‘Tis the season for sinister smiles and haunted faces! Smile 2 was released in theaters on October 28, 2024. The movie was promoted at a few baseball games leading up to its release, which caught the media’s attention. People in the stands of the games were hired to just smile into the camera. Many viewers found this to be creepy yet brilliant advertising due to the mass coverage it received. In fact, an EP was released to go along with the new movie’s plot– Smile 2: The Skye Riley EP.
The movie follows pop star Skye Riley, played by Naomi Scott. Her character begins the story as a recovering addict. After some time away from fame, she appears on a talk show to announce her upcoming tour and share her story. However, this movie has much more to unpack than just a simple pop show. Without too many spoilers, I will take you on a journey throughout the film, including its possible Easter eggs and missed details.
The beginning of Smile 2 includes Joel from the first film; he is seen trying to escape the curse and pass it on. The curse eventually reaches Skye Riley’s friend, Lewis Fregoli. Lacking information about what he is seeing, he begins to go crazy. The curse is eventually passed on at the end of an unsettling meeting between Fregoli and Riley.
As the popstar returns to her apartment, she must decide whether to report what she just witnessed—which, to her lack of knowledge, is the Smile curse. She attempts to go through her daily life but is haunted by Fregoli. She begins to see smiling creatures everywhere but remains silent about it, fearing any linkage to her and drugs. The movie takes the audience to a deeper entail of Skye’s character; during her addiction, she killed her friend, Paul Hudson, and lost her best friend, Gemma. The trauma begins to consume her throughout the movie. Her mother notices this unusual, erratic pattern and advises Skye to reach out to Gemma for support, which she does.
For most of the movie, Skye Riley shows a clear, vulnerable side with Gemma. They spend nights together, and she is the only person Skye willingly tells her experience to. However, Skye is forced to open up to a stranger who claims to know about the curse she is facing. He explains the rules of the curse: it takes over within about a week and does not end until someone dies, it is passed to whomever witnesses the death. He claims to have a solution, but Skye is extremely skeptical.
After many unsettling encounters originating from the curse, she ends up in a hospital. Skye reaches out to the man for help after realizing no other option exists. In one of the biggest plot twists of the movie, “Gemma” was not the same person who Skye had known for so many years. Riley eventually meets with the man who claims to have a solution. Yet again, she faces another challenge; he ultimately disappears and leaves her in the cold. There, she is trapped with her real demon and keeps up a decent fight with it. The movie ends with Skye’s curse finally ending.
There were hints of Gemma’s identity, or lack thereof, throughout the movie. During the night, Skye turns to face Gemma, who appears to be smiling at her. It then flashes to morning, where Gemma’s side of he bed seems untouched. The same day, Skye’s mom visits and does not acknowledge Gemma. While this was probably hard to catch before the later revealing, it is worth noting the nice details that were added.
Smile 2 takes the audience through thrillers and plot-twisting moments. Phillip Hawkins (12) describes it as “definitely one of [his] top horror movies. This movie was something else. A few words to describe it would be petrifying, spine-chilling, and creepy.” This movie definitely can leave viewers on the edge of their seat!
