Smile 2 Ups The Gore, Lore, & Scares In Terrifying Sequel

Smile 2 exceeds all expectations as it ups the ante in terms of gore, lore, and scares. If you thought the first film was terrifying, just wait.

Smile is a deeply unsettling film that stuck with me for a very long time. I felt uneasy whenever someone smiled at me for a solid month after watching, so naturally I was excited to revisit that feeling with Smile 2. Since the original is one of my favorite horror films, I was worried that the sequel would not live up to my expectations. However, it exceeded them.

Smily 2 raises the bar and ups the ante on just about every level. There is more gore, more lore, and more scares. This movie is absolutely terrifying, but also so much fun.

This time around the smile demon is haunting a pop star named Skye Riley (Naomi Scott). She has gone through a lot of traumatic events, which it loves to feed on. As we saw in the previous film, the person who is infected starts to lose their grip on reality as they are stalked day in and day out by smiling figures. This makes getting ready for a world tour a lot more difficult, as you can imagine.

The opening sequence welcomes back Kyle Gallner as Joel, who was last seen at the end of the first film. While I do not want to give too much away, we all know he was infected with the entity. To say that Gallner absolutely crushes it and delivers a perfect start to Smile 2 would be an understatement. He is our new “scream king” after Strange Darling, and I cannot wait to see him continue to thrive.

Horror sequels can be difficult to set apart from the original movie. The concepts have to be the same, because of the nature of the beast. Writer-director Parker Finn does a wonderful job evolving the story and bringing more to the table this time around. Smile 2 is not a repetitive and derivative version of the first film, far from it. Of course, there are some similarities – there has to be – but it is so much more.

The first and third acts of Smile 2, in particular, are extremely different from the first film. The second act has some similar exposition, but because audiences already know how the demon is passed from person to person, there is not a lot of time spent on it (which is very much appreciated).

Naomi Scott is the perfect choice to play Skye Riley. She is incredible in the role and is never afraid to push boundaries. Because she is playing a pop star, she has to perform on top of her acting performance. There is complicated dance choreography throughout the film, as well as times that she has to sing. And she knocks every single aspect out of the park.

In Smile, viewers saw Rose (Sosie Bacon) start to unravel mentally. This infection takes its toll and loves to toy with its victims. It unpacks deep-rooted trauma and throws it right back into the face of the person it has latched onto. The same goes for Skye Riley in Smile 2. The audience will find itself wondering what is real and what is not right alongside Skye, just as we did in the first film.

Smile 2 is certainly unsettling, as it should be, but it is also so much more than that. The story itself is intriguing, which causes the two-hour and eleven-minute film to feel like a ninety-minute thriller. There are brilliant jumpscares woven in, a few laughs here and there, and top-notch performances.

Every single person who worked on this film brought their A-game, which is apparent after watching. One of the scariest movies of the year and a worthy sequel, Smile 2 begs to be seen in a theater with an audience.

And after that ending? I need more. Bring on Smile 3.

Be sure also to check out our Smile 2 interviews from the red carpet premiere, where the cast and director discuss how this film evolves from the first one, terrifying smiles on set, and more.

NEXT: Brenna D’Amico Compares Her Adjoining & Descendants Characters

About Smile 2

About to embark on a new world tour, global pop sensation Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) begins experiencing increasingly terrifying and inexplicable events. Overwhelmed by the escalating horrors and the pressures of fame, Skye is forced to face her dark past to regain control of her life before it spirals out of control.

Smile 2 comes to theaters everywhere on October 18.

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Smile 2 exceeds all expectations as it ups the ante in terms of gore, lore, and scares. If you thought the first film was terrifying, just wait.

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