isaac Klausner serving as the film's producers.
Check out the legendary SFX team's gruesome efforts in Smile, hitting theaters September 30. You can watch Collider's interview with the film's stars Bacon, Usher and Gallner below: