Back in 2022 director Parker Finn surprised audiences with his homily budgeted film “Smile” which began life as a short film and was destined to make its debut on streaming before strong feedback from preview screenings eventually made it a theatrical success. With such status comes the sequel “Smile 2” which thanks to a larger budget expands on the horror and mythos.
The film stars Naomi Scott as Skye Riley; a phenomenally successful singer who is preparing for her comeback after a crash that left her with physical and mental scars as well as the death of her boyfriend. The fact that she was also a substance abuser has added to her pain and she is unable to receive anything stronger than Tylenol and deals with pain from her elaborate choreography.
Desperate for some relief; Skye attempts to get some Vicodin from a known dealer who acts extremely paranoid and aggressive and brutally kills himself in front of Skye all the while grinning like it is a day at the beach.
Desperate to stay out of the media; Skye flees the scene but soon finds herself trapped in a living nightmare as horrific visions torment her and make her question her sanity. As the days unfold Skye has a hard time with the concepts of reality and sanity as her entire world and the mounting pressure of her pending tour build.
The demonic presence that has latched onto Skye has made her life a literal hell as those around her fear that her sobriety is fading but the overwhelming desire to have her perform and generate millions has made those around her blind to her trauma.
Skye must attempt to decipher the nightmare that her life has become and find a way to survive with the line between reality and insanity blurred.
The film takes its time getting up to speed and while there were more than a few jump scares along the way; it focuses on the characters and their motivations and uses a slow build interspersed with intense and brief moments of horror to set up the finale which more than delivers and builds on the very clever finale of the first film.
There is an appropriate amount of blood and gore keep fans happy and the expanded look into the mythos combined with the strong cast sets the tone well for future outings in the series.
3.5 stars out of 5
