Vague Visages’ Smile 2 review contains minor spoilers. Parker Finn’s 2024 movie features Naomi Scott, Rosemarie DeWitt and Lukas Gage. Check out the VV home page for more film reviews.

Parker Finn’s 2022 film Smile became yet another unexpected low-budget horror hit, with the simple but eerie concept of a devilish grin being the last thing a person sees having surprising appeal. So, it’s natural that Paramount Pictures would want to capitalize off its success with a sequel.

In Smile 2, the concept is extended to the tarnished world of a pop star named Skye Riley (Naomi Scott), who is pushed back in the spotlight after being ridiculed and torn apart by the media for her drug use. After making a full recovery, Skye is eager to fall back in love with singing as the protagonist’s prying mother ushers her into a new tour. But after a visit for prescription medication leaves the musician’s former drug dealer (Lukas Gage) dead, Skye finds her life torn apart and threatened by a series of smiling faces that just won’t leave her alone.

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With Finn returning as director, he manages to create the rare horror sequel that expands on the original film’s ideas while continuing to craft eerie set-pieces, even if Smile 2 does end up falling into similar pitfalls. Right away, the director shrugs off any possible doubters with a one-take opening sequence that flips a house robbery on its head. With a slightly higher budget of $28 million, Finn elevates his tricks while still continuing many of the simple trademarks of the first film, like slowly flipping the camera upside down.

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Thematically, Finn’s commentaries on stardom through Skye’s struggle is quite interesting. What’s real and not real starts to blur together as whoever torments Skye begins to capitalize off of the public’s expectation for her to fail. It’s not difficult for the media and fans to imagine that a star with former issues would spiral into old patterns, stumbling through intense dance routines and forgetting what she’s saying at big award ceremonies.

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Of course, no one would believe Skye if she even tried to explain what was really going on — a startling reality that adds to the audience’s investment in seeing her get out of this trapped situation. Viewers are left to think of many other female pop stars like Britney Spears that have been unfairly scrutinized by the media over the years and unable to share their truth.

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In Smile 2, Scott makes the unexpected leap from Disney star to natural-born scream queen with control and agency. Aside from a former friend that comes back into Skye’s life (Dylan Gelula as Gemma), the protagonist is often left to fend off her demons alone in her apartment. Scott is so captivating to watch even when she’s the only person on screen, which makes her a ripe screen presence for horror. And when Skye’s overall connection to singing and storytelling feels underdeveloped, the lead actress always imbues her character with a burning passion.

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Smile 2 is so much fun to watch throughout. Like the first film, it largely relies on jump scares, but since Finn executes the encroaching dread with such precision, they never feel cheap or unearned. For all of the sequel’s improvements, the director can’t help but repeat some of his same mistakes, particularly when it comes to pacing.

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There’s an art to a good 90-minute horror movie, and while Finn’s ambition makes Smile 2 well worth seeing in theaters, the film’s 127-minute runtime stretches the story beyond its natural limits. The writer-director relies too much on narrative misdirection, which becomes especially tired by the third act when the same rug gets pulled out from under the audience’s toes just a few too many times.

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While there’s a great movie hiding inside a solid one, Smile 2 remains one of the most demonically entertaining horror films of the year through Finn’s twisted and refreshing style. Most memorably, it’s a warm crowning for Scott as a horror screen presence who is here to stay. Welcome to the club.

Matt Minton (@6MattMinton14) is a dedicated writer, freelance film critic and journalist with a love for all things film and television. They are currently pursuing a degree in Writing for Film, Television and Emerging Media with minors in Advertising, PR and Marketing Communications and Writing from Ithaca College. Matt currently writes for The Rolling Tape and Geek Vibes Nation with past bylines in Film Updates and Cinema Solace.

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