SMILE 2: Psychological Terror At Its Best
By Harrison J. Bahe
About to embark on a new world tour, global pop sensation Skye Riley begins to experience increasingly terrifying and inexplicable events. Overwhelmed by the escalating horrors and pressures of fame, she must face her dark past to regain control of her life before it spirals out of control.
2022’s Smile hit like lightning on a clear blue sky. It introduced the simple concept of a smile as a foundation for fear. Smile 2 takes that concept and elevates it to the next level. It is such a shame that the Oscars typically (and disappointingly) oversees noteworthy performances within the horror genre. I’ll never forgive the Oscars for overlooking Toni Collette’s singularly powerful performance in Ari Aster’s Hereditary. Naomi Scott delivers a striking performance in Smile 2 that is, in all seriousness, Oscar worthy. The sheer amount of pain, mental and physical, she exhibits is exhilarating, shattering all pre-conceived notions of the lazy horror sequel, which this is not.
The horror presented in Smile 2 does include shocking amounts of effective jump scares but what it does best is create an ambiance of tension, sometimes relying entirely on complete silence to deliver a jolt of terror. There is a scene early on in which the scare is delivered in complete silence which made me jump out of my seat. Another thing this film does well is the psychological breakdown of our main character’s world which is where Naomi Scott truly shines. The sheer amount of effort to showcase the meticulously slow meltdown of her psyche is simply jaw dropping. That paired with a tragic backstory elevates this film beyond just “another horror sequel.”
From its tense opening scenes (all played out in an impressively long take) to its shocking finale, Smile 2’s writer and director Parker Finn takes the best of what made the first Smile memorable (and horrifying) and elevates it to a level where such sequels have no right being this good. The implications of the final scene are mind blowing! It is gory, unsettling, visually hypnotic, executed well technically; a psychological tour de force and is a downright terrifying film which is why I give Smile 2—
4.5 Voss Bottles out of 5.
Smile 2 is Rated R for strong bloody violent content, grisly images, language throughout and drug use. It is currently playing in theaters nationwide.