Parker Finn gave horror fans something to Smile about with his cheerily titled 2022 chiller about a malevolent entity that passes from grin to grin. And now the filmmaker is looking to make horror sequel fans smile too with, well, Smile 2. Looking to go bigger and bolder with the series' simple say-cheese-and-die premise, this time out Finn is upping the ante by casting Naomi Scott as pop megastar protagonist Skye Riley, whose international tour gets royally funked up by a succession of sinister smirking faces. Check out the creepy new trailer below:
After the pop star personae focus of Smile 2's first trailer, this one skews darker and more insular, ramping up the dread as we see how Skye first comes face to leering face with the saga's teeth-bearing, transmissible entity. In short, it involves Lukas Gage, an unwelcome phantom visitor, and some bone-crunching business with a weightlifting plate that gives the phrase 'hitting the gym' a whole new meaning. From there, it's smiles all round for everyone except Skye as her career, mental health, and entire life spiral out of control, forcing the songstress to take drastic action in her quest to track down the source of her sorrows. With shrill strings, claustrophobic close-ups, and beaming oddballs up the wazoo, it looks like another nightmarish psychological chiller awaits.
Here’s the official synopsis for the smirksome sequel: “About to embark on a new world tour, global pop sensation Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) begins experiencing increasingly terrifying and inexplicable events. Overwhelmed by the escalating horrors and the pressures of fame, Skye is forced to face her dark past to regain control of her life before it spirals out of control.” Kyle Gallner is set to reprise the role of Joel from Smile, whilst Peter Jacobsen, Rosemary DeWitt, Dylan Gelula, Raul Castillo and Miles Gutierrez-Riley are all aboard this time out for Finn's latest round of grinning grimness.
So will Smile 2 get us in the spooky season spirit? Or will it make us frown upside-up? We'll find out when Parker Finn's latest horror offering hits cinemas on 18 October.