By John Corrado

The 2022 horror movie Smile rode the wave of a concept ready-made for viral marketing campaigns to become a hit at the box office. Add in the fact that the film’s premise basically allowed for near-endless follow-ups, and a sequel was an inevitable case of not if, but when.

Writer-director Parker Finn (who expanded his 2020 short film Laura Hasn’t Slept to feature length with Smile) now returns with Smile 2, a “bigger” sequel that builds off the idea of an infectious supernatural force that causes people to kill themselves. This entity, of course, gets passed along to whoever the person smiles at before they die, leading to a potentially endless chain of new victims.

It’s a solid starting point for a horror franchise, because it opens up virtually unlimited possibilities to tell different stories within this world. The very concept of a demonic entity that can be transferred to literally anyone if they are smiled at gives Finn the chance to branch off in pretty much any direction he sees fit, by constantly following new protagonists.

That is exactly what Finn does in this entertaining sequel, which pivots to focus on a pop star named Skye Riley (Naomi Scott). After suffering a traumatic accident and undergoing treatment for addiction and substance abuse, Skye is in the process of preparing for her big comeback tour. But she begins to experience disturbing visions after coming in contact with one of the other smiling victims.

If the first film felt like Finn proving what he could do with a feature length and a studio budget, this one feels like him showing off some more by playing around on an even larger canvass. The story builds on the mythology introduced in the first film and has obvious connective tissue with it, but also feels like somewhat of a spinoff. Tonally, this is a very different movie, with more of a maximalist bent to it.

Where as the first Smile functioned as more of a procedural, this one mixes in elements of pop star melodrama; it’s like the studio horror movie riff on Vox Lux. The screenplay fully embraces its own camp factor at points, and is actually surprisingly funny in places (the VOSS Water product placement seen throughout the film, as Skye glugs from those glass bottles, logo turned towards the camera, could also inspire its own amusing drinking game).

Like how the first film served as a calling card for its lead Sosie Bacon, Smile 2 is a really solid showcase for Naomi Scott. Scott gives the role of Skye Riley her all, devouring the opportunity to play a struggling pop diva that is far from her Disney roots. She nails the flashy rehearsal and performance scenes, and is given a handful of original songs to perform, but is equally well-suited to the many dramatic and horror moments. Rosemarie DeWitt also steals scenes as Skye’s ever-present mom, who never stopped being a stage mother to her adult daughter.

Right from the confident camera moves in the gritty opening sequence (which more closely mirrors the tone of the first movie), Finn proves himself adept at building a series of suspenseful and well-executed set-pieces. The film quite effectively delivers the expected jump scares accompanied by loud noises and flashes of grisly body horror (the use of a dumbbell weight will make you wince), with some unsettling scenes that are designed to mess with your head through clever editing.

Like the first film, Smile 2 does have a gimmicky element to it, mixing more disturbing psychological horror with some basic funhouse thrills. The film does feel long at over two hours, and the pacing can be a bit sluggish in places, lacking some of the original’s forward momentum. Finn also could have leaned in more to the pop concert angle (similar to what M. Night Shyamalan did in Trap), and the ending feels slightly cut short.

Like the demonic force passing itself along through smiles, the film is also very obviously designed to keep the franchise going by setting up a third one. But, perhaps fittingly for a movie about a pop star, Smile 2 mainly functions as a piece of well-crafted pop entertainment. It’s designed to be watched with an audience along for the ride, and delivers what you want from that experience.

Film Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)

Smile 2 opens exclusively in theatres on October 18th.