Must-Watch Fantasy Thriller, Rated 16+, Tops 2024 Best Films List—Now Available!

Genre film enthusiasts understand that the announcement of a sequel to a successful horror movie rarely bodes well. With a few notable exceptions like Scream, horror franchises often struggle to reinvent their worlds, instead attempting to replicate a proven formula. However, there are exceptions to this trend.

Following an effective but somewhat forgettable first installment, the release of Smile 2 was a shock to many viewers. Creative, superbly written, and masterfully directed, this sequel surprised the industry and established its director as a significant figure in the horror world going forward. As it debuts on Paramount+, let’s examine a film that finally takes horror seriously.

What is Smile 2 About?

As pop star Skye Riley embarks on a new world tour, she starts experiencing terrifying and inexplicable events. Overwhelmed by the pressures of fame and as her life increasingly spirals into horror, Skye is forced to confront her dark past to try and regain control of her life before it’s too late.

Horror with a Message

The Smile saga’s concept is simple yet effective: a supernatural entity that feeds on its host’s fear decides to torment a character until they descend into madness. To achieve this, the creature adopts the image of the victim’s loved ones, identifiable by their unnervingly wide smiles.

This concept works on three levels: it ensures the horror persists throughout the film (the entity thrives as long as the fear lasts); it allows viewers to strongly identify with the character who fears the same things they do; and it’s cost-effective, requiring only that actors remain still and smile on close-up.

Unlike the first film, Smile 2 does more than leverage the undeniable effectiveness of this concept—it transforms it into a metaphor. Not only does Skye endure the hell of hallucinations induced by the entity, but the film also emphasizes that no one—neither her mother, friends, nor her team—believes her.

This adds a layer of despair to the film’s horror, significantly enhancing its impact while paradoxically making it very realistic: the “Smile 2 experience” for the audience is quite similar to what real individuals suffering from hallucinations feel when they are misunderstood and abandoned by those around them. In other words, in Smile 2, the horror itself carries a deeper meaning.

Brilliant Direction

Beyond its powerful and serious message (which is unusual for the genre), Smile 2 stands out through the precise direction of Parker Finn. For Finn, Smile 2 isn’t just a haunted house ride; it’s primarily about moving the audience with the tragic fate of a pop star whose fame has become her greatest curse: harassed by paparazzi, stalked by fans who no longer see her as human, and dehumanized by producers who talk about her as if she’s mere merchandise.

Here, Smile 2 shines by drawing a parallel between the harassment the singer faces and the fact that audience members are watching the film: literally, we take pleasure in her suffering, because without it, there would be no story to tell. This compelling idea was highlighted by the director in an interview with Entertainment Weekly:

“What I loved about […] this film was [the idea] of creating this meta moment. I wanted to ask: did we do this to Skye? By watching Smile 2, did we make her undergo this? I find this notion that we are complicit fascinating.”

As heart-wrenching as it is frightening, as entertaining as it is diabolical, Smile 2 is a must-watch for all fans of genre cinema, and for anyone who loves great film moments found where least expected.

Smile 2 is now streaming on Paramount+.

AlloCiné offers daily over 40 articles covering the latest in movies and series, interviews, streaming recommendations, and quirky facts about your favorite films and series. Subscribing to AlloCiné on Google Discover ensures you explore the riches of a site designed by enthusiasts for enthusiasts daily.