Parker Finn wrote and directed his 2022 horror movieSmileafter his short filmLaura Hasn’t Sleptscreened at the SXSW Film Festival in 2020. Sosie Bacon’s incredible performance as the main character Dr. Rose Cotter was immediately impressive and the movie’s marketing got horror fans excited to check it out. The story features a curse, creepy grins, a unique and unforgettable monster, and a discussion of trauma that is deeper than many horror movies.
From what the monster is to what exactly takes place in the final moments ofSmile, the movie’s ending is as fascinating and terrifying as the movie’s entire runtime. It wraps up Rose’s character arc and makes sure that no viewer will ever forget it.
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What Happens At The End Of Smile?
The ending of the2022 horror movieSmilesees Joel (Kyle Gallner) arriving at Rose’s childhood home and realizing that she is too far gone to help. Rose sees the monster, has a mental breakdown, and can’t move. She truly and fully embodies the curse by starting a fire with her own body. Joel realizes too late that Rose has given him the curse. It’s an effective ending since it doesn’t seem that Rose would be able to survive this.
InSmile, characters pass the curse on to each other when they kill themselves in front of someone else, which is much darker than most horror movies about deadly and violent curses. The ending of the film is particularly sad since it proves that as soon as Joel agrees to help Rose figure out what’s happening, he isn’t able to extract himself from her, and he will never break free. It’s amazing to think that Joel makes the seemingly small decision to be there for Rose and this is what happens.
TheSmileending proves that not only does the film have some of thescariest horror movie grins, but there’s a solid story being told as well. Rose is different from other horror movie characters as there is a reason why she is being stalked by an entity and it has to do with her difficult and upsetting past.
In aninterview with Coming Soon, writer/director Parker Finn talked about not wanting a happier conclusion. He said, “I’m not a big fan of endings that are tied up neatly with a bow. I think sometimes it can be too easy or maybe not ring as true as the rest of the film. From an early point, I knew I was interested in following this story to its worst logical conclusion.”
Finn said that Rose’s character arc had to conclude this way and that just seemed right. He said, “sometimes there’s just evil in the universe, and you can’t always stop an inevitable force of nature. To me, it felt like there was something really, really evil about doing that. I don’t know, it was always part of the story.”
What Is The Monster In Smile?
The monster inSmileis a humanoid creature who has a huge grin, many jaws, and no skin. The monster essentially eats people and then those people become part of their body. The ending ofSmileis deep and emotional, as the story has something profound and important to say about how people have trouble escaping the trauma that they have experienced.
Because Rose and her sister Holly (Gillian Zinser) lost their mother to suicide, they have been carrying that around, and theSmilemonster knows that. Thebest horror movies likeSmilefeature similar eerie creatures or terrifying monsters, but verify to feature compelling characters who have som depth to them. Rose and Holly are such great characters because they feel so real thanks to the horrible things that they have lived through. Rose and Holly’s trauma is what makes seeing theSmilemonster so shocking and scary.
Does Smile’s Ending Leave Room For A Sequel?
While there is no official announcement about a sequel forSmile, there definitely could be, especially given the ending of the horror movie. TheSmileending could lead into a sequel as there are a few possible storylines. The second movie could follow Joel, who is now carrying on the curse, and focus on how he’s dealing with the trauma that he has experienced. It could also tell a brand new story about a new character.
Finn was interviewed by The Hollywood Reporterand asked what he thought about aSmilesequel that is about Joel. He said that he would want a different story that would be unexpected. Finn said, “if there’s more to be done withSmile, I would never want to just repeat myself.”
Finn also said, I’d want to make sure that there’s a new, exciting, fresh way into it that the audience isn’t anticipating… But as far as how it may connect to the first one, if we were to do it, I’d want that to be surprising as well."
