As a long-timehorrorfan, I was more impressed by the 2022 movieSmilethan many others from the past few years.Written and directed by Parker Finn and based on his short filmLaura Hasn’t Slept,Smilesees Dr. Rose Cotter’s (Sosie Bacon) life ruined when is cursed by an entity that makes people shoot her evil and terrifying grins. Thanks to its strong supernatural story, well-written characters, and genuine scares,it was no wonder thatSmile 2was greenlit.
Horror fans like myself expectSmile 2to be as great as the original, and after watching the fun and creepy trailer, I have no doubt that it will be. However, I have some thoughts about whatSmile 2can do in order to be just as successful as Finn’s incredible debut flick.
What Does Smile 2 Need To Do To Be As Impressive As The Original?
I wantSmile 2to have a shocking and mysterious ending that sets up a third movie and proves the curse will never leave.The demon inSmileis sickening to look at and truly gets under audiences' skins, and they will definitely be just as terrible in the sequel. While it’s unlikely that the horror sequel would have a happy ending, I think it’s important that the final scene is scary and tragic.
Smile 2stars Naomi Scott as a singer named Skye Riley who is chased by the curse.Scream 7doesn’t need a high body countand neither doesSmile 2. The story is focused on how the curse affects one particular person and that shouldn’t change. While no one wants to become invested in a main character’s life and then watch them get killed in the final scene, it wouldn’t make sense if Skye got out alive.
At the very least,the ending needs to show Skye passing on the curse to someone else, and that person could be the main character for a third movie. Since the sequel is doing something different by telling a scary story about a pop star, which isn’t a character typically shown in the horror genre, it would be great if the franchise continued.
In a December 2022 interview withThe Hollywood Reporter,Parker Finn shared why he wrotesuch a dark ending forSmile. He said:
“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.”
Finn 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. So I was kind of hoping to have my cake and eat it, too.”
While somehorror movies that are likeSmileshy away from such a sad conclusion, it would have felt strange if Rose had survived and gone on with her life as if nothing horrifying had happened. WhileSmile 2hasn’t come out yet and I don’t know much about Skye’s story, I would have to guess that the same thing will be true of her.I look forward to learning more about Skye and seeing her go on tour and promote herself while seeing creepy grins everywhere that she goes.Horror movies don’t typically focus on topics like celebrity and fame (besidesthe awkwardScream 3, which isn’t a fan favorite), and I think it’s a great idea to make Skye a pop singer.
What Is Known About Smile 2?
Horror fans should know the cast forSmile 2,which features a few familiar faces.Smile 2 stars Naomi Scott as main character Skye Riley along with Lukas Gage, Rosemarie Dewitt, Ray Nicholson, Dylan Gelula, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Raúl Castillo, Peter Jacobson, and Kyle Gallner. Fans will recognize Gallner, who played police officer Joel inSmile. Joel is a great bridge between the original horror movie and the sequel since he has been cursed with the mysterious and scary entity. It will be interesting to see how Joel interacts with Skye.Drew Barrymore also appears inSmile 2as Skye goes on her talk show. It will be fun to see howSmile 2can take the same demon as the first movie and put a new character in a heightened and emotional situation.
Smile 2will be released on October 18th, 2024, which is perfect since it’s just in time for Halloween. I’m sure I’m not the only one who makes alist of slasher movies to watch each Octoberand looks forward to the cozy yet creepy vibes.I’m certainSmile 2will live up to the promise of the genuinely haunting original.
