Rob V

Watched is over the weekend and thought it was trash. It Follows did this so much better considering it was an allegory whereas Smile was just a dumb premise that had no twist, no historical significance, no lore. And that stupid fucking cop watching his ex-girlfriend kill herself when he knew the consequences was dumber than dumb. It felt like they made this movie just so they could make cheap sequels.

Rival11

You thought It Follows was an allegory but Smile wasn't?? You didn't think it follows had some dumb points either?

I didn't like it follows the first time I saw it but now I love it and it's in my top movies of all-time list but it's not without it's faults for sure.

Out of the two though, if either was geared towards making cheap sequels it would be It Follows.

Rob V

Well, It Follows did it first and you assumed it was a clever allegory for an STD or worse. Smile is also that?

TomOpus

This is now on Prime.

Rival11

This was the best horror film of 2022 for me. Re-watched it and still like it. I like that they didn't get too crazy with the gore but still gave you some of the goods. I love the pacing as well.

L. Ron zyzzle

Finally watched this after dismissing it.
Yes it was a Ring/It Follows retread that didn't really hold up under its internal logic, and overly reliant on jump-scares, but almost all those jump-scares were really effective and well-earned. The sound design/soundtrack was fantastic, the imagery was great, and the subtext regarding the generational trauma of mental illness was effective and really disturbing. Harrowing, in my opinion, and the lead actress was fantastic.