Unless you are one of the dozens of people looking forward to watching the fifth “Halloween” movie to claim to be the franchise finale, this October’s Hollywood horror releases are rather underwhelming. Thus, undoubtedly many horror fans, desperate to engage in the Halloween spirit, will be drawn towards “Smile” (2022), one of the few horror movies released in theaters this month. I would advise against this on the recommendation you look instead straight to streaming service movies to fulfill your desire for horror.

I wish “Smile” was worse than it is. Were it a total bore or so bad it’s funny, a recommendation would be straightforward, but it isn’t. “Smile” has redeeming qualities, not many, but enough to be conflicting and frustrating. This movie is not original or clever. Its characters are lacking both realism and likability. The vast majority of the film’s frightening moments are obnoxiously loud jump scares, and its attempts at symbolism are pathetically on the nose and simultaneously shallow. But I cannot deny entertainment value. It has a couple of genuinely scary moments that stuck with me. The gore, while given limited screen time, was high quality. Also, the last 20 minutes are a wonderfully campy and thrilling conclusion. Stupid but exciting and fun nonetheless. And thus, I am stuck at a crossroads. Does “Smile’s” entertainment value outweigh its lack of quality, making it worth watching despite its flaws? No, it does not provide a major caveat.

Streaming services were formerly blamed for the death of certain movie genres like mid-budget comedies or non-franchise action movies, as these services exist currently, they have created a space for every kind of film to be produced and distributed in ways never before seen. They created an explosion of film that made movie theaters redundant. Cinemas still have their charms and provide a specific service that cannot be matched in a living room but they are no longer the forefront of film releases. There is simply no way a movie theater can release as many or as wide a range of movies as hundreds of streaming services. 

So, while October horror releases in theaters may be lacking, the same should not be said about this month’s horror releases in general. Hulu, Amazon Prime, Netflix and Shudder are just a few of the streaming services releasing horror movies and TV shows. And an important distinction to be made about horror released on a streaming service as opposed to in a theater is they have to appeal to far less people. 

Wide-release horror movies can no longer target specific groups. They need to either be major events, like a Jordan Peele or Ari Aster movie, part of a franchise, like Halloween, or of the “Smile” archetype, which you can find examples of in a theatre near you nearly every two months. These movies are indeed entertaining, but they’re also uninspired, not memorable and not pushing any boundaries. 

I am of the strong belief that we are living in the best era for horror media. “Smile” is thus both a waste of time and a slap in the face of the dozens of incredible horror movies and shows released this year. No matter your horror preferences, there is something from the last year (probably streamable on Netflix) that you will enjoy more than “Smile”. 

Maybe seven years ago I would have recommended horror fans give this film a chance. After all, it’s an inoffensive, occasionally scary, movie that does exactly what you expect it to do. But as the state of horror stands today, as streaming services have flooded the market with the content of massively varying quality, appealing to every breed of horror fan, please don’t watch this dumb average movie written and directed to algorithmically appeal to as many people as possible.