2022’s “Smile” was an original concept, but a bland horror film. The smile curse, which slowly possesses its inhabitant before forcing it to commit suicide, was a fairly innovative premise. The execution was the problem, as there was nothing special about the movie itself or its filmmaking.
It flirted with new ideas but never committed to anything that set it apart. However, its sequel, “Smile 2,” creates its own formula. It not only eliminates any shortcomings of its predecessor but also leans on its strengths, establishing itself as one of the best horror films of the decade.
The film begins by resolving the cliffhanger ending of the previous entry, picking up six days later. Director Parker Finn immediately shows off how much his directing skills have improved between films, with the opening scene being one complete, unbroken shot. It’s a shockingly fast and action-packed start, giving the sequel connective tissue to the first movie while effectively cutting ties with it at the same time.
From there, it’s the Naomi Scott show. Horror movie acting is historically known to be especially bad, but Scott is truly phenomenal as pop singer Skye Riley. The character has a surprising amount of depth, struggling with past trauma from various events.
Riley is set to begin her first tour since being involved in a car accident that killed her boyfriend. In addition to her mother pressuring her to push through the lingering pain from her injuries, Riley is also trying to reconcile her relationship with her best friend, Gemma, after the two were involved in an ugly argument months before. It’s all of these factors that have her in particularly bad shape to deal with the smile curse, which is passed on to Riley when her old high school friend Lewis commits suicide in front of her.
This disturbingly violent scene kicks off the film’s strongest aspect — it is genuinely terrifying.
It would not be surprising if it were revealed that the actors in the film were auditioned based on their ability to smile in the creepiest way possible. In fact, the film even brought in horror icon Jack Nicholson’s son Ray for a very limited role, but one that included an abundance of eerie smiling. The truth is, if there’s a new Nicholson scaring audiences, the world may be in for an interesting ride.
On top of the creepy smiles littered throughout the film, “Smile 2” refuses to indulge in typical horror tropes. In fact, it uses the established knowledge of how other horror films conjure up scares against the audience. Whereas other films crescendo the building of tension with a jumpscare, “Smile 2” lets the anticipation linger before moving on to the next scene. Similarly, in moments when other movies try to subtly hide things in empty background space, this film takes advantage of knowing where the audience is looking by having something jarring suddenly happen in the foreground.
Scares aside, there are few films that have accomplished such an impactful level of visceral, disturbing and gory imagery as “Smile 2.” Every bone crunch and blood drip leaves the audience gasping, once again adding to the uncomfortable vibe of the film.
This feeling looms over the entirety of the film, as when dealing with something as unpredictable as the smile curse, nothing seems real or reliable. It creates a sense of insecurity as once certain characters feel safe, most times it’s revealed that they are actually in horrific danger. The film takes complete advantage of that, leading to an unimaginable amount of twists and turns that leave viewers exhausted when the credits roll.
The first and second acts are slow and deeply unsettling; however, it’s the final act that features all of the up-tempo and thrilling action. The twists are in full effect, the scares are at their most effective and they all lead to a final cliffhanger that opens the door for a shockingly large-scale third film.
Overall, “Smile 2” is effective in everything it tries to do. The scares are on point, the story and characters are interesting, and the surprising ending is perhaps one of the greatest final moments any horror film has accomplished in a long time. A third film is not yet confirmed, but the idea of diving back into this world can’t help but cause a — smile.
