Two years ago I kept seeing the trailer for Smile and thought it looked terrible. I thought it looked like the worst of generic horror and was reminding me of one of my least favourite movies ever Truth or Dare. I was insanely wrong, as it ended up being one of my favourite horror movies of 2022, and while I didn't need a sequel, everything about this new film has been getting me excited the past few months. Whether its the premise, the trailer, or the incredible posters, this became one of my most anticipated movies of the year and it completely delivered.
Smile 2 follows almost immediately after the events of the first film, setting us up with one of the best opening scenes I've seen in a horror movie in quite some time to show how the curse gets to our lead character. We then follow Skye Riley (Naomi Scott), a world famous pop star recovering from an accident and substance abuse who unfortunately watches someone end their life, thus passing the curse onto her. Now on top of the stress of an upcoming tour and her continued recovery, she has to worry about a smile demon/spirit/whatever it is.
I'm going to start with our lead Naomi Scott; immaculate. Scott delivers one of the best performances not just in horror this year but film in general. I loved Sosie Bacon in the first film, but Skye is such a different character and requires a much bigger performance which Scott very much brings. Being a celebrity, her character has a much more vibrant and frantic energy to her even before she starts going through the horror of the film, and as things get worse and worse her performance grows in its hysterics until Scott becomes almost terrifying. Her performance has so much genuine fear and guilt in it and she completely wowed me from start to finish.
The other star here has to be sophomore director Parker Finn. He made such a big splash with the first film and this does what the best sequels do, it takes the first and makes it bigger and better. The scale of this is huge, taking place largely in NYC and amidst a musician's lifestyle. The sets are bigger, the cast is bigger, the scares are bigger, all the while holding on to what made the first work so well. Some will write these off because they rely a lot on jump scares, but the scares here (like the first) are incredibly well crafted. With both films Finn has shown an ability to almost pull you towards the screen despite knowing something is coming, only to get you right when you think it's safe. Admittedly, I'm a very jumpy guy, but this still managed to get me far more than your average horror movie. I can also forgive the jump scares because the gore and tension are both also great, so on top of crafting great scares Finn delivers the goods in other areas I appreciate in the genre.
Stylistically I think this is a pretty clear step up from the first film, using the city and the bright lights and colours of pop music to make something constantly engaging to look at. The framing especially was something I loved as it often places characters directly in the middle of the frame which works brilliantly with Scott's frenzied facial expressions. The sound design and score are also pretty strong in racketing up the tension, and while it doesn't aid the horror parts of the film, the music for Skye is pretty damn good.
The supporting cast isn't quite as strong as the first film, but still features some strong players. Dylan Gelula is only in a bit of the movie but she gives some great comedic relief, Rosemarie Dewitt plays Skye's mom and does a good job in that overbearing manager/mom role, and Miles Guttierez-Riley is another nice supporting player. Ray Nicholson, Jack Nicholson's son, also has a small role and he kills it, very much evoking his dad's work in The Shining in the creepiest way.
I do have some nitpicks. While this and the first film really won me over, there are still the occasional moments of semi-goofy Hollywood horror, whether it be with the effects or a more basic jump scare. I did also find that some moments went on a bit too long, taking us away from the horror and lingering in a not so exciting element of Skye's tour prep. That's about it though, Finn takes everything that worked and cranks them up. The lore is slightly expanded but the concept is used here to tell a story of guilt rather than grief. Meanwhile, the film perfectly examines how this kind of immense fear and stress can build on top of everything else someone in the spotlight is forced to face, and the way Finn uses the idea of stardom/fandom within this concept leads to a really bold finale that I loved. A very strong 4/5.
DO NOT WATCH IF YOU FIND VOSS WATER TRIGGERING
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