I really really wish Smile left out 99% of its jump scares

Submitted by thestrangerrd t3_10o0suf in movies

I mean of course, I think most people enjoy horror movies with less cheap jump scares (and Smile had A LOT, legit every 2 mins), but I really think Smile would have been a great movie without them.

I personally enjoyed the story of Smile. Yeah it's not the most unique, but the relationship with smiling and masking internalized trauma made a lot of sense. The demon is quite brutal as well its hallucinations and altering your perception of reality. That's genuinely terrifying. I can only imagine how effective this demon premise would've been with atmosphere-building. Not necessarily slow paced, but really hammering in how Rose is driven to madness with her visions. Plus the fear of not being able to trust her own senses, nor herself and what she'd do to the people around her.

Instead, we just get jump scare after jump scare after jump scare which really killed all the emotional tension for me. At least space them out more or something. It really could've been such a great psychological horror imo. Idk why they had to cheapen it so much.

>!P.S. I'm sorry but unrelated - I thought the demon looked like a cross between toothless Morbius and the pale naked rotting Mother from Barbarian 😭😭😭!<

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Clear_Lead t1_j6c0r7n wrote

Tired of them too, in all movies—cheap gag

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Best_Duck9118 t1_j6g3b6b wrote

Meh, they’re the only thing that makes me feel anything close to fear so horror movies without them don’t make me feel any of “scary” emotions I’m supposed to feel.

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Backabeyond77 t1_j6c79m6 wrote

Jump scares are meant to be used sporadically. Overloading a movie with them is lazy and thoughtless. And you’re right, the story isn’t really original. But using a smile to mask pain is far from a unique or new concept. It’s been used in entertainment since before anyone can remember. You’ve heard of the “Sad Clown” I assume”. That’s been used in some of the oldest movies produced, and on stage before that. If you want a modern day “sad clown”, check out Puddles Pity Party. His live shows are fantastic and fun if you ever get a chance.

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thestrangerrd OP t1_j6cnmz9 wrote

I liked the premise of them weaponizing that smile though. It's not just her smiling to mask her pain, it's formed into a "physical" being that warps her perceptions and affects her entire life, as well as the people around her. Her smile only brings forth her buried guilt/trauma and it affects her mental health, which in turn affects her relationships.

I think buried deep down it has a solid premise (albeit not fully unique), but it gets way overshadowed by the amount of jump scares. There's the people who are too scared to finish, the ones who brace for scares more than paying attention to the story, or those who are unaffected and think the scares make the movie more cheap. Without so many, I think they could've made a solid psychological horror.

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Wishart2016 t1_j6gmkb3 wrote

My favourite jump scares are the closet scene in The Ring, and the fake Batman in the Dark Knight.

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ChooseACoolName t1_j6c4t79 wrote

There was only a few jump scares....

The movie was all tension, those very few jump scares were necessary as a tension release valve.

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Diamon-Dus280 t1_j6ca0sk wrote

I liked the jumpscares on Smile but those were not few.

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HammerAndSickled t1_j6dmfmh wrote

He’s right, there’s not that many. They showed basically all of them in the trailer.

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Rezindez t1_j6c0fl7 wrote

Any movie that cuts out its jump scares is a lesser movie. Smile is much more intense and unsafe and atmospheric because the jump scares could come at any time. Each time there is a jumpscare, the atmosphere redoubles in terror and gives me physical fright and a yell. It becomes a more sophisticated psychological horror, and removing the jump scares is what would cheapen it, and make it shit.

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thestrangerrd OP t1_j6c1b6r wrote

Hmm not sure I agree that it becomes more sophisticated, but I do see and respect your opinion. This sounds more like a difference in preferences as I generally prefer more atmospheric and internal fear and you prefer more external physical frights. I'm usually a big chicken when it comes to jump scares, but I usually prefer less mainly because they make the story feel like it's on the back burner (and I'm a big horror story fan).

I thought that the Smile jump scares were kind of predictable though, no? >!I can only remember the unpredictable ones being the demon at the bday party or the patient through the car window. Although they all still got me lol even though I saw them coming.!<

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Solesky1 t1_j6c2itv wrote

I could not disagree with this more.

Jump scares take what could be actually compelling scenes/movies and turn them into haunted house rides: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=p0Vc9_f4ByA&t=2s

Saying "I like jump scares" is like saying "why would I pay for an expensive steak when a McDonalds burger will fill me up?"

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Rezindez t1_j6c34ws wrote

Steak fucking sucks. It has no flavor, it’s just the flavor of meat. McDonald’s hamburgers are legitimately better, as are all hamburgers, as are all dishes with more ingredients.

I want to feel the maximum at every second. Horror movies should have loads of atmosphere, and jump scares, and everything good in the world that’s imaginable. None of it is mutually exclusive.

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Solesky1 t1_j6c3uuj wrote

>Steak fucking sucks. McDonald’s hamburgers are legitimately better, I want to feel the maximum at every second. Horror movies should have loads of atmosphere, and jump scares, and everything good in the world that’s imaginable.

I'm not sure how Reddits feeling about Rick and Morty quotes at the moment, but

"feels like that guy had other stuff going on"

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thestrangerrd OP t1_j6cmshf wrote

I mean, you just like overstimulation. That's okay. We like different things is all.

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Technical_Drawing838 t1_j6ckizh wrote

For me, all the jump scares made Smile so scary that I couldn't even finish it. I got about 40 minutes in and then decided the movie was too scary to continue watching. I still haven't finished watching it but I will eventually.

Smile is the first horror movie I couldn't finish because it was too scary; and all of the jump scares are the reason why.

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thestrangerrd OP t1_j6cmnbq wrote

I was scared of the movie as well, but I felt like it was moreso because of the exhaustion from the physical reaction, rather than being scared. But then again, I'm also the type who enjoys a slower, deeper internal fear and growing paranoia than in-your-face screams.

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jamesneysmith t1_j6cuxsp wrote

Sp are you saying the movie should have been the same just without the jump scares? Or are you saying they should have made a different movie? If the former, the movie would have been very thin without the jump scares. This wasn't a Hereditary level script that could carry without any jump scares. Thenjump scares were part pf the sauce. But if you mean the latter, well I don't know what to tell you. 'They should have made a different movie' isn't really criticism. But I can see why you would want another Hereditary style horror movie.

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thestrangerrd OP t1_j6exm9w wrote

I don't think ALL the jump scares needed to be cut out, but far far less than every 2 minutes. I suppose cutting out most of the jump scares would basically make it a different movie anyway.

The thing is: I don't think Hereditary necessarily has that strong of a premise comparatively, nor does Midsommar, but both are heavily praised for the fear it induces without relying on jump scares. They're not really that praised for the story, moreso the atmosphere. Both could have been LITTERED with scares, but they choose not to and it sticks with the viewer much more (usually).

I think Smile's premise did have potential like those two. Midsommar didn't have much to its plot either, but it was more effective as a slow burn showing her descent into madness and eventually joining the cult. It could have been similar with Smile as well...without the cult.

This post wasn't really criticism of Smile or anything, simply a wish of "what could've been." A hallucinatory trauma demon altering your perception and driving you to insanity is a terrifying concept and without the over-reliance on scares, I think it could've been a good, if not a decent psychological horror. But maybe I'm biased since I prefer horror with deep internal fear than physical scares.

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Old_Understanding325 t1_j6cwd2r wrote

Honestly, I don't get the hype for this film. It is a typical jump scare movie that had a good idea. But the execution is horrible. I mean, there is a jump scare in almost every single scene!

It is a shame because I thought the film started off really well. But in the end it turned into something that would only impress most 16 year olds. A bit like M3gan.

So, yeah, I am a bit lost about what people like about it so much.

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[deleted] t1_j6cb8qm wrote

Why do we keep talking about this movie. It was not good I did not like jt

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BarelyLegalAlien t1_j6cj8cd wrote

It also confuses me how people would even have any expectation of Smile not having that. I didn’t even watch a trailer and it’s such a transparently by-the-numbers jump scare filled horror movie.

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thestrangerrd OP t1_j6cmx0d wrote

No I expected Smile to be FILLED with jump scares and it was. I just wish it didn't have them or at least as many as it did.

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thestrangerrd OP t1_j6cmva8 wrote

We can still talk about it even if you didn't like it. Conversely, if you see it then you don't have to click on it either

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Le_Utterly_Dire_Twat t1_j6coxbf wrote

Yeah I agree,yes the jump scares were terrifying but it gets to a point where I can't focus on the plot or the story because all I'm doing is mentally bracing myself for jump scares that could occur at any moment constantly. It's mentally exhausting and takes away from the movie.

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thestrangerrd OP t1_j6evkk0 wrote

That was my thought too. I wish it had a more seeping dreadful helpless fear than just scream here, loud noise here, pop up here. It had a good enemy concept, poor poor execution.

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chicagoredditer1 t1_j6ew5fi wrote

>Yeah I agree,yes the jump scares were terrifying but it gets to a point where I can't focus on the plot or the story because all I'm doing is mentally bracing myself for jump scares

Only the filmmakers can speak for themselves, but what you just described sounds like they'd take as a win.

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Le_Utterly_Dire_Twat t1_j6f3rdr wrote

I can see why you'd say that, but idk if its considered a win if I don't remember the plot or events cohesively, don't want to see the movie ever again and don't recommend it to anyone or give it a good rating. Whereas I saw Barbarian 3 times.

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The_Lone_Apple t1_j6cpg5e wrote

I simply don't like the way I feel when there's a jump-scare. The Armenian term for it (that my grandmother would use) translates as "my heart shattered" and that's the way I feel. In all honesty, the older I get I have anxiety thinking I'm going to have a heart attack because of a stupid movie.

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MechaMobius t1_j6cwvuj wrote

I was more annoyed at the multiple fake outs used in the movie, got pretty tiresome.

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Waste-Replacement232 t1_j6ezz7d wrote

I disagree; I think the jumpscares worked wonderfully in Smile because there was a substantive story underneath.

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[deleted] t1_j6c1gzi wrote

Even my dog hates jumpscares.

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VicTheQuestionSage t1_j6euinz wrote

Movies like Barbarian and A Quiet Place do such a great job building tension without relying on jump scares

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HEHEHO2022 t1_j6cbpxv wrote

even without the jumpcares that film is terrible. i

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thestrangerrd OP t1_j6cn14d wrote

It was a solid idea with a trauma demon messing with your senses and making you hallucinate until you're driven to madness. I enjoyed the premise. It's okay if you didn't though.

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Ftimis t1_j6cpu9e wrote

Yeah it sucked. Worst movie I saw in 2022. It's crammed so full of 2000s horror tropes it's unwatchable. Anything good in this movie is ripped out of better ones, like the general premise being It Follows but worse, and the visual style heavily "borrowing" from genuinely good directors like Ari Aster. The rest is so "generic homogenized jumpscare flick" it's painful. Trope after trope after trope. Plus even though I loathe jumpscares it'd be nice if they didn't fucking spoil the only one worth being startled by right in the fucking trailer.

A few weeks after I watched it I popped over at a gathering at a friends house and they'd started watching it like 20 minutes before I arrived. Initially I was like "oh man not this shit again" but after a while it was very affirming watching 4 different people getting more and more angry, disappointed and bored with the movie after each scene.

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thestrangerrd OP t1_j6exsi6 wrote

Which jump scare are you referring to?

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Ftimis t1_j6fmjhs wrote

The one when she's in the parked car, it's in the very end of the trailer iirc

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