A Creepy, Franchise Starting 2022 Horror Blockbuster Is Headed to Hulu (But There’s a Catch)

Horror is a popular film genre so it’s no surprise that, every year, there are many new horror movies that make their way to both the big and small screens. Sequels, reboots, and even original films all find a way to thrill and chill audiences. Every so often, though, one of those films stands out as not just truly good but it’s enough to kick off a fresh franchise, ensuring scares for quite some time to come and one of those films is now streaming on Hulu, but there’s a little bit of a catch.

Arriving on Hulu February 16th, Smile was one of the best horror films of 2022. Written and directed by Parker Finn, the film follows Dr. Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon), a therapist having a session with patient Laura Weaver (Caitlin Stasey) when things take a strange, dark turn as the patient slits her own throat all while smiling a truly terrifying and creepy smile. After, Rose has increasingly disturbing visions and starts to think she’s being hunted by something supernatural. The film is a follow-up to Finn’s short film Laura Hasn’t Slept (which stars Stasey) but it’s the success of Smile that kicked off a franchise with Smile 2 following in 2024 and a third film currently in development.

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Both Smile and Smile 2 Were Huge Hits — But You Can’t Watch Them on the Same Platform

Smile was a huge success when it was released. Not only did the film receive positive responses from critics who praised the film not only for its performances but also for how the story explored trauma and mental health and successfully expanded on its source material — in this case, the short film it was a follow up to, but it was a massive box office hit as well. The film grossed over $217 million on a budget of just $17 million and the creepy film proved it wasn’t just a one-off, either. Smile 2 also fared well with critics and did well at the box office, fully ensuring a franchise future. However, fans wanting to watch both films will have a little bit of a challenge in doing so.

While Smile is now streaming on Hulu, Smile 2 is not. You’ll want to check other platforms for Smile 2, namely Paramount+, though it would also be available to rent or purchase through Amazon Prime Video and others. The good thing is that you don’t need to watch Smile 2 to fully appreciate Smile (and one can generally argue that you can watch Smile 2 without watching Smile first, but the experience of the sequel is greatly improved by watching the original film first.) And, if you’re a horror fan who hasn’t yet seen Smile, it’s definitely a film worth checking out.

Part of what makes Smile interesting as both a horror film and simply as a movie in general is its approach to the characters. While Smile definitely has many of the hallmarks you’d expect in a horror movie (there’s plenty of blood and scares to go around), the characters are thoughtful and well-considered. In particular, the film uses unexplored and unhealed trauma in a way that advances the story but isn’t cliche. There are layers to the story that make it much more engaging and thoughtful than one might expect. It also allows for the concept of the supernatural Entity to remain fresh even as it passes from victim to victim, which opens the doors for future films in the franchise to be equally as thoughtful without simply copy-pasting the original.

Smile is now streaming on Hulu.

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