Filmmaker Parker Finn returns to deliver a fun, mean, and maddeningly inventive sequel to his surprise 2022 genre hit Smile. This time, the action feels like an intravenous drip of nonstop anxiety from concentrate … but thankfully, all the macabre mayhem is grounded by a healthy dose of pitch-black humor, something the previous chapter could have benefited from. If the original Smile accessed a slower-paced dread to creep into your psyche, the sequel relishes a bold, larger-scale approach, dialing up the tension to force its audience through two hours of a synthetic panic attack.
Smile 2 wisely doesn’t waste time introducing its newly cursed protagonist, pop superstar Skye Riley (Naomi Scott). She’s preparing for a massive world tour, even though it’s clear she’s incapable of handling the pressure, having just experienced a severe interpersonal trauma. Once she becomes the next target of the grinning demon we all know and love, her sparkling fantasy of success quickly begins to unravel.
Under the influence of her gnarly new curse, Skye is forced to confront a violent secret from her past that she’s been trying to bury with substance abuse and self-harm. The dark truth of her crumbling support system, her persistent pain from a car accident, and her penchant for self-mutilation crescendo without much effort from the metaphysical creature happily gorging on her distress. Time is running out, so how is she going to make the best of it?
Part of what makes Smile 2 so enjoyable is its mean-spirited, unrelenting pace. The tension never lets up, especially in its rotten moments of quiet. The anxiety on screen is palpable, almost suffocating, and the film revels in pulling you deeper into its twisted, panic-inducing mayhem. The scares are brutal and come at you fast, but they’re also extremely creative, in a way that feels authentically inventive and fun. There’s a downright rude and gleeful nastiness to the darkness that hardcore horror fans will savor, even if it’s sparing compared to the recent massacres of Terrifier 3.
Director Parker Finn smartly leans into campy absurdity this time, giving the heaviness a helpful dollop of self-aware chaos. There’s an acceptance of how silly and base a demonic smile movie is on paper, and he now balances his horror with a surprising amount of very effective dark comedy. There’s a knowing wink behind all the carnage. An angry woman scolded the rowdy audience at my screening halfway through by shouting, “Why are you laughing? It’s a horror movie!” After a brief pause, the entire room burst into laughter at her misguided plea. The catharsis of horror and comedy are kissing cousins; it’s not something we love to admit, but it happens whenever they’re alone in a room.
And even though the mythology is slightly expanded upon, Smile 2 avoids the chore of over-explanation. This outlandish script leans heavily on the visceral impact of the scares rather than wasting time proving that it all makes sense. Because it’s a killer smile movie, it doesn’t really matter why this is happening. What matters are the terrifying punchlines that just keep coming. By redirecting the focus from self-harm to addiction, an icky aftertaste has been removed and replaced with pure, jaw-dropping excitement.
Naomi Scott elevates the sequel to new heights as Skye, giving each moment of classic horror an injection of prestige talent. It’s a performance that will go down in horror history, or at least it should. Scott is dangling over the edge and it’s impossible not to feel for her as she dives deeper and deeper into a relatable state of constant dread and panic.
While its casting is god-tier, the climax of Smile 2 is something of a missed opportunity. Without giving too much away, the final confrontation with the entity is larger, weirder, and more nightmarish than anything in the first film. However, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out how this one is going to end, even from the trailer. My only real gripe with this film is its predictability. For a release that has so much originality in its style and scares, it’s disappointing that the story can be unraveled from a mile away. But I suppose it’s not trying to surprise anyone.
Ultimately, Parker Finn has outdone himself with Smile 2 by delivering a relentless stream of anxiety that feels injected straight into your veins. I’m thankful that the gruesome chaos is balanced with a sharp dose of pitch-black humor—something the first film could have used more of. While the original Smile relied on slow-burning dread to creep into your mind, the sequel takes a bigger, bolder approach, cranking up the tension to give audiences two hours of pure, pulse-pounding panic.
Summary
‘Smile 2’ is a fun, mean, and maddeningly inventive sequel that manages to outshine the original in every way.
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