Just when you thought Smile had reached peak nightmare fuel, Smile 2 shoves you deeper into the abyss, kicking off with one of the most intense openers in recent horror. Six days after the first film’s grim ending, we meet a quietly terrified Joel (Kyle Gallner), who’s waking nightmare has clearly driven him to desperation. What follows is a ‘oner’ for the ages. Director Parker Finn has outdone himself here, directing a single-take sequence that grabs you by the collar and doesn’t let go – from pitch-perfect cinematography and jaw-dropping violence to one final shot that practically spells out, “buckle up” in dismembered body parts. Trust me, you’ll want to hold onto something.
Enter our leading lady, Skye Riley (Naomi Scott), a popstar in the Taylor Swift mold, fresh from rehab and on the brink of a make-or-break comeback tour. Her life is already a media circus, with her suffocating mother managing her every move and fans (some more savoury than others) watching her like hawks. But Skye’s got bigger problems. After watching her friend Lewis (Lukas Gage) meet a gruesome end courtesy of a gym weight (let’s just say you’ll think twice before bench-pressing again), Skye becomes the new host for that demonic grin.
What follows is a mind-bending descent into chaos, with Skye trapped in a world where nothing is quite as it seems. Finn cranks up the dials with reality-twisting hallucinations that fray her sanity scene by scene, each more unsettling than the last. From grotesque imagery to psychological torment, the film’s second act is a brutal, brilliantly unsettling spiral as Skye fights to break free from her haunting. It’s a masterclass in suspense that makes for a merciless, nail-biting viewing experience, setting up an epic high-stakes finale.
Where Smile 2 leaves something to be desired is in its heavy reliance on hallucinations to keep the audience guessing. While these mind-bending tricks kept us guessing in the first movie, here, they’re piled on so high it’s stats to feel like Inception but with more blood. After a while, it’s hard to tell what’s real and what’s just another mind game from Skye’s grinning tormentor. The endless “gotcha” moments start to feel a little cheap, diluting the impact and making it harder to stay invested in Skye’s journey.
But let’s talk about the standout – Naomi Scott. As Skye, she’s an absolute force, selling every ounce of her character’s fear, desperation, and fractured reality with courageous authenticity. Each terrified glance, each unsteady breath, pulls you in and makes the horror feel real – it’s impossible not to root for her, even as her world crumbles. Scott’s commitment is absolute and Finn makes full use of that, drawing out a performance that has well and truly put Scott on the map.
The Verdict: Scott and her interaction with the cast around her add depth to a horror experience that feels both visually striking and emotionally potent. While Smile 2 occasionally overdoes it with the hallucinations, it’s saved by that central powerhouse performance and Finn’s razor-sharp direction. This is a horror sequel that hits hard, digs deep, and delivers a uniquely unsettling look at grief and fear. It’s chaotic, it’s chilling, and it’ll make you think twice about ever flashing that toothy grin again.