34/47

Skye Riley: [to Smile Entity] You're not in control, me!

Tale

About to embark on a world tour, global pop sensation Skye Riley begins to experience increasingly terrifying and unexplained events. Crushed by escalating horrors and the pressures of fame, Skye is forced to come face to face with her past. Kyle Gallner is the only actor to reprise his role from the first film so far.. In one scene, Skye places a bottle of VOSS water on a stone/marble kitchen counter and a noise is heard that matches the sound of something plastic being placed on it. VOSS water bottles are made of glass, something that's actually specifically emphasized in the movie, and so the audio doesn't match the action seen.. .

How wrong I was

Featured on The 7PM Project: Episode 17 October 2024 (2024). I didn't have high hopes for 'Smile 2'. It seemed like a concept that contained one movie and nothing more. This movie took an above average horror movie in the original and said we're going to make it better in every way possible. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's still horror popcorn, but it's horror popcorn of the highest quality. Jump scares rarely get anything out of me these days.

Her character was pretty well created though

This one had to jump out of my chair a few times. I have to point this out though - it really did sound like the loudest jumps I've ever heard in a movie theater. Even when the scare wasn't working, the sheer noise could be quite startling. I'm not quite sure if it was just the volume in my theater or the sound mixing. I was worried when we were introduced to the main character, and she was a pop star, that it would be hard to get on her side. Real-life pop stars haven't become the most liked people in the last few decades.

Many modern horror films forget about this, but not this film

She was flawed, but she was also very personable and easily sided. It has to be said that we got a great performance from Naomi Scott. A good opening scene in a horror movie has become a lost art. It's so important to engage your audience from the start and set the standard. The opening scene was great and really started the movie off on the right note. This movie is pretty long for a horror movie, coming in at over 2 hours.

However, it never happened and even stuck the ending together, which I was really worried wouldn't happen

It's an ambitious ask to maintain the quality for so long, and I kept wondering when it would all fall apart. I never thought I'd write this, but 'Smile 2' will be a contender for one of the best horror movies of 2024. 9.5/10.