'Smile 2' Traps the Audience in a Prison of Relentless Terror [Review]

​Ask Scream 2’s Randy and he’ll tell you that, by definition, sequels are inferior films. While that tends to ring true, there are plenty of sequels that rise above their predecessors. Count writer/director Parker Finn’s Smile 2 among them, the rare part 2 that improves on the original in nearly every conceivable way. Finn approaches his sophomore feature with a confidence not as present in Smile, delivering a relentless nightmare of a film that pulls zero punches and traps you in its grisly terror.
 
One year after a tragic accident that left her boyfriend dead and her scarred, pop mega star Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) is about to get back on her feet and begin a world tour. But when a friend horrifically kills himself in front of her, Skye finds herself reeling. Already on the brink with the pressures of fame closing in, the traumatic incident threatens to push her over the edge. Soon, she begins seeing strange faces smiling at her everywhere she goes, eventually realizing she has become part of a deadly chain linked by a murderous demon that feeds off trauma like a parasite. With less than a week to live, Skye must find a way to stop the thing before she loses control entirely.
 
Finn’s sequel assumes you’ve seen the first film, the initial frame opening on Smile’s Joel (Kyle Gallner) with a “6 Days Later” tag that will immediately have fans of Gallner’s anxiously clutching their seats. One intense sequence later, and Finn makes clear that Smile 2 aims to up the game in a big way. Centered around mega star Skye, the filmmaker levels up each element to fit the larger than life personality of his protagonist. The performances are more engaging (more on that in a moment). The New York city location and grand sets are a far cry from the mundane suburbia of the original. Skye’s wardrobe is out of this world gorgeous. Deaths are more gruesome. The intensity is ratcheted up to eleven. And most importantly, Finn approaches the film with confidence, trusting his instincts and unafraid to go bigger, bolder and bloodier. Hell, even the sound design is brought to another tier, full of squishing and cracking that rattles the nerves. Whether or not you enjoy the film, it’s difficult not to appreciate the excellent craftsmanship that Finn brings to the table.

Impeccable as Finn’s direction is, the success of Smile 2 owes a lot to Naomi Scott as well. The actress is simply incredible in what is her best performance to date. When we meet Skye, she is a recovering drug addict tortured by a car accident that left her boyfriend dead and scars all over her body to remind her of that fact every day. She knows that this world tour is her last chance. That failure will be the end of her career, a concept her overbearing stage mother (Rosemarie DeWitt) refuses to let her forget. Her fans look at her with love and inspiration, feelings Skye has difficulty finding for herself these days. Scott embodies it all with a gutting performance that time and again makes you want to reach out and hug her, if not shed a few tears. Finn seems to be expunging some of his own demons with a bleak commentary on the pressures of fame and the way in which celebrities are pushed and pulled in every direction, but anyone who has ever felt alone will be able to relate to Scott’s performance that channels a panicked terror so potent it will likely have you squirming in your seat.
 
Take it from someone who has dealt with mental health issues before. What Finn and Scott put on display here is an unfiltered representation of the crippling terror our minds have the potential to create for us. That feeling that everyone hates you or those pressures to be someone you don’t believe you are…Smile 2 brings those to the forefront with a sharp execution that is frankly upsetting in how deep it cuts. Few films have made me feel this unsafe since I was a kid. For that reason, Finn’s sequel, like the original, won’t be for everyone. Some of you will likely hate the hopeless nihilism writhing beneath the uncomfortable smile of this film. The filmmaker incorporates the occasional dark humor for some much-needed relief but believe me when I say that Smile 2 intends to give you the same trapped sensation as Skye. We’re in her shoes the whole way through, and that is not a pleasant place to be. Watching Smile 2 is like having a nest of snakes squirm around in your belly, and they keep squirming once the films ends.
 
If you hated Smile, there’s a good chance you won’t like this sequel either, despite the improvements in all technical aspects and the script. These movies are exploring a difficult subject matter, and it’s fair to loathe them for their bleak approach to mental health. But I’d argue that horror is meant to make us uncomfortable, to anger or even infuriate us at times. For better or worse—depending on your take—Finn endeavors to give audiences insight into the isolating terror of certain struggles, perhaps with the hope that we as a society view mental health issues more empathetically in a world where they’re too often dismissed and we’re encouraged to just “smile more”. Regardless of intent, Smile 2 shook me in ways that few have. It’s the great horror films that feel the most dangerous.

Smile 2 grins into theaters October 18th from Paramount. 

By Matt Konopka