Welcome to Knockout Horror. Today we are checking out the trailer to horror sequel Smile 2. I actually completely skipped the movie Smile and that was, in large part, down to the trailer. I hated it! They made it come across as a jump scare filled, cheesy, waste of time horror. It left me feeling like the movie had nothing to offer me and so I skipped it.
It was only after the movie starting getting a bit of fanfare that I realised I may have made a mistake. With that in mind, I watched Smile for the first time just a couple of days ago. I actually enjoyed it. And while I do think it is a fairly cheesy, jump scare packed, generic horror. It is a pretty enjoyable one. So it comes as no surprise to me that Smile 2’s trailer is equally as awful as the trailer for the first movie.
Deja Vu
Everything about this trailer is inspiring a strong sense of Deja vu. This is exactly the same as the first movie’s trailer. We have the same focus on the characters smiling. The same jump scare bullshit and the same tendency to show the best parts of the movie in under 2 minutes. Those of us hoping for Smile 2 to build on the story from the first movie may be disappointed.
About to embark on a world tour, global pop sensation Skye Riley begins experiencing increasingly terrifying and inexplicable events. Overwhelmed by the escalating horrors and the pressures of fame, Skye is forced to face her past.
It’s pretty clear that writer, director, Parker Finn wanted the original movie to be a self contained story that could simply be recycled over and over again. Smile 2 will focus on pop star Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) heading out on a world tour. If you have watched the first movie, you know how this goes. She witnesses someone commit suicide and catches the ol’ Smile Bug. She now has 4 to 7 days to get her shit together before she will do the same, passing the curse on to those who witness her suicide.
A Little Prediction
If you would allow me a moment to make a prediction here. I would suggest the movie will open up with the final character from the first movie committing suicide. Passing on the curse to someone else. They pass it on to Skye. She spends a week trying to find a cure before realising there is nothing she can do. She then goes ahead and commits suicide on stage in front of her adoring fans. Passing the curse on to the thousands of people watching and turning it into a pandemic of sorts. Cue up Smile 3 on a much larger scales and yeah.. The sequel will probably be called Smil3s or something equally as ridiculous.
That’s where I think this will go. Just in case this prediction is way too accurate. I am writing this in August, months before the movie’s release, so no cheating. The trailer is pretty awful. It is going to do what is intended. Spook out some teens and get shared on social media. It doesn’t do anything for me, though, and really emphasises the issue with horror trailers. The entire reason I started this section, in fact. They give away way too much. Less is more.
My big concern for the movie is whether or not Skye Riley is going to be an interesting and likable protagonist. I couldn’t think of much worse than spending two hours with a Miley Cyrus wannabe. It sounds like a fate worse than the Smile curse itself. Naomi Scott is a great actor but can she make this character anything other than hugely annoying? I’m just not sure.
I am fairly certain that the movie will offer more of the same with regards to silliness and jump scares, though. So it may just scratch that very specific “enjoyable fluff horror” itch that we all have from time to time. Smile 2 is scheduled for a pre-Halloween October 16th 2024 release so I guess we will see. Look our for our review in the upcoming months. Thanks for reading and remember to check out our review of Smile to catch up.