Horror film ‘Smile’ will send you over the edge

It’s Halloween month and time for the annual horror season at the movies. Tymon Smith spoke to director Parker Finn about his debut, Smile, a creepy story about a grimace that drives all who see it to madness and self-destruction.

What was the inspiration for the film?  Was it a specific image, an idea, a theme, a character, a situation?

A combination of all those things. I’m often chasing a feeling. In this case I was interested in investigating the stuff we carry around inside ourselves; trauma, grief, depression — and the way we mask these things from the rest of the world. As far as the smile motif goes, inherently we use them to hide our true feelings; we use them as mask. I wanted to take that and turn it into something creepy.

What kind of horror films are your favourites? Were there any in particular that guided your approach to making Smile?

I'm drawn to horror films that work as character dramas. The best horror sets out to explore the human condition; what it is to be a person walking around in this world and how scary that can be. I love Japanese horror — Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Cure was on my brain while I was making this film — the nightmarish atmosphere and the investigative angle. But I was also thinking about films like Rosemary’s Baby and the gaslighting and the disbelief that the character experiences. I was also inspired by the film Safe, directed by Todd Haynes, that places the viewer in the character’s anxiety. It gets you in a vice grip and won't let go.

Did the events and psychological effects of the pandemic influence the themes of the film?

I developed and wrote the film during the early days of the pandemic and we were in production during the pandemic. Everybody was feeling emotions like isolation and fear of the unknown. That crept in, as well as a feeling of transmission, which was on everyone’s brain. It wormed its way into the story too.

Is going to horror movies in groups central to the experience and the effectiveness of this genre?

Absolutely. The reason I wanted to make movies is because of that theatrical experience: big screen, big sound and being surrounded by other audience members. That's the best way to experience a film. Smile plays into that — in a room where everyone is screaming at the same time or squirming in their seats. There’s nothing better than that.

• 'Smile' is on circuit.