9 Reasons Why We Can’t Wait For Smile 2

Parker Finn’s uniquely disturbing Smile stands out as one of the top horror movies of 2022. The film, based on Finn’s short Laura Hasn’t Slept (2020), is the writer-director’s feature directorial debut. The supernatural psychological horror earned a staggering $217 million on a budget of only $17 million, garnering positive reviews from fans and critics. 

Smile 2 is set to release in theaters this Friday and will follow singing sensation Skye Riley, played by the talented Naomi Scott. The famous pop star witnesses the death of a friend, Lewis (Lukas Gage), just as she’s preparing to go on tour. The entity latches on to her, manifesting everywhere she turns. From what is shown in the trailer, the sequel promises to be bolder than the original.

These are 9 reasons why we can’t wait to see what it has in store. 

First reactions to Smile 2 are overwhelmingly positive. 

Chelsea Rebecca describes Smile 2 as a “certified plug-my-ears-and-cover-my-eyes horror banger.” Entertainment editor for GamesRadar+, Emily Murray, calls the movie “a rollercoaster of thrills” and enjoyed how Finn “escalated things from the first movie.” KenKenReviews was “terrified” and “didn’t sleep well” after watching the sequel. Horror presenter Bunny Galore says Naomi Scott is “glorious in a tour de force performance.” The Hollywood Handle’s TomMCJL also praises the star of the film: “Naomi Scott leads a triple act triumph as Skye Riley in Parker Finn’s exceptionally well directed #Smile2.” Lemon Garcia tweets that Scott “delivers the best performance in a horror movie this year,” and also teases that “the ending is such a banger that you’ll be excited for what’s next.” 

The sequel steps into new, exciting territory with its pop star.

Smile 2 holds the honor of being the first mainstream horror film to focus on a famous pop star. Its narrative offers a unique perspective explored through Skye Riley’s intriguing character. It’ll be riveting to be brought into her world and take a look behind all the success and glitz and glamor. Skye has millions of fans and a whole team working behind her, but is there anyone she can run to for help as she fights for survival? Or, unlike Rose, who had Joel to trust and confide in, will Skye be alone in her journey? Finn Parker describes her as someone who’s “incredibly alone,” which puts our protagonist in a grimmer situation than her predecessor, amping up the fear factor in Smile 2.

The stakes are raised. 

Skye’s profession raises the stakes in the sequel. We know that the entity attaches itself from person to person. The infected victim is tormented until they take their own life in front of someone, passing on the curse to that witness. A famous pop star on a big world tour begs a burning question: Can multiple people be cursed at the same time? Skye’s status as a celebrity means that there are always eyes on her. She can’t outrun her fans, the media, her team, or the paparazzi. Following her as she’s touring will create a sense of suspense even heavier than in the first film. Anywhere Skye turns, she might be met with an unnerving smile. We’ll be biting our nails to see where the entity hides in a massive crowd, and just how far goes its power. 

We’re getting a lot more sinister smiles. 

Out of all the treats the trailer promises, an abundance of sinister smiles is one of the most exciting. Countless unnerving smiles are teased in those short two minutes. Skye is met with smiling fans as she tries to do her job. In a jaw-dropping bit, she’s chased by a smiling crowd down a tight hallway. When giving a speech, she’s tormented by a smiling creep rising from one of his seats. Looking in the mirror, there’s someone behind her reaching for her face and quite literally turning her frown upside down. The entity even takes on Skye’s form. From the looks of it, the entity will have an expanded presence in the sequel, creating more of a struggle for the heroine, and scaring the hell out of us viewers. 

Will Joel’s fate finally be revealed?

Joel’s fate is something horror fans have been dying to discover since an announcement was made of a second film. Kyle Gallner is confirmed to reprise his role as Joel in the sequel, but there hasn’t been much word on what and how much of a part he’ll play, sparking numerous fan theories. The ending of the first movie left him alive, but presumably doomed to the same grim fate as Rose, after watching his former love self-immolate. We’re dying to know if Joel found a new way to beat the curse, and if he’ll interact with Skye at all to help her through her fight. Joel doesn’t seem like someone who’d be willing to sacrifice another to save himself, but Parker Finn is one who knows how to surprise his audience. Whatever happens, we’re expecting interesting revelations surrounding Joel’s reappearance. 

We’re intrigued to see how Skye will try to defeat the malady. 

A huge point is unveiled in the trailer. There might be a way to overcome the curse, which wasn’t revealed in the first movie. When sitting down with Morris (Peter Jacobson), who appears to be an expert on the Smile Demon and an ally to Skye to some extent, she asks him how to stop it. His response could reshape everything we thought we knew about the entity: “We have to kill you first.” Then, there’s a close-up of a heart monitor, a shot of a dilapidated operating room, and Skye donning a hospital gown. As she musters the courage to inject a syringe into her neck, the entity pops up as a demonic version of herself. Will Skye be successful, or will this strategy prove to be a false glimmer of hope? We’re anxiously waiting to find out. 

Smile is one of the most terrifying modern horror movies.

Smile was an unrelenting, eerie experience. Parker Finn took something extraordinarily common—something that typically expresses happiness and elicits warmth—and turned it into an incredibly sadistic, malicious force. The movie is meticulously crafted from beginning to end. Unsettling cinematography and slow panning shots work to augment the undercurrent of dread and suspenseful atmosphere. There’s terror seeping through every minute of the film, maximized by a haunting score by Cristóbal Tapia de Veer. Jump scares are plenty, and each is executed to perfection, but even more chilling is the psychological horror. The film is more than just frights, however, it’s a meaningful exploration of trauma—one that stays with you. Us fans can’t wait to see what more innovative tricks Finn has up his sleeve to unnerve us.

Parker Finn has teased that the sequel will bring twists, surprises, and a new direction.

Fans should prepare for the unexpected in Smile 2. Nothing we know about the sequel or the Smile universe as a whole may be as it seems. In a BTS clip Finn said, “I really wanted to find new ways to trick both Skye and the audience,” promising a tormenting ride. “The sequel goes bolder. It’s way more off the rails. It’s nastier, bloodier,” he continued, emphasizing that the second film will be “ten times bigger.” When speaking to GamesRadar+, the writer-director teased that there’s a lot that’s still unknown to audiences. “We had only sort of pulled back the corner of the rug to peek under,” he said. “With the mystery of the first one, I thought it was really fun that, now that the audience is familiar, it allows this new context, this new way to position the audience. They come in ahead of where some of the characters are. I wanted to see, ‘Can we use that to the film’s advantage?’”

We’re hoping for a shocking ending.

Smile has one of the darkest, most tragic conclusions in the history of the genre. As Joel watches Rose set herself on fire, the camera switches to him to create a haunting final shot. The terror and sorrow conveyed in Joel’s face is palpable. The camera zooms in on one of his horror-stricken eyes, which reflects Rose’s fiery death, and shows that the curse will spread. In a late 2022 interview, Finn shared with The Hollywood Reporter, “From very early on when I was developing the script, I felt a very strong draw towards allowing the film to find its worst logical conclusion. It felt right for the story that I was telling, and I was hoping it would feel earned.” He continued, “I wanted to do the thing that the audience didn’t want to happen, but it was also important to me to be able to reach an emotional catharsis before we take that very dark turn.” His finale certainly paid off. It’s thrilling to ruminate on how Smile 2’s ending may top that of his debut.