Smile 2 review: Naomi Scott dazzles in relentless horror sequel

Smile 2 is a gorier, flashier, more unrelenting glow up from its predecessor, with Naomi Scott giving a teeth-gnashingly good performance. This isn’t groundbreaking cinema, but boy is it a bloody good horror movie.

Parker Finn’s first Smile, for all its faults, did what it set out to do. Uncanny smiles? Check. Jump scares and gore? Double check. Where it faltered was with the heavy-handed approach to the more complex message beneath. 

While Finn might have intended for the commentary on mental illness to be the raison d’être, its heavy-handed approach on trauma manifesting as a supernatural curse felt muddled, especially when so many films had done it better already (It Follows, we’re looking at you). 

Smile 2 doesn’t exactly fix this, but it doubles down on the horror, making sure the audience is too rattled to dwell on its clumsier moments. Before we get into it, don’t worry – this review is spoiler-free.

Smile 2 gives an original new story 

In presenting a new story with new themes, Finn has succeeded in making Smile 2 not only an effective sequel but better than its predecessor. And the brutality is on another level, right from the opening sequence, which ties into the first movie in a horrifying way. 

But the majority of the story centers on Scott’s fictional pop star Skye Riley. Like Rose, she’s dealing with some serious trauma, only in this case it’s pretty damn fresh. 

Her momager, Elizabeth (Rosemarie DeWitt), knows that time means money, and wants her daughter back on the stage and making big bucks – no matter what cost this has on Skye’s mental state. 

Newly sober and dealing with a recent tragic accident, all of the issues are just bubbling away beneath the surface, making her perfect breakdown fodder for the smiley, demonic curse to latch onto. 

As you will have seen in the trailer, it does so during a grisly encounter with Lukas Gage’s Lewis and a barbell weight. The viral entity wraps its tendrils around Skye at the worst possible time; her comeback tour, as Elizabeth likes to remind us all, is her “last chance” in the music biz. 

Ironically, all she needs to do is smile and play along, but as those creepy grins begin to manifest in those around her, Skye’s life descends into all-out horror. The more she tries to express her turmoil, the more she comes off as paranoid and unstable.

But unlike Rose’s peers, who insisted she take a break, everyone in Skye’s orbit is thrusting her back into the spotlight, resulting in uncomfortable encounters that highlight the darker side of success.

Naomi Scott wears Scream Queen well

Finn deftly utilizes disorientating camerawork, although a little more restraint on the 180-degree shots might have preserved their impact. The close-up shots, meanwhile, are extremely effective here, especially when they showcase Scott’s acting chops. 

Transitioning from Disney princess to scream queen is quite the leap, but Smile 2 proves Scott’s born for horror, with every flicker of emotion and look of wide-eyed terror making her the ultimate modern Hitchcock heroine. 

Scott also wears the role of edgy pop star incredibly well, no doubt down to her own experience as a singer. Scott performed and even wrote some of Skye’s songs for the new movie, much like Saleka Shyamalan’s Lady Raven for Trap. 

Mercifully, the music angle enhances the story without overshadowing it. Fans of pop may feel differently, but I appreciated this choice, making Smile 2 what I had hoped Trap would be. 

Speaking of which, I’d really wished M. Night Shyamalan leaned into the horror a little more with his latest outing, and though I can acknowledge their differing tones and narratives, Finn has absolutely zero issue here. 

Smile 2 is undoubtedly the more brutal of his two films; my jaw was on the floor after the opening sequence alone (which is quite the feat given I’d just watched Terrifier 3). It’s a much more raw, barbaric, unrelenting onslaught of horror, one that doesn’t let up right up until the credits start rolling. 

It’s not all smiles

This is where the welcome comic relief comes in handy, courtesy of Skye’s ride-or-die bestie Gemma (Dylan Gelula). And then, of course, there are the smiles. There’s a lot of eerie grinning, which, like its predecessor, toes the line of both chilling and silly. 

Some actors do it better than others; Gage is a natural in this setting, giving an effortlessly unhinged performance. But the crown has to go to Ray Nicholson. He’s got the Kubrick stare absolutely nailed, but would we expect anything less from the son of the Jack Torrance? 

Gimmicks aside, every time I see DeWitt playing a mother, I want to slap her. No hate: this is exactly the reaction the role demands and she does it so well.

Where Smile 2 falters is in its focus. Is this a film about unchecked trauma? Addiction? The horrors of fame? It’s hard to tell, and with a more than two-hour runtime, it lingers too long on moments that could have benefitted from tighter pacing. 

This is particularly noticeable given the film falls short in providing clarity about the demon’s lore. And while I appreciate the excellent use of practical effects and CGI throughout, I have to be honest: I didn’t like the final creature in the first Smile and the sequel didn’t change my mind. If that’s your thing, however, you’re in for a treat in the third act. 

Regardless, the final scene is spectacular. The payoff might not provide much in the way of closure, but it matches the tone up until this point (and sets up a bonkers threequel if Finn wanted to take the story further). 

Smile 2 review score: 4/5

Ultimately, if you enjoyed the first movie, then you’ll love Smile 2. Finn ramps up the horror and delivers a stronger storyline with larger production value, while Scott gives it everything she’s got with a performance that will get under your skin.

Despite its pacing issues (and a few too many predictable jump scares), the unrelenting brutality will give horror fans something to smile about this Halloween.

Smile 2 lands in cinemas on Friday, October 18. Be sure to check out which streaming platform it’ll land on first, as well as the Creepypasta to read beforehand. You can also take a look at the horror movies coming to streaming this month.