MovieChat Forums > Smile (2022) Discussion > One thing that really bugs me tho . . .

One thing that really bugs me tho . . .

posted 2 years ago by smidget28 (805)
26 replies | jump to latest

I did like this movie, it has some scares and it genuinely creepy.

Just when I thought maybe it was going to be psychological 100%, I realized I was wrong when she goes to the cop's apartment the last time.

All that being said, the cop KNEW the pattern, he SAW that video in the gas station when the guy is smiling and just stands still with the weapon, and he still stands there and watches her with the matches. AGGRAVATING. If he walked away right then, she may have killed herself but there would not have been a witness, therefore stopping the pattern. This kind of annoyed me, but other than that, a decent horror film.

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[–] jcnyclv (1633) 2 years ago

I totally get your gripe, however, I have a feeling they want to make a sequel and if he had
walked away without watching her kill herself, there wouldn't be a demon to make a sequel about. That's my take on it.

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[–] smidget28 (805) 2 years ago

No I agree 100% but I just don't like it.
Maybe they could have found another way to make the sequel work, but it seems he KNEW enough to warn himself off. It wasn't like he had no clue about it. Even when he's behind her and calls her name and she does not respond (I thought of Blair Witch for a minute), he should know RIGHT THEN to get the H out of Dodge.

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[–] jcnyclv (1633) 2 years ago

I didn't like it either, but then again there a lot of things in films, especially nowadays, that I don't like.

If I think about it, they could have ended this one differently and had a sequel where somehow the demon was brought back to life. It's not like it hasn't happened before in other movies.

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[–] smidget28 (805) 2 years ago

that's true. That little kid could be the catalyst.

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[–] jcnyclv (1633) 2 years ago

Or a new character in the sequel. It definitely could have been done so the movie could have ended differently.

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[–] smidget28 (805) 2 years ago

It was a decent movie tho, creepy and works.

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[–] jcnyclv (1633) 2 years ago

I agree

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[–] StinkyPoopyPants (3169) 2 years ago

Hmmmm, I might have missed something but maybe the person watching can't turn away? Like once it starts the demon prevents them from not watching so that it can carry on?

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[–] smidget28 (805) 2 years ago

I don't know, StinkyPoopyPants, that's a pretty good thought. I am not sure it's ever said, but ....could be. Otherwise, it makes no sense at all with the cop.

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[–] StinkyPoopyPants (3169) 2 years ago

I'll have to watch it again. I was yelling "stop looking fool!" Lol. I really enjoyed it. If you haven't seen it already, "Barbarian" is also decent 😊

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[–] smidget28 (805) 2 years ago

Watched it recently. Better than this but this is more horrific. The other is just sad.

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[–] StinkyPoopyPants (3169) 2 years ago

I read this in the trivia section of the IMDB page:

"A couple of days before the September 30, 2022 release, actors from the film showed up at various baseball games, sitting behind home plate dead still and smiling while staring into the camera, unmoving despite fans in the audience being understandably concerned, while wearing Smile shirts. Another soon appeared in the background with the crowd during the Today show."

That's creepy and I'm going to see if I can find any footage.

Another good watch is "The Black Phone". It's more of a psychological horror but I loved it.

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[–] smidget28 (805) 2 years ago

That's REALLY creepy. Did you find the footage?
Also, saw Black Phone. VERY good. Not over the top at all.

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[–] StinkyPoopyPants (3169) 2 years ago

Oh yeah, there are many images and videos of it. If you google "Smile movie creepy smile promo" you'll see it all.

I'd post it but there are far too many, lol.

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[–] smidget28 (805) 2 years ago

oh wow, never realized, it's actually smart.

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[–] StinkyPoopyPants (3169) 2 years ago

It's definitely a brilliant marketing ploy! Kind of like the clown sightings all over the place before the movie "It" came out a few years ago. Except they claimed not to have been behind it.

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[–] smidget28 (805) 2 years ago

He should have known not to look tho from her.

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[–] StinkyPoopyPants (3169) 2 years ago

I found a few Reddit posts where people believed the same as me, that the demon basically casts some kind of spell or mind control that forces them to watch. I mean if you think about it, it makes sense. If it can only remain alive by possessing a person causing them to kill themselves but it has to be witnessed then it would need assurance that it will be witnessed.

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[–] smidget28 (805) 2 years ago

BUT....there's a whole sequence where her BACK is to him and he's calling her to turn around. I'd be like....NOPE.

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[–] StinkyPoopyPants (3169) 2 years ago

Well now you're just nitpicking! Lol, just kidding 😍 I don't know, maybe it's a proximity thing? Like once you're involved with the person like he was, maybe that is enough?

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[–] smidget28 (805) 2 years ago

Idk, he seems to almost realize it. But you're right I'm nitpicking.

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[–] StinkyPoopyPants (3169) 2 years ago

Oh no, I was just joking about the nitpicking. He does know what will happen because she told him as well. That's why I am leaning towards the spell or curse type scenario, maybe once he figured out how the demon worked he was already doomed? The director himself was vague about it so I guess it's for us to interpret. They are talking about a sequel already which I am not sure about. Sequels are rarely good.

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[–] smidget28 (805) 2 years ago

Not sure I'll try it. I usually dislike sequels, but remakes most.
We'll see!

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[–] NigerGolden (67) 2 years ago

When Rose listens to the recording you can hear the demon whispering "Rose" so if that wasn't a hallucination while she had the headphones on I take it as a clue that the demon has some influence over the watcher before the suicide takes place.

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[–] Erting (202) 2 years ago

I really think that if she attempted to kill herself in the middle of nowhere with no witnesses, the entity would have taken possession of her before she could do it and then and forced her to go out into public and kill herself in front of someone, so I don't think the pattern was going to break one way or the other.

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[–] NigerGolden (67) 2 years ago

The idea of her taking an antipsychotic like she asks for at the beginning was an interesting angle in my opinion. I would like to have seen if the demon could overcome the sedative and antiaggression effects of such a medication or if it would have been like Freddy Krueger versus hypnocil. It also makes me think she'd have had a better chance being committed and sedated by her supervisor.

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