‘Smile 2’ Review: Goofy Horror Meets Pop Star Drama

I left the theater on Oct. 15 smiling.

I attended the “Smile 2” screening hosted by Angela Yee in Manhattan, not expecting to enjoy the film as much as I did. The original “Smile” movie did not leave a memorable impact on me, and I was expecting an even lesser impact for this sequel.

But I was proven wrong. While the original “Smile” movie followed a relatively mundane woman, “Smile 2” follows the anything-but-mundane pop star Skye Riley. She is a fascinating character to insert into the smiling demon’s narrative, whose story is that it possesses people and drives them crazy until they ultimately commit suicide (while wearing an evil smile) in front of a witness. The witness then gets possessed, and the cycle continues.

Riley is next in the chain for this smiling demon, who is even more brutal and sinister than it was in the first movie. Riley is already dealing with back pain after a car accident that killed her boyfriend, struggling with a resurfacing drug addiction, and enduring endless pressure from her management to make a comeback on her upcoming world tour. Add demon possession to the list, and you have got one heck of a plot.

But, despite the depth of the main character and the intricacies of the plot, the movie was not perfect. Its majority was made up of the tired jump scares anyone would expect from a mainstream horror movie. Every 20 minutes or so, expect to see the creepy smile pop up somewhere. The pop-ups become more frequent and frightening as the movie goes on, but, regardless, it’s predictable.

The movie is also slightly hard to follow at times, especially nearing the end, when the line between reality and hallucination becomes almost too blurred to distinguish. There are some cool plot twists as the film nears its close, but the watcher is left a bit confused as the plot quickens and Riley is thrown into a whirlpool of demonic illusions.

But my biggest qualm with the film has to be its gross product placement. Riley drinks copious amounts of water whenever she’s tempted to relapse, and it’s hilariously obvious this plot point was only added to serve as the excuse to showcase a VOSS water bottle in virtually every scene. It’s like VOSS is a lead character. I get that it’s just “Smile 2” being goofy in the way it’s presenting the product placement, but for me, the joke got old quickly.

There are a few welcome comedic moments throughout the film that offer the viewer respite from the repetitive jump scares and water-drinking sessions, which I do appreciate. I feel like I laughed just as many times as I screamed.

Ultimately, for me, it’s the last scene that makes the movie. I stood up from my seat, smiling at a surprising and deliciously sinister ending.

I think horror movies are terribly difficult to get right, and I’m rarely impressed at the endless cycle of paranormal plots that come to theaters and seem to be mere remakes of their predecessors. “Smile 2,” although not ground-breaking, offers a refreshing take on horror. Our character is deeply flawed and multi-faceted, and her horror story offers a commentary on the difficulties of fame and pressure. It’s not a vastly interesting commentary and it’s definitely been dealt with before in other films, but still, it gives “Smile 2” just enough of an edge to win my recommendation. If you’re a horror fan, I think you’ll like this.