Smile 2 ★★★

SMILE was a sleeper hit in 2022 thanks to a slightly interesting premise and, more importantly, a clever viral marketing effort.

The potentially disturbing nature of a smiling person isn’t new – it’s the premise of every scary clown – and neither is the idea of passing on a curse.

But smiling widely and stupidly while you do it? Well, that’s something a little new.

Luckily writer/director Parker Finn doesn’t just repeat the entire formula for his 2024 sequel, Smile 2.

It’s the same premise, but Finn delves deeper into its construction by focussing on the impact it causes to the person trying to break the passage of the curse.

At the centre of the film is a very good performance by Naomi Scott as Skye Riley, a pop star who begins to experience the curse while she is trying to get her personal and professional life back together and embark on a comeback tour. Along with a nice tracking shot for the film’s opener, the event that triggers the curse for Skye is also one of the best and scariest sequences.

Of course it’s spoiled in the trailer. But if you’ve forgotten that, watch out for Skye’s visit to one of her school friends Lewis, played well by Lukas Gage, who hooks her up with pain-killing meds for her back. It’s a doozy.

Unfortunately, the story starts to wear a little thin in the second half and the suspense also wanes as a result. But Scott’s performance does stay very watchable throughout.

Watched on Apple TV.