The Disturbing Psychology of SMILE

This here is a video essay about the movie Smile (2022), one of the biggest, most successful horror movies of the year. And since the year is coming to an end, I thought it would be fun to explore the deeper meaning behind Smile.

While it's a fun and thrilling movie to watch with a crowd, Smile also has a scary deeper subtext that I analyze with this video, one that begs to be explained. Was there an even deeper meaning you noticed about the Smile demon that I missed in my analysis? Let me know in the comments below!

#smile

[jeffwalker]

I think the movie also had a point about how suicide can't be done completely alone and the trauma will always be passed on.

[ToplessTopics]

when I was a teenager, I had a friend whose father had committed suicide when he was six, then over the course of the time i knew him, his mother committed suicide as well. He'd always said he wanted to be a psychiatrist, and last I looked him up, he actually became one--an award winning one, in fact. So I can definitely see the realism in the main character of Smile doing the same.

[Jacqueline]

as someone who witnessed a violent suicide and had my life changed forever, i really appreciated this movie. it made me appreciate horror even more as a genre. i’ve always loved scary movies but didn’t fully understand the way it can be healing or validating for people who suffer silently. i loved it. i almost cried.

the only thing i would change is, i so badly wanted a happy ending. probably for selfish reasons.

[racheldotzler]

As someone who's schizoaffective, this movie really hit close to home for me and I got so lucky with my therapist because she not only helped me work through past trauma revolving PTSD and validated my feelings, but she also recognized that I needed to be evaluated on a psychiatric level for visual/auditory hallucinations and delusions, and she assured me that there is nothing to be ashamed of and that it's important to get help from professionals who can help bring you peace. The hallucinations and delusions I experienced weren't to the extent in the movie, but seeing/hearing things that aren't there in general is still a terrifying experience. Although this movie was horrifying, the part that traumatized me the most was what happened to the cat LMAO

[Maglna]

She put on the fake smile at the party, but the demon still reared its head and made everyone else upset.

[GamerMagek-kliq]

Sometimes the scariest thing that can cause our minds to break are what’s within us, created by the scars that were made by trauma and mistreatment throughout our lives.

[starscreamthecruel]

I have BPD so the dark thoughts are always just behind surface level in my mind and its all too easy to let them speak and scare people. Thing is, I've never been able to smile in a way that WASNT creepy even as a small child. I couldn't duplicate the safe, child like smile that other kids did and when I attempted to copy them, all you got was a pinched scowl(mouth closed) or a wide eyed leer(teeth showing). In the end my parents told me: unless you are laughing, just dont smile at anyone ever again. They're only going to find out faster what a freak you are. Yeah um, thanks guys, really helpful *sarsastic tone*

[mystea]

Came here from your ‘It Follows’ video. Holy cow, you’re just getting started!! Love the content, absolutely LOVE horror movie analysis essays. Let me say congrats early, you’re about to blow up! The quality of the content is superb. The essay, the background music, the humor - even the inflection in your voice is all appealing and makes these fun to watch. Looking forward to seeing future vids!

And leave the cat out of it!! 😂😂😂

[_elevenofspades]

I’m not kidding, I just found your account a couple hours ago and binged 3 full videos from you already - the “It Follows” analysis, followed by “M3gan, ” followed by this. There is such empathy in your narration, the way you analyze how each of these movies tries to present the human condition in their own way, from physical vulnerability to toxic positivity to addiction. These are horror movies that you describe with pure humanity and understanding and it’s fascinating - your “It Follows” analysis left me especially blown away, it made me appreciate the movie a lot more than I previously did. I am LOVING your content so far, and I’m definitely subscribing 🤩

[justinmohrmann]

I think the movie is also about trauma and how our trauma can be passed to the ones around us. The demon always kills their victims when one other person is watching, traumatizing them. But even if you survive the demon, you have to do so by killing someone else and traumatizing another person in the process. And the life of the man in prison was still deeply affected by the demon. Cuz he killer someone and went to prison. But he’ll also be forever haunted by the demon like we see when he realizes Rose has it. I think this theme is especially apparent when we consider Rose’s family. Rose and her sister both respond to the trauma inflicted by their mother in different ways. Her sister wants to provide a better environment for her son, but their family baggage still visits him for his birthday in the form of a dead cat in a box, gifted to him by his aunt. The scene later in the movie when the child looks out the window in horror where he sees aunt Rose freak out in the car and then drive away stuck with me. Familial sins are hard to shake.

[metafora]

my problem with the movie is that the way to remove the curse is to kill someone else, which seems to support the generalised believe that people who are mentally ill are a danger to others.

[juleswoodbury]

damn that shot of the pain assessment tool is subtle yet chilling. A real 1 (0 doesn't exist by the way) is green or yellow, green is calm relaxed linked with nature while yellow is warm. Blue is more evocative of coldness, emptiness, serenity / apathy. You smile because it's the default emotion you portray when you feel nothing. You feel 0, you are smiling, more a cramp than an expression.

[Zarastro]

I just wish the movie didn’t overdo it with the over the top demon and fake out resolution “psyche! The solution that we talked about was fake and it’s not defeated” that SOOO many horror movies have been doing. It ruins the theming.

[Deucefiggity]

Its truly about depression and suppression

[onyourleft]

A close friend has strong BPD+not even they know… watching this movie felt so analogous to how they experience the world and I think you hit the nail on the head as to why…I am also making sure they don’t watch this movie cause that ending is pretty downer especially because it nails the perniciousness of therapy and treatment failing

[RM--]

I wanna write this before watching your video because I left the movie knowing what it was about on a deeper level but also hating it and I wonder if you'll turn me around or at least shed some light on it.

The movie is very transparent with what the subtext is, mental health. I watched it during what is so far the worst part of my life so I latched onto the main character and really wanted to see her conquer her problems and get better. So when the ending happened and everything seemed okay I was super excited and prematurely started praising the film for showing her get the better of her demons, I felt like I could too. Then I saw there were another ten minutes of runtime and I started getting really mad, then I just felt defeated and wound up forgetting the entire movie.

I guess not everybody wins these battles.

Edit after having watched the video:
I went through some more things with trying to get help from those around me about a month after I had seen the movie, I think I get it now actually.

Maybe the worst part of the past six months was hearing several people say that they'd be there through whatever happened and promising to be just a phone call away, only to never hear from them, have them give up on me, and my failure to contain how I really felt leading to several outbursts and reclusive episodes culminating in being called a liar and guilt-tripper by someone who I thought would understand the most.

I understand now why the ending happened the way it did, but the strongest part of the movie lies in just how relatable it is to struggle burying emotion and being helpless as what you thought was your support system outright abandons you.

Phenomenal essay, I've seen a couple of your videos already and I'm interested in seeing more. Maybe I'll stick around long enough to see you hit the glow-up chief.

[SilvrRazorFeather]

Yes. All of this.
I can't say I've had any severe trauma, just unlucky brain chemicals that give me heightened anxiety and spirals into existential depression. And the amount of times in my life that I've wanted so badly to just. Let it all out, scream, cry, melt down, but instead force a smile for the sake of family, my job, or just the comfort of strangers, is astronomical. This movie really resonated with me, and you put it so concisely into words that I'm amazed.

[wastelanderone]

I've never seen this film and I probably never will because I've struggled to watch horror films since 2020 and I don't know if I'll ever have the stomach for a film about the maddening mental health system. Great video, can't wait to see more from you!

[etienneleroi]

This is honestly an incredibly well-constructed, tense thriller that evokes other great genre classics like The Ring and It Follows. Wonderfully acted, scored, and directed, this was another excellent addition to the 2022 horror movie catalog

[infamousizzy]

It usually takes a lot to scare me. I've watched many other horror movies but Smile was the one that stuck with me and made me paranoid for WEEKS!
I think it's cause with others it's like "I just won't go into the haunted house LOL" or "I just won't go into a dark alleyway alone" sorta thing so therefor I am safe.
But THIS thing follows you and feeds on your trauma.

I have my own trauma and have mental health problems which means this thing will completely ruin me. No running, no escape. And I can safely say it isn't as easy as "getting over it" so there's no trauma to feed but it really isn't that simple at all and the movie showed that.
So totally messed up and scary AF! With the other monsters and such at least there WAS a possible fighting chance.