Review: ‘Smile 2’ is classic popcorn horror, but it manages to do something that will surprise you

Following the first movie’s well-crafted scares, poignant performances, and box-office success, writer and director Parker Finn achieves the unthinkable with Smile 2, delivering a horror sequel that improves upon every aspect of its predecessor.

Building from the lore Finn created for Smile, the sequel follows another unfortunate woman who must unravel the mystery of a malign entity that latches onto its victims’ subconscious, eventually pushing them to suicide. If you watched the original film, you know the drill. As a psychic parasite, the creature can alter the host’s perception, making them see and hear things that are not there. That’s the perfect excuse for Finn to craft all sorts of spooky scenes, something he’s pretty good at.

By its premise alone, Smile 2 sounds derivative. Naomi Scott’s Skye Riley is a pop star, a role completely different from Sosie Bacon’s Rose Cotter, the psychiatrist from Smile. Still, the sequel is another story about a woman slowly losing the battle against trauma, which in the franchise takes a horrific shape. Indeed, Smile 2 doesn’t expand the lore in any significant way, mostly doing something similar to its predecessor when it comes to storytelling. Yet, due to a tighter script and Scott’s tour de force performance, returning to this world is a pleasure.

While the sequel deals with mental health, Smile 2 is not trying to send a message — its most significant departure from the original. That’s actually a good thing. Smile compromised its underlying thesis about the importance of self-acceptance for the sake of extra scares, revealing Finn’s preference for pure horror over subtext.

Sure, it would be great if these movies embraced their enormous potential to say something that matters. However, since Finn prefers to cater to his franchise ambitions, it’s better for everyone that Smile 2 doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not. This is classic horror, committed to offering a good time for people who like being scared in theaters and not much else. So, by relieving himself of the explicit goal of making a statement, the writer-director can instead focus on the terrifying unraveling of a mind. Ironically, by doing so, Finn delivers a more thoughtful story about the challenges of being human.

The star of the show is Skye, a pop singer launching a new tour after a full year of recovery. Skye’s drug addiction got her involved in a car accident that heavily damaged her body and claimed the life of her boyfriend, movie star Paul Hudson (Ray Nicholson). As if dealing with her many layers of trauma wasn’t enough, Skye also has the pressure of Elizabeth (Rosemarie DeWitt), her mother and agent. Elizabeth is convinced Skye needs to rush back to stage if she wants to keep her fortune, despite the singer’s obvious physical and emotional pain. In short, Skye is a full meal for an entity that feeds on broken souls.

When writing Skye, Finn tried to add multiple layers of suffering into a single character. By doing so, his metaphysical creature can play all sorts of tricks while pushing the singer to the brink of madness. There’s the guilt she carries for surviving the deadly accident, the urges an addict never gets rid of, the loneliness that comes with a life of stardom where people only put value on your fame, and the mistrust born from not being able to truly count on your family. Damaged doesn’t even begin to describe Skye. That’s what makes her such a compelling character.  But of course, Finn was lucky to find an actress capable of playing all the nuances of Skye with such intensity.

Credit where credit is due, Smile 2 is so enthralling because Scott takes space and makes the movie her own. She’s asked to do so much in two hours, and always knocks it out of the park. Skye can be strong or vulnerable, defiant or compliant, pitiable or spoiled. She’s filled with contradictions and idiosyncrasies, and it is no easy feat to bring such a character to life without ever stopping being convincing. Yet, Scott poured her heart and soul into the role to the point where she used a popcorn horror flick to deliver one of the year’s best performances. Scott is nothing short of brilliant in Smile 2, a movie that effectively scares the audience because we care about the person trapped in Finn’s latest nightmare.

The fact Skye is a pop artist also gives Finn new tools to play around with his direction. The dynamic camera of Smile is back, with Finn opting for unusual angles and unexpected framings. While sometimes that can be a bit too much and distracting, Finn’s approach to directing helps keep things interesting. In addition, Finn constantly uses mirrors to trick Skye and the public by conjuring disturbing images, or building the expectation that something might appear in a reflection. Smile 2’s penchant for visual distortions also echoes the movie’s themes. After all, Finn wants to explore how Skye lives in a symbolic house of mirrors, where images are more important than reality.

Smile 2 couldn’t be a proper movie about a pop star if it didn’t add some musical numbers filled with light, color, and dance. These scenes are incredibly well-directed, and the whole choreography team should be proud of their work. Due to these moments, Skye feels like an actual pop star, which makes it easier to be pulled into the story. Furthermore, when Finn’s time comes to transmute choreographies into a tool of fear, the talent of the dancers cast for Smile 2 helps to create some of the most unique scenes in any horror movie.

While there’s a lot to love in Smile 2, it’s also important to underline that the sequel could do with another pass through the editing bay. Its lengthy runtime of 127 minutes would benefit from some trim, mainly because it takes a while for Skye’s story to kick off. The first arc of Smile 2 feels especially slow, as the previous movie already established the rules of possession, and we didn’t need to witness such a gradual descent into darkness. 

Besides that, Smile 2 doubles down on the original’s overreliance on jump scares. There’s nothing wrong with that, as a good jump scare is also part of the horror tradition. Finn’s knack for practical effects often turns jump scares into spectacles of violence and spine-chilling makeup effects, which is a treat in itself. Still, for the sake of personal preferences, it’s better to be transparent about it.

Finally, Smile 2’s script suffers from being a tad too predictable. Smile has already instructed the audience on how far the creature can go in shaping perception and changing reality for its host. That means that for those paying attention, the movie’s ending becomes evident long before the credits roll. It’s a fun ride to follow Skye, even if we know how things will end. But it would be better if Finn had realized he couldn’t count so much on surprise and misdirection for the sequel.

While flawed, Smile 2 is an excellent addition to 2024’s Spooky Season, and the movie is bound to become a slumber party classic, just like the first one. Finn has enough loose threads to push for a threequel, which is his intention, judging by the second installment’s script. All he needs now is the box office to convince the suits. One thing is for sure, though. Finn will have a hard time finding a lead as compelling for the third chapter of his horror saga.