Minor SPOILERS!
Writer/director Parker Finn’s Smile, released in 2022, was a surprise hit upon release. Originally intended as a streaming release, it was so good that it demanded a theatrical release instead and ended up making more than $200 million at the worldwide box office.
A sequel was inevitable, but thankfully Finn has given us a follow-up that feels both of a piece with the original and its own thing entirely, and has a bigger budget to play with and more elaborate horror sequences to delight and scare us with.
The original Smile was one of my favourite horror films of the past few years. While it could be argued it was not the most original movie ever made, with it being heavily inspired by the likes of The Ring and It Follows, Finn was able to take those influences and craft a film that felt like it tread its own ground.
The sequel picks up six days after the original ended, with a neat prologue wrapping up loose ends from the first film and setting up the premise of the sequel. The monster at the centre of this franchise is a “smile demon” whose evil essence is passed on like a parasite from person to person, and often manifests itself as an unsettling person smiling at the person who is cursed, and leads to gruesome, mayhem and gore.
The unfortunate person to be possessed in Smile 2 is troubled pop singer Skye Riley (Naomi Scott), who suffered a near life-ending car accident a year earlier and is now embarking on a comeback tour. But after an ill-fated reunion with her old friend and drug dealer Lewis (Lukas Gage), Skye finds the curse passed onto her, and her life gets increasingly bizarre, surreal and horrific as she slowly learns of the horrible fate that awaits her and tries to find any way she can to end the curse before it claims her life and she passes it onto another person.
A good horror film usually works on multiple levels, whether it be as a satire or subtext, or having a good dramatic base to hang the scares on. Scott is so good in the lead role and her character’s plight is so interesting and the writing so good that Smile 2 could have worked as a straight drama chronicling a troubled pop star dealing with trauma and attempting to return to the spotlight. The horror elements are a bonus given how good the dramatic heart of the film is.
These scenes didn’t need to be as good as they are for Smile 2 to work, but Scott’s performance is (no joke) Oscar-worthy and the complicated character she is playing is nothing short of compelling. Skye could have easily come off as unlikeable and repellent, but Scott makes us feel empathy for her, even before she becomes haunted by the demon.
It’s a tough role for any actor but Scott pulls it off brilliantly, with her fear and desperation palpable in every scene, especially as this races towards its conclusion. The running time of 128 minutes might seem excessive, but this whizzes by and is expertly paced all the way through.
The glitzy pop music world setting is effective too, with the horror playing out amidst such an alluring setting. This sits nicely alongside the likes of The Substance and The Neon Demon in juxtaposing gruesome imagery against what is normally a glamorous and attractive world. I’m unsure if there’s a name for this subgenre of film (glam-horror?), but whatever it’s called I love it.
When ranking Smile 2 against the original, this sequel does some things better, but it didn’t quite leave me with the same feeling of dread and uneasiness that the first film did. I put that down to the fact that I knew what tricks I was in for in the sequel and Finn mostly follows the same template, with occasional deviations. The visuals of this film are amazing though. Finn has only directed two films, but both of these movies look astounding and are beautifully shot, with the filmmaker always finding new and interesting ways to visualise the horror on screen.
If you liked the original though, this is just as good as that movie thanks to a brilliant central performance and some great horror sequences, with Skye’s encounter with a murderous dance troupe in her apartment being the highlight.
I can’t guarantee you’ll leave with a smile on your face given how grim this franchise is, but if you’re a horror fan, you’ll definitely leave satisfied.
TINSEL and TAP SHOES 