Horror Movie Trauma Doesn’t Get More Real Than Smile

The terrifying central concept of Smile has a surprising number of real world parallels in areas you might not expect.

2022’s Smile was a Halloween box office and critical surprise hit. It’s perhaps the best example of a major studio taking elements from the kind of “elevated” horror that’s been perfected by indie studios like A24 and transferring it to a massive, wide release. Actually, now that we think about it, maybe we shouldn’t use the word “transfer” when talking about Smile considering the subject matter.

But this week’s Does it Fly? is all about the central, horrific concept behind Smile: the transference of terrifying hallucinations, antisocial, destructive, and even suicidal behaviors from person to person. And while there’s essentially an entity at the heart  of the trouble in Smile, you might be surprised at the personal and unconventional directions that this week’s discussion takes Hakeem and Tamara. Watch the latest episode of Does it Fly? right here or check it out on our YouTube page to learn more. And, as always, beware of spoilers if you haven’t already seen the film!\

SUGGESTED VIEWING 

We’re pretty sure this episode of Does it Fly? will make precisely zero sense unless you’ve seen Smile, so do start there! First-time director Parker Finn was brought back for Smile 2, which is in theaters right now.

For another horror flick that hits on a few similar points (although not as explicitly as Smile), and one that we also touch on in this episode, check out 1998’s Fallen starring Denzel Washington. It’s an underrated chapter in the beloved actor’s career and should keep you scared on an autumn night.

FURTHER READING 

Do you want to delve a little deeper into the facts, concepts, and stories Hakeem and Tamara referenced in today’s episode? Of course you do! 

A Quantum Life

Hakeem gets very personal in this week’s episode, and alludes to some difficult times in his life, many of which are detailed in his memoir, A Quantum Life: My Unlikely Journey from the Street to the Stars which he co-wrote with Joshua Horwitz. Get to know one of our hosts better!

The Smile Director Speaks!

Tamara goes deep on the ambiguity of the film’s climax, and quotes from this wonderful interview with Smile director Parker Finn, which you can read here. Spoilers, though!

Protect Yourself

There’s far too much reading on the subject of trauma to be boiled down for these notes, but here are some warning signs if you think you’re dealing with someone who has narcissistic personality disorder. Speaking of which…

“Hurt people hurt people.”

It’s tough to pin down the exact origins of this quote that does kind of sum up elements of Smile pretty well, but this article adds some excellent historical context.

“Attention grabbing”

The episode of Ezra Klein’s podcast dealing with the impact of screen time on children that Tamara mentioned can be found here.

Guilt by Association

Hakeem dives into a rather thorny issue in academia, which is explained in detail here.

WANT MORE FROM DOES IT FLY?

This isn’t our first spooky rodeo, as we recently took a look at Beetlejuice to try and scientifically prove that demonic possession is a thing!

Have you seen our awesome exclusive interview with the showrunner of Netflix’s Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft yet? Watch it here!

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