Naomi Scott plays Skye Riley, a pop star whose career is about to take off — and whose mind is about to fall apart. That’s the setup for Smile 2, and it’s a stronger premise than the movie delivers. Parker Finn directs and writes the sequel, which follows Skye as she faces escalating horrors tied to a cursed entity passed from victim to victim.
The film runs 127 minutes and mixes horror with mystery, leaning on the audience’s dread of what Skye might see next. The tagline promises it’s the last thing you’ll see — but the movie doesn’t always live up to that promise.
Trailer, via Paramount Pictures.
Skye’s Spiral
Skye’s troubles start small. She sneaks out to buy Vicodin from her old classmate Lewis, a drug dealer, after hurting her back in rehearsals. When Lewis is possessed by the Smile Entity and kills himself in front of her, Skye becomes the next host. Hallucinations of her dead boyfriend Paul, her assistant Joshua, and a disfigured Lewis follow her everywhere.
The film tracks Skye’s spiral through flashbacks to her past struggles with substance abuse and her car crash that killed Paul. Her mother/manager Elizabeth tries to keep her grounded, but Skye can’t shake the visions. She reaches out to her estranged friend Gemma for support, and eventually meets a nurse named Morris who explains the curse’s rules.
A Familiar Cast
The ensemble is led by Naomi Scott, who carries the weight of Skye’s collapse. Rosemarie DeWitt plays Elizabeth with the right mix of concern and control. Lukas Gage plays Lewis with the right mix of menace and desperation. Miles Gutierrez-Riley plays Joshua as a loyal aide caught in the chaos. Peter Jacobson plays Morris as the steady hand explaining the rules. Ray Nicholson plays Paul as a presence felt in the background. Dylan Gelula plays Gemma as the one friend who still believes in Skye. Raúl Castillo plays Darius, the head of Skye’s record company, with a calm authority. Kyle Gallner returns as Joel, the officer who carried the curse before passing it on.
Drew Barrymore appears as herself, hosting the talk show where Skye makes her comeback announcement. Director Parker Finn comesos as a photographer. The film also includes a CBS News segment featuring Vladimir Duthiers and Kristine Johnson, and a hallucination of Sosie Bacon as Rose Cotter appears to Joel. Trevor Newlin appears as the Smile Entity in its true form.
Where It Falls Short
The middle stretch drags. The curse’s rules are explained repeatedly, and some scenes feel like filler rather than building tension. The film’s $28 million budget shows in its production value, but the script doesn’t always match the polish.
The ending ties things together with a callback to the original film’s setup, but it feels rushed rather than earned. Skye’s arc is compelling in theory — a pop star losing control of her life — but the execution relies too heavily on shock value over character development.
Key Dates
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Smile released | 2022 |
| Smile 2 pre-production began | April 2023 |
| Principal photography | January–March 2024 |
| Smile 2 release | October 18, 2024 |
Smile 2 grossed $138.1 million worldwide and received four Saturn Award nominations, including Best Horror Film and Best Actress for Scott. Scott’s performance is the film’s strongest element. She sells Skye’s descent with a mix of terror and exhaustion that anchors the whole picture.
The supporting cast holds up the weaker stretches. Rosemarie DeWitt’s Elizabeth and Lukas Gage’s Lewis both get moments to shine, even in smaller roles.
Parker Finn’s direction keeps the pace moving, but the screenplay needs tightening. The film’s ambition — a pop-star horror vehicle that also comments on fame and trauma — is real, but the execution falls short of the idea.
Smile 2 is a watchable, occasionally gripping horror film that leans on its cast and premise more than its script. Naomi Scott deserves credit for carrying a messy narrative, and the film’s grosses and award nods suggest audiences agreed with her.
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