Chelsea Alexandra
Between M.Night Shyamalan’s Trap and now Parker Finn’s Smile 2, pop stars will be taking over the big screens later this year. Finn’s follow-up to the 2022 horror film, Smile 2 introduces us to Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) who is preparing to take on her next world tour. After witnessing the curse, her days begin to be marked, and will begin to experience one terrifying event after the next. Scream King, Kyle Gallner will be reprising the role of Joel from the first film.
Although Gallner is not featured in the trailer, the return of Joel is something I’m looking forward to. When we last saw the character of Joel, it was in the final moments of the first film. After watching Rose (Sosie Bacon) succumb to the curse, it is presumed that Joel would have had seven days to live afterward. It will be interesting if he is a major part of this film or similarly adds to the lore as Rob Morgan’s character, Robert Talley, a prisoner who Rose’s character finds in hopes of finding the answers to end the curse.
Finn’s setting the bar higher in Smile 2. He is taking the curse from an isolated environment and putting it out in the world. Smile (2022) provided audiences with some of the best jump scares that year, I can only hope that the sequel delivers a decent amount if not more. I hope that between Smile 2 and Trap, we begin to see the rise of the pop artist at the center of a compelling horror. Could pop stars be the new scream queens? Will they be singing melodies that will haunt us in our nightmares? God, I hope so.
Recently, the marketing team for Smile 2 has created an Instagram account for Skye and her “SkyeNation.” If there is one thing they know how to do, it’s to market their film. In 2022, people showed up to high-profile events like sports games sporting the series’ trademark unnatural grin. Now audiences can prepare for Smile 2 by being a part of Skye Nation by listening to her single Blood on White Satin and following Skye Riley on Instagram.
I will admit that when the first installment was released, I was on the fence. Sure, the unsettling grins through their marketing and trailer rocked me to my core. However, I wasn’t completely sold on the premise. Once I gave Finn’s directorial debut a chance, it was a compelling trauma story while offering the audience a premise to be invested in: Once you are marked by a smile, your days are numbered. As much as it made me crawl out of my seat, it was a fun ride from start to finish. I am hoping that Smile 2 will do just the same!
Written and directed by Parker Finn and starring Naomi Scott, Kyle Gallner, Lukas Gage, and Rosemarie DeWitt, the highly anticipated Smile 2 will be released in theaters on October 18, 2024.
