‘Smile’
Halloween is firmly in the rearview mirror, but for some of us, spooky szn never really ends. Smile was the surprise horror hit of Halloween 2022, even beating out the “final” battle between Michael Myers and Laurie Strode in both box office and buzz. The film follows an It Follows-type trajectory wherein an otherworldly entity starts stalking certain individuals who come in contact with it, ultimately driving the victims to commit suicide WHILE they’re smiling super creepy smiles. It’s a harrowing movie, filled with very memorable images and a few big jump scares, but ultimately resonates because it plays into some subconscious fears we’ve all picked up over the last few years of being masked. Pair it with Barbarian for a double feature of 2022’s best horror movies.