Warning: This article contains spoilers for the film "Smile."

Incredibly, "Smile" now boasts the best second week hold ever for a horror film, dropping only 22 to win the weekend. The runaway success of "Smile" is due largely in part to a high-concept premise that manages to stick the landing during its fiery finale. Even if the jump scares don't always deliver, some of the themes surrounding trauma are compelling enough to show that there is definitely something a little deeper happening behind that scary grin. That may be one of the reasons audiences keep heading back to theaters to see the first big genre movie of the Halloween season.

"Smile" was originally inspired by Parker Finn's award-winning short film, "Laura Hasn't Slept," and the backbone of the main story is sill intact. In the short, a young, petrified woman turns to her therapist to help her get past a frightening,...