Smile 2

About to embark on a world tour, global pop sensation Skye Riley begins experiencing increasingly terrifying and inexplicable events. Overwhelmed by the escalating horrors and the pressures of fame, Skye is forced to face her past in Smile 2.

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Introduction

The first installment was okay, though I thought it wasn’t that good to have a sequel to be honest. Its a very good Final Destination-ish kind of flick with more mystery behind the cause. Smile 2 is directed by Parker Finn.

“About to embark on a new world tour, global pop sensation Skye Riley begins to experience increasingly terrifying and inexplicable events. Overwhelmed by the escalating horrors and pressures of fame, she must face her dark past to regain control of her life before it spirals out of control.”

Characters

It was surprising to see Naomi Scott cast in a horror movie and I thought she showed class and surpassed those who doubted her. Her wide eyed gazes kept me engaged and glued to the screen. Her screams and horrified look really added that oomph to the horror genre. I also love how she acted as an insane person, having delusions and seeing things only she could whilst talking to herself. The slow turning of her head when she knows there’s something fcked up behind her was perfect, a mix of dread and impending doom.
After seeing her in Charlie’s Angels and Disney’s Aladdin live action, I never thought I’d see her acting in a horror movie.

Other cast members were phenomenal as well, specially those that were k1lled and cursed.

Music

Aside from the obvious concert world tour they were doing, the eerie scenes wherein everyone knows someone is smiling somewhere was beautifully done. While they did incorporate loud sharp sounds to emphasize jump scare scenes, it didn’t feel like they relied too much on it, which I thought reflected how well the movie was made.

The Concept

Essentially, the curse gets passed on when someone whose “possessed” by the demon k1lls themselves in front of the next victim, that victim will be traumatized and the demon will feed off of that, ultimately leading to the victim ending their lives as well, and the cycle continues.

I just couldn’t put a finger on it but I swear I’ve watched something similiar before. Anyway, regardless if I have, the concept was great and very effective, specially in modern horror.

The Entity

Smile 2 is one of the few movies that the reveal of the demon heightened the fear and made a lasting impact with its viewers. The design of it was unique and made me feel like watching classic practical effects horrors such as “The Thing (1982)” and “The Evil Dead (1981)”.

It’s skinless face and deep round eyes, with a smile from ear to ear with countless teeth top and bottom, the lower jaw however is followed by a number of lower jaws, a horrific and awesome design.
Its size is larger than the creature of “Antlers (2021)“, I think its a bit larger than a Ford Expedition, with thin arms and legs and walks on all fours.

What I didn’t like

I mean, I get that her character is rockstar or whatever but those concert scenes took way too long, I was waiting for something to happen but nothing did. It felt like a platform for Naomi Scott to further her music career.

(SPOILER)
In the latter part of the movie, where Scott was at home and a number of “possessed” fans was at her door, and they started dancing or something, its felt like a stop-dance game. No doubt it was creepy, but at the same time, it looked silly.

Conclusion

For modern horror, Smile 2 was a cut above the rest. While the first “Smile” didn’t get a better reception, it was great to see that people gave the sequel a chance and it received great reviews. Practical effects was represented very well here and I’m all for it. Highly recommended.