Smile 2 review: Naomi Scott lights up demonic horror sequel
With a powerhouse turn from its lead star and weapons-grade jumpscares aplenty, the follow-up offers more of the same grinning carnage.
Smile and the whole world smiles with you. Or so they say. The only thing grinning in this fledgling franchise, though, has far too many mouths and wants to climb inside yours.
Based on the short Laura Hasn’t Slept, 2022’s Smile was a slick slice of noughties nihilism inspired by J-horror classics such as Ringu and The Grudge, as well as Final Destination and It Follows. At the movie’s core is a grisly chain of deaths caused by a smirking malevolent entity, which terrorises its victims one by one before forcing them to commit violent suicide in front of a witness, who becomes its next host.
Writer-director Parker Finn wielded Smile’s trauma metaphor like a mallet but the film’s production and execution were scalpel-sharp, while its jet-black (and easily overlooked) sense of humour gave it a novel flavour. For better or worse, Smile 2 offers more of the same.
Six days after the events of Smile, which culminated in its protagonist’s self-immolation, its sequel picks up the same chain. Pop superstar Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) is on the up and up. Following her recovery from substance abuse and a car crash that left her seriously injured, she’s ready to embark on a world tour. More importantly, she’s clean and sober – aside from the Vicodin she uses to subdue her back pain, that is.
When Skye visits an old friend to score pills and sees him smash his face to bits with a 35lb weight plate, she leaves with something much worse. And although she can’t see it yet, its true form is a fleshy, long-fingered monstrosity.
As trauma wreaks havoc on Skye’s life, she turns to an unexpected ally for help. Morris (Peter Jacobson) is an ER nurse whose brother was part of the same chain as Skye, until he used a crowbar to pry off his jaw. Now Morris wants to kill what he describes as a “cosmic evil being”. But he’ll have to kill Skye first. His plan? Stop her heart to leave the “parasite” without a host, thus breaking the chain, before resuscitating her.
The popstar protagonist has many applications for the Smile formula. Whether it’s at media appearances, fan meet-and-greets or arena concerts, Skye regularly stands alone opposite huge groups of people, any one of whom could be the demon in disguise. These scenarios emphasise her vulnerability and allow Finn to wring tension out of every potential encounter. In the boldest of these sequences, the sequel’s increased budget is clear.
With the new setting also comes new subtexts. Where Smile’s world of psychiatry was closed-off and inward-facing, Skye’s is one of performance and pretence. Popstars are always on. They’re asked to mask their true thoughts and emotions in service of their fans, management and investors, while also transcribing their feelings into chart-topping bangers.
Skye sings of feeling “hollow” and like she’s living in a “borrowed” body. When her mental health really takes a hit – having a trickster trauma monster on your back will do that – she’s unable to convince her inner circle that she needs help. Her commitments are simply too important.
Scott conveys the pressure exceptionally well. The British actor delivers a powerhouse performance, by turns confounded, crazed, wide-eyed and snotty, as Skye battles demons inside and out.
Like its predecessor, the sequel features stylish art direction, an off-kilter score, topsy-turvy cinematography and weapons-grade jumpscares. But with all that comes the same narrative template. Smile 2 follows the structure of its precursor almost exactly. The director’s tricks may be bigger but he’s drawing from the same bag as before. The closest this sequel comes to offering something different is in suggesting a new way to break the chain. And it’s clear Finn doesn’t intend on doing that anytime soon.
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Smile 2 will be released in cinemas on 18th October 2024. Smile is now streaming on Netflix – sign up from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
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