"It's scary what a smile can hide." - Ashley Iglesias
Recently a remake of a Danish horror movie called Speak No Evil of the same name was released for American audiences. While there’s a lot to appreciate about the James McAvoy led remake, it is undeniably an inferior replica of the original. This is mostly due to the extremely neutered ending of the remake in comparison to the much darker, more twisted finale of the original. I bring this up because so often American made horror movies, mainstream releases in particular, can feel watered down to placate this odd need many Americans have for a happier ending. I am not one of those Yanks and as a horror fan I actually prefer when a movie has the courage to leave things on a morose, even hopeless note. The Danish Speak No Evil stuck with me, seared into my memory. The remake? I’ve already forgotten much of it.
With that in mind, it’s always a pleasant surprise when an American made horror film does actually go for broke. To risk the inevitable backlash and choose the best storyline for the film itself instead of worrying about mainstream audiences’ displeasure often results in the most memorable and lasting scary movies. I mean if you think Terrifier 3 is doing so well right now because the occasional moviegoers are thirsting for extreme carnage you are impressively mistaken. It’s the horror lovers that are yearning for insane properties like the Terrifier trilogy.
So again, it’s nice when a big studio, releasing a sequel to a relatively well known mainstream product, allows what they did with Smile 2. It’s a welcome gift to an actually solid first entry. Smile was released not too long after Truth or Dare and what a misfire that release was. And with no help whatsoever for Smile, its trailer made it appear to be practically related somehow to Truth or Dare. At least for me it said the same exact thing, and that was to stay away.
Luckily I was able to see Smile for free and admittedly it surprised the hell out of me. It was genuinely creepy, unexpectedly brutal and shows little interest in finding some middle ground between horror movie ending and family weekend at the movies. It ended hopelessly, ambiguous to a point, but fairly adamant about its allusions to what happened next. Smile was one of the best horror films of 2022. Smile, Barbarian, Nope, Talk to Me and the Ti West double feature X and Pearl were all excellent 2022 horror releases. And there’s more where they came from. In a phenomenal year for scary movies, Smile was certainly a major contributor to the genre’s success.
So now here we are, 2024, on the eve of Smile 2. As with all sequels, it must justify its existence for any kind of audience to be drawn to it. Knowing what I do about the first film, the trailer for Part 2 left me a little more hopeful for the sequel than the trailer for Part 1 ever could. Naively I went into this screening, this is difficult to admit, but I entered the theater with a certain amount of expectation and optimism. I know, I know, the audacity of having… hope.
As with any horror fan or just movie fan in general, we’ve all been burned by excitement for a new movie release. Hell I was a fan of Joker, genuinely curious about Part Deux and what a failure that experiment was. Every once in a while though a Smile 2 comes along and lives up to its predecessor.
Smile 2 is surprisingly vicious. While a certain kind of content was expected for a sequel, it still manages to shock going for some seriously extreme sequences. It rarely lets up for any kind of reflection and if it does, it’s brief and fleeting before you can catch your breath it’s over and the torment carries on. The main character is made to feel insane, and through tremendous camera work, an excellent score and a thoroughly manic performance by Naomi Scott the madness effortlessly bursts off the screen and into our psyches pulling us into the psychosis of a fragile mind only falling deeper into the rabbit hole. So much of this movie hinges on the talent of Scott and she is a force of paranoia and pure, invigorated fear. She delivers one of the best horror performances of the year, absolutely. (Though in the same year as The Substance she has her work cut out for her. But that’s for another time.)
Smile 2 continues shortly after the events of chapter 1. The most recent victim finds himself desperate to give the curse to someone else without the usual having to die contribution that is normally expected. Well it goes as well as you might expect and the curse continues its reign of anguish. Through circumstances that could be used for an anti-drug campaign, it attaches itself to its most famous victim yet, superstar Skye Riley.
From the moment it latches onto her, it does what it does best and destroys her very existence. It wears her down, terrifies her every waking moment and constantly threatens her impending self murder. Knowing exactly what awaits her at the end of this particular ride, she seeks the help of someone she has never met but claims to know what she’s enduring and what may finally bring it down forever. Along her psychotic journey she experiences enough torment for two lifetimes. It is relentless, it is remorseless and it revels in her worst, most dire moments.
Perhaps my favorite aspect of Smile 2 is the choice of latching onto a famous singer. It feels strategic. It gives a sense of true intelligence to the entity finding someone to not only torture but to utilize the power of such reach being famous allows you. The more eyes on her, the more eyes on it if you catch my drift. The first film implies that maybe, somehow, it can be bested. Like any living thing, it can be tricked and killed perhaps. With Part 2 we see just how forlorn such an endeavor really is. It really pushes the notion of losing any aspirations of fighting off the curse once it has focused itself upon you.
Smile 2 is a wonderfully surprising sequel to a surprising first entry. Two movies, that by any measure of their trailers, were meant to fall short are not only good, they are completely worthwhile. For a mainstream horror release it is actually quite brutal and unforgiving. In the final act, it brazenly goes for the jugular. It goes gonzo with monster effects creating eye popping sequences to really send home the message that this franchise isn’t here to play. It’s taking names wholesale.
Rated R For: strong bloody violent content, grisly images, language throughout and drug use
Runtime: 127 minutes
After Credits Scene: No
Genre: Horror
Starring: Naomi Scott, Ray Nicholson, Peter Jacobson, Dylan Gelula
Directed By: Parker Finn
Out of 10
Story: 8.5/ Acting: 9/ Directing: 9/ Visuals: 8
OVERALL: 8/10
Buy to Own: Yes.
Check out the trailer below:
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