A genuine smile can brighten your day. But you probably won’t see any of those life-affirming grins in Smile, an upcoming horror film from writer and director Parker Finn. Not even a dental hygienist could take pride in these twisted portents of doom. And as Finn explains in a new video featurette for the movie, the entity behind this curse uses smiles as a way to mask its intentions. Although given the clearly malevolent intent behind those expressions, it’s hard to argue that it’s an effective mask. It’s more like a non-verbal threat.
The video also introduces Sosie Bacon as the film’s lead character, Dr. Rose Cotter. She’s a therapist who treats a woman who is suffering from the delusion that something evil is out to get her. And it’s something that only she can see as a wicked smile in other people before it strikes. Soon enough, Rose learns that her now deceased patient may not have been crazy after all. Or perhaps her madness is simply infectious.
Because this is a horror story, we can reasonably assume that Rose has been cursed by some demonic entity. But to everyone else in Rose’s life, it looks like she has suffered a psychotic break. That ultimately endangers Rose because she has no one that she can truly turn to. No one believes her claims, and that’s why she may lose her life to this threat.
The Boys‘ Jessie T. Usher co-stars in the film as Rose’s friend, Trevor. Kal Penn also appears as Dr. Morgan Desai, with Kyle Gallner as Joel, Caitlin Stasey as Laura, and Nick Arapoglou as Greg. The rest of the supporting cast includes Rob Morgan, Judy Reyes, Gillian Zinser, Kevin Keppy, Sara Kapner, and Jack Sochet.
Smile will be released only in theaters on September 30.
