On Friday, Oct. 18, “Smile 2” hit the box offices. It immediately drew fans of the previous film and the larger horror genre alike. Since “Smile” had been so popular after its release in 2022, the developers wanted to up the stakes for the sequel.
The directing team wanted the audience to understand the impossible challenges the main character faced in her situation. The emotions that she felt were wonderfully crafted through the chaotic sequence of events.
“Smile 2” focused on global popstar, Skye Riley, as she prepared for a world tour after a year-long hiatus. Over the course of the film, she faced many unexplainable and terrifying events that no one else seemed to experience. She had to come to terms with the darkness of her past and attempt to regain control of her life before it was too late.
Over two hours long, “Smile 2” was full of psychological twists and turns. It left the audience feeling anxious and wanting to know how it all ended. The ending of the film gave the Smile franchise an opening for the possibility of a third movie.
“My roommate forced me to go, but I was also kind of excited to watch it,” Aodyn Bastow, a junior, said. She hadn’t seen a lot of horror movies previously and was open to watching something new.
Hailey Laughlin, a junior, said, “I definitely haven’t seen a lot [of horror movies], but I feel like as I get older, I like it more—like I’m less scared.” She was excited to see “Smile 2” in theaters and watched it on opening night.
“The storyline was good. I felt like it could have been better though,” Laughlin said. She explained that the film could have been scarier. There were jump scares, but she felt it was gorier than the psychological thriller it was advertised as. “There were jump scares, but it wasn’t actually scary,” she said.
Although the two movies could be watched out of their chronological order, Laughlin suggested that “Smile” be watched first because it explains some of the background plot more than “Smile 2” does.
“I liked the suspense,” Bastow said. She explained that she would recommend “Smile 2” to other people, but mostly as a one-time thing for the experience. She added that she thinks that there will be a third installment to the “Smile” series.
“Take your friends. It’s a fun watch,” Laughlin said.
So far, “Smile 2” has made $82 million in the first two weeks of being in theaters. It will be in theaters until around Nov. 7 and, in a few months, it will be released for streaming on Paramount+.
Sierra Rode can be reached at [email protected]