What are you looking for in a sequel? Dependable familiarity or narrative evolutions? Parker Finn's Smile 2 is a sharper, meaner, and despicably addictive amplification of Smile that doesn’t tamper with what works. Finn's execution of trauma-driven haunts is an upgrade across the board, albeit recognizable. It's funnier, flashier, scarier, and doesn't feign complacency even for a millisecond. Smile 2 is an invigoration of exposed demonic templates (typed by someone lukewarm on Finn's successful original). Move over, Lady Raven; Skye Riley's taking center stage.
Naomi Scott is a knockout as pop music megastar Skye Riley, an ex-addict who's just announced her hotly anticipated "Welcome Back" tour. She's a sober and rebranded shell of herself but pushes forward, driven by the pressures of not letting down her ravenous fans, profiting record executives (Raúl Castillo), or supportive loved ones. Skye's mother and acting manager, Elizabeth (Rosemarie DeWitt), keeps a watchful eye but can't stop her paparazzi-ducking daughter from meeting up with childhood friend Lewis (Lukas Gage). Upon entering Lewis’ apartment, Skye’s met with a katana to her throat — Lewis is not himself. Then Skye watches Lewis commit an unspeakable act of self-violence. The gory imagery would be enough to shatter weaker minds, but Skye gets the added bonus of, well … this is Smile 2 after all.
I can't shout Scott’s praises loud enough. She perfectly battles and indulges the soul-sucking attributes of Finn's villain through troubled starlet Skye Riley. Scott's asked to project confidence while her character is inwardly depleted, or to display furious determination while hiding immense pain. Skye's encounters with the demon (known henceforth as "The Monstrosity") evoke mania, destabilization, and a host of intense reactions that Scott delivers with immeasurable impact. Scott so emotionally conveys Finn’s easily readable yet still achingly accurate depiction of the stranglehold mental disorders like depression have over their vessels. Scott sings and screams her heart out with a hypnotic presence.
New York City's glamourous high-society nooks provide a sumptuous backdrop for cinematographer Charlie Sarroff, as well as Skye Riley's stage arena-sized productions. Finn repurposes upside-down tracking shots to turn Manhattan on its head, keeping Skye in constant delusion. Skye's on-stage performances are bathed in cherry-red lighting and extravagant, shimmery costumes that Sarroff captures with eye-candy sweetness. Camerawork and choreography recall Gaspar Noé's Climax or Luca Guadagnino's Suspiria in how nightmares are born from new wave Danse Macabre. Smile 2 is a fantastic collaboration between horror movies and high-art, finding rich decorative character in metropolitan surroundings that didn't exist previously.
Smile's greatest asset is its jump scares, and Smile 2 upholds tradition. Finn wields blood-slick goriness and shudder-worthy, shadowy haunts to the effect of Fede Alvarez's Evil Dead. The way figures loom, whether imaginary or tangible, makes your skin crawl — but that doesn't override practical prosthetics and cosmetics. Credit industry icon Alec Gillis and his squad for bringing monstrous designs to life and spilling guts (with intentional-or-not nods to Momo and Ghostbusters), especially in a tremendous outro as Skye confronts The Monstrosity under deserving spotlights. Smile 2 isn't beholden to singular scare tactics, selling above and beyond across multiple frightening methods. Finn's ambitions to push bigger and bolder is most visible as death comes calling, becoming a nastier beast in snarling fits of terror.
If Smile 2 struggles, it's through storytelling. The Monstrosity feeds off trauma and fetishizes control, which is taken to Skye Riley's extremes. There's nothing newfound about the entity's rules, merely surpassing previous boundaries — which might bother some viewers. It's playing repetitive games with wider grins until a third act finally shifts into shocking waters that, once again, might bother some viewers. I can't say why, but a trope is used that might elicit groans. My opinion is that precision execution trumps a wayward narrative direction, but personal choice might dictate opposing reactions.
That aside, Smile 2 is a powerhouse sequel that hurdles its already well-received original. Finn graduates to a higher level of filmmaking, creating a piece of New York City horror that thrives on regionality, like shining examples from Roman Polanski's Rosemary's Baby to Michael Sarnoski's A Quiet Place: A Day One. How can you deny references to Pizza Hut, jokes at Staten Island's expense (A+ Dylan Gelula line delivery), and Naomi Scott descending into a Possession-like state? Smile 2 is a fright night crowd-pleaser that will keep horror fans talking; as unexpectedly good a sequel as Arkasha Stevenson's The First Omen is a prequel.
Movie Score: 4/5
Matt Donato is a Los Angeles-based film critic currently published on SlashFilm, Fangoria, Bloody Disgusting, and anywhere else he’s allowed to spread the gospel of Demon Wind. He is also a member of the Critics Choice Association. Definitely don’t feed him after midnight.
Daily Dead's Official Podcast! Daily Dead's Official Podcast!
