Parker Finn’s Smile became one of the most chilling and unsettling films in theaters in 2022, gaining recognition for its disturbing monster, gripping plot, and clever viral marketing campaign.
With its clever mix of psychological horror and supernatural dread, the movie successfully terrified audiences worldwide, leaving them with lingering fears long after the credits rolled.
Now, Smile 2 continues the story, introducing a new central character, Skye Riley (played by Naomi Scott), and expanding the terrifying narrative that fans of the original have come to expect.
Smile 2 takes a bold leap, offering a bigger, scarier, and more expansive tale that builds on the foundation of the first film. Skye Riley, a pop sensation attempting to reclaim her career after a tragic accident, finds herself haunted by the same malevolent entity from the first movie.
As she battles the growing pressures of her life and the haunting visions that torment her, she must figure out how to escape this terrifying curse before it’s too late.
What makes this sequel even more impactful is Naomi Scott’s incredible performance as Skye, the troubled star struggling to survive against the odds.
But does Skye manage to outwit the grinning, terrifying beast that stalks her? Let’s go into what makes Smile 2 an even more intense and horrifying sequel.
A Star on the Rise: Skye Riley’s Comeback Journey in Smile 2
Skye Riley is a world-famous pop star who, after a year’s hiatus, is ready to make a major comeback. However, her return to the stage is overshadowed by personal demons and the memories of a tragic accident that nearly took her life.
A year before the events of Smile 2, Skye was involved in a car crash that killed her boyfriend and left her traumatized. Struggling with addiction and grief, Skye has worked hard to stay sober and move forward, but the weight of her past continues to haunt her.
The film opens with Skye preparing for a new tour, a chance to reclaim her stardom and make a fresh start. Yet, from the very beginning, it’s clear that things are not going to be easy for her.
She’s not only dealing with the stress of her career but also with physical pain from the accident, for which she secretly seeks painkillers from an old acquaintance, Lewis (played by Lukas Gage). But when Lewis suddenly becomes another victim of the entity, killing himself in front of Skye, her nightmare truly begins.
This moment is the turning point for Skye, as she begins to see Lewis’s menacing smile everywhere she goes. From that point forward, her paranoia grows, and she starts to question her own sanity as the entity toys with her mind.
Naomi Scott portrays Skye’s unraveling mental state brilliantly, conveying the sheer terror and hopelessness of a woman trapped by forces beyond her control.
How Smile 2 Builds on the Original
One of the most significant strengths of Smile 2 is how it ties back to the first movie while taking the story in new and unexpected directions. The film reintroduces us to officer Joel (played by Kyle Gallner), a character who was central to the investigation in the first Smile movie.
In the first film, Joel witnessed the horrifying events surrounding therapist Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon) before she set herself on fire, a gruesome and shocking moment that left audiences in stunned silence.
In Smile 2, Joel is a broken man, haunted by the same entity that tormented Rose. His desperation to escape leads him to make a horrific decision that sets off a chain of events connecting the two films.
Joel’s attempt to rid himself of the entity mirrors what we saw in the original film, where the characters slowly learned that the entity passes from person to person through trauma. It isn’t the act of suicide that transfers the curse, but the trauma caused by witnessing the suicide.
Joel, in his despair, plans to pass the curse onto someone else by creating more trauma. He targets a violent criminal, intending to kill him in front of his equally dangerous brother.
While Joel’s plan initially seems successful, things take a dark turn when he fails to notice a third person in the room—Lewis, the small-time drug dealer. By killing the criminal, Joel unknowingly passes the curse to Lewis, and in turn, Lewis brings the entity into Skye’s life.
This direct connection to the original film provides a strong foundation for Smile 2, making it clear that the curse isn’t limited to just one person or one event.
The entity is relentless, and anyone who encounters it is at risk of becoming its next victim. The movie doesn’t just rehash the same formula from the first film but instead expands on the mythology and rules of the curse, making the sequel feel fresh and engaging.
Skye’s Inner Demons: Trauma and Addiction Make Her Vulnerable
What makes Smile 2 particularly effective is how it shows Skye Riley’s vulnerability to the entity. The movie goes deep into her backstory, revealing that the trauma she experienced during the car crash is what makes her especially susceptible to the curse.
A year before the events of the film, Skye was battling addiction and alcoholism, and her reckless behavior led to the fatal accident that killed her boyfriend.
In a moment of anger, Skye grabbed the steering wheel, causing the crash. This act not only left her physically scarred but also emotionally devastated, as she blames herself for her boyfriend’s death.
The accident left Skye with chronic pain, and despite her best efforts to stay sober, she turns to Lewis for illegal painkillers.
This decision leads her straight into the entity’s clutches, as Lewis, already haunted by the curse, becomes its latest victim. After witnessing his horrifying suicide, Skye becomes the next person marked by the entity.
This connection between trauma and the curse adds another layer of psychological horror to the film. It’s not just about the supernatural; it’s about how the characters’ past traumas make them vulnerable to the entity.
Skye’s guilt and self-blame over the accident are what allow the entity to latch onto her, feeding off her pain and fear.
As the entity begins to torment her, Skye is forced to confront her darkest secrets, including her role in the accident and her unresolved guilt over her boyfriend’s death.
The Entity’s Power Grows: A Constant, Inescapable Presence
One of the most terrifying aspects of Smile 2 is how the entity becomes an almost omnipresent force in Skye’s life.
Unlike in the first film, where the entity mostly appeared in brief, terrifying moments, in Smile 2, it is constantly present, warping Skye’s perception of reality and pushing her to the brink of madness.
The entity manifests itself in increasingly horrifying ways, starting with visions of Lewis’s smiling face and gradually expanding to take on the appearance of other people in Skye’s life.
Skye begins to see grinning faces everywhere—her assistant, fans at a meet-and-greet, and even strangers on the street.
These unsettling encounters push her deeper into paranoia, as she struggles to determine what is real and what is a product of the entity’s manipulation.
At one particularly terrifying moment, Skye is attacked by a man at her home who appears out of nowhere. Naked and grinning, he chases her through her house, leaving her terrified and questioning her own sanity.
The entity’s power seems to have grown since the first film, and it’s able to manipulate Skye’s surroundings in increasingly disturbing ways.
It even takes on the appearance of Skye’s deceased boyfriend, tormenting her with visions of him smiling eerily at her. These hallucinations build to a breaking point, with Skye unable to trust anyone or anything around her.
Skye Reaches Out for Help: An Unexpected Reunion
As Skye’s torment intensifies, she becomes increasingly isolated. Unable to trust those around her and with the entity relentlessly stalking her, she makes a desperate decision: she reaches out to her estranged former best friend, Gemma (played by Dylan Gelula).
Skye and Gemma had a falling out a year earlier, around the time of the accident, and their friendship has been strained ever since.
Despite this, Skye feels that Gemma is the only person she can turn to, and she hopes that by reconnecting with her, she might find some comfort and support.
Gemma, although initially reluctant, agrees to meet Skye. However, as the two reconnect, it becomes clear that their friendship has been deeply damaged by the events of the previous year.
Skye’s guilt over the accident and her decision to shut Gemma out of her life weigh heavily on their interactions, and it’s clear that their relationship may never fully recover.
Despite this, Gemma agrees to help Skye, even though she doesn’t fully understand the extent of the supernatural forces at play.
This reunion adds an emotional layer to the film, as Skye is forced to confront not only the entity but also the fractured relationships in her life.
Her decision to seek help from Gemma shows that she’s willing to fight back against the entity, even if it means reopening old wounds and facing her past mistakes.
A Sinister Stranger: Morris and His Plan to Kill the Entity
As Skye’s situation becomes more desperate, she receives mysterious text messages from an unknown number. The person on the other end claims to know about the entity and offers to help her defeat it.
Desperate for answers, Skye agrees to meet this stranger, who introduces himself as Morris (played by Peter Jacobson).
Morris reveals that he has been researching the entity for years and believes he knows how to kill it—but his plan comes with a deadly catch.
Morris explains that the only way to stop the entity is for Skye to die, at least for a few minutes. He believes that by lowering her body temperature and inducing death, the entity will be forced to leave her body.
Once the entity has been expelled, Morris plans to revive Skye, thereby freeing her from the curse. However, this plan is extremely risky, and Skye is understandably hesitant to trust a stranger with her life.
The scenes with Morris add a new layer of tension to the film, as Skye is forced to weigh her options. Should she risk her life in the hopes of escaping the entity, or should she try to find another way to survive?
The dynamic between Skye and Morris is tense and fraught with uncertainty, as Skye is unsure whether she can trust him or whether he has ulterior motives.
A Shocking Twist: The Entity’s Ultimate Deception
As the film reaches its climax, Skye decides to go along with Morris’s plan. They meet at an abandoned restaurant, where Morris has set up a makeshift medical facility.
Skye allows herself to be strapped to a medical table, and Morris begins the process of lowering her body temperature. However, just as Skye is about to die, the entity reveals its final, devastating trick: everything has been a hallucination.
In a shocking twist, Skye realizes that Morris, the restaurant, and the entire plan to kill the entity were all illusions created by the entity itself.
None of it was real, and Skye has been trapped in the entity’s twisted game from the very beginning. This revelation shatters Skye’s hope of escaping the curse, and she is left utterly helpless as the entity continues to torment her.
The twist ending is both unexpected and devastating, as it underscores the true power of the entity. It can manipulate reality to such an extent that Skye has no way of knowing what is real and what is a product of the entity’s mind games. This final deception leaves the audience reeling, as they realize that Skye’s fate was sealed from the moment she encountered the entity.
The Haunting Finale: A Public Tragedy
The final moments of Smile 2 are as horrifying as they are tragic. After waking from her hallucination, Skye finds herself back on stage, ready to perform at the first concert of her world tour.
Her fans are cheering, and her team is excited to see her return to the spotlight. But as Skye steps onto the stage, she realizes that the entity is still with her.
In a chilling and gruesome scene, Skye suddenly attacks herself on stage, killing herself in front of a massive audience.
The crowd watches in horror as Skye’s violent death unfolds, and the curse is passed on to thousands of people in attendance, as well as those watching via the recording.
The entity has achieved its ultimate goal, spreading its evil on a massive scale, leaving the audience with the unsettling realization that the curse will continue to grow and claim new victims.
