Smile: Creepy New Horror Movie's Ending Explained
It might not quite be October, but the horror movie season seems to officially be kicking off as Smile lands in theaters, delivering an intense and thrilling experience that showcases some of the biggest theatrical scares of the year. Along with the more visceral reactions audiences will experience, the film also introduces viewers to a fascinating mythology behind the horrors, which brings with it some connections to real-world experiences that audiences might go through. Whether the narrative resonates with audiences as strongly as the jump scares is yet to be seen, but for those viewers left perplexed by the movie or those who want to know more about the intriguing story without subjecting themselves to the terror, we're here to break down the film's finale.
WARNING: Major spoilers below for Smile
The film opens with clinical psychiatrist Rosie (Sosie Bacon) responding to patient Laura (Caitlin Stasey) who frantically explains that she is being followed by some sort of entity with a horrendously creepy smile. Laura had previously witnessed a professor kill themselves in front of her, which is when visions of these smiling figures began to appear. After Rosie attempts to address the real issue with Laura, Laura claims the figure is in the room with her, only to succumb to her fears. When Rosie calls for help, she turns to see Laura with an eerie smile before Laura then cuts her own throat in front of Rosie.
Following the tragedy, Rosie starts to see the same figures that frightened Laura. While investigating Laura's past, Rosie learns that there has been a chain of people who have witnessed violent suicides take place in front of them. As Rosie's mental state starts to grow worse, seeing smiling figures more regularly, her former romantic partner Joel (Kyle Gallner) discovers police reports of 20 people who witnessed a suicide before they then go on to kill themselves. One individual, however, didn't kill themself but instead killed someone else, with Rosie being able to set up a meeting with the imprisoned Robert (Rob Morgan).
During this meeting, Robert claims that there is an entity that feeds on trauma and jumps from one person to another, as he has found similar instances of chains of suicide in other parts of the world. When each individual gets "cursed" after witnessing a suicide, this entity seemingly infects their mind and causes them to see things that aren't there and makes them do things outside of their control. Rosie, for example, killed her cat and wrapped it as a present for her nephew without her even realizing it. Robert, however, managed to stay alive by killing someone else while there was a witness nearby. This meant that the entity saw the trauma of the murder on the bystander's face and jumped into them, continuing the cycle of trauma and freeing Robert of the curse.
Rosie realizes that if no other person is around to witness trauma, she can confront the enemy. She drives to her childhood home where she witnessed her own mother die of a substance overdose, which included the reveal that Rosie's mother asked her to call for help during the overdose, which Rosie never did and instead allowed her mom to die. Alone in this house, Rosie confronts the visage of her mother, which represented the evil trauma-feeding presence, despite the being growing to a massive size. Rosie sets the entity on fire, allowing it to burn in her childhood home, finally putting to rest the guilt she's carried with her all her life. She then drives back to the city to let Joel know she ended the curse, only for Joel to smile, as Rosie realizes she is still at her childhood home.
Audiences see the creature appear and overpower Rosie, revealing its horrifying face before climbing inside Rosie. Joel arrives at the home too late, entering to see Rosie sporting the signature smile before she sets herself on fire. We witness this in the reflection of Joel's eyes, confirming that the curse will continue in Joel.
Whatever the future might hold for Joel is unknown, as the film cuts to black as audiences witness his shock at Rosie setting herself ablaze.
Smile is in theaters now.
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