Netflix has just added one of the scariest movies of the decade

It has a sequel coming out in October, so now is a perfect time to catch up with the film.

Written and directed by Parker Finn, based off an earlier short he made, the film revolves around a doctor named Rose (a brilliant Sosie Bacon, Mare of Easttown) who witnesses a bizarre and traumatic incident involving one of her patients.

Not long after this, the doctor starts being stalked by a malevolent entity that makes it appear as if everyone around her is smiling unnaturally.

And those who saw the 2022 movie will know that this is only the beginning of the horrors the evil force has in store for its victims.

Co-starring in the movie alongside Bacon is Caitlin Stasey (Tomorrow, When the War Began), Jessie T. Usher (The Boys), Judy Reyes (Scrubs), Kal Penn (the Harold & Kumar films), Kyle Gallner (American Sniper), Rob Morgan (Don’t Look Up) and Robin Weigert (Deadwood).

A hit with both critics and audiences – we here at JOE called it “properly scary”, particularly in its “startling” final act – Smile was quickly greenlit for a sequel.

The follow-up - which dropped a first trailer recently - will be released on 18 October this year and see both Finn and Gallner returning.

And now that the original is on Netflix, what better time is there to catch up with the 2022 horror ahead of its sequel's release?

You can read a sample of some of the glowing reviews Smile garnered right here:

Digital Trends: "Turn up your nose, if you must, at the lowly cheap sting of a jump scare. Smile gives that maligned device a workout for the ages. It rattles with aplomb."

Empire: "Though it may be derivative, Smile still manages to be a scary, unsettling ride that’s powered by an impressively committed Sosie Bacon performance and some assured direction. Finn is one to watch."

The Guardian: "The movie is a shard of comic and cosmic spite, and the image of the malign smile carries force."

The New York Times: "A relentlessly somber, precision-tooled picture whose frights only reinforce the wit of its premise, Smile turns our most recognisable sign of pleasure into a terrifying rictus of pain."

Observer (UK): "The combination of a committed central performance from the increasingly gaunt and haunted Bacon, and a jarring, tortured score, makes for an enjoyably nasty brush with the smiling face of evil."

Smile is streaming on Netflix in the UK and Ireland right now.

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