In 2022, young filmmaker Parker Finn introduced fans of the horror genre to a whole new realm of fear with his feature film directorial debut 'Smile'. And fans have had to wait a mere two years for the film's highly-desired sequel, which serves the purpose of reminding those same audience members just why they were so in love with the original in the first place.
The whole concept behind 'Smile' is simple yet effective. It places audience members in a state of discomfort, utilising the idea of a haunting cheek-to-cheek grin to create fear and tension. Throw in a handful of really well-crafted, but not over-done jump scares, and you've got yourself one of the best horror films in modern day cinema.
Just over two years ago, we witnessed Sosie Bacon as Dr. Rose Cotter, an employee at a mental institute who becomes infected with the unexplainable 'curse' and as a result, becomes haunted by a series of disturbing smiles that eventually cause life-threatening events.
But this time around, we are introduced to English actress Naomi Scott as the popstar phenomenon, Skye Riley, the newest victim to face the horrifying experiences that come with this sinister infection.
One unique trait that we saw in the first film, and again here in the sequel, is Parker Finn's ability to merge the concept of unrealistic and almost fantasy-like horror with legitimate realistic issues. Whereas before we saw the 'curse' manipulate Cotter's experiences with troubling issues surrounding her job and her poor relationship with her sister, this time around it is the negative effects that drug-abuse and alcoholism can have on a person's life that ends up in synchronism with the actual haunting that the protagonist is experiencing.
The fact that writer and director, Parker Finn, chooses to intertwine the elements of cinematic horror as well as real-life touching issues is a bold attempt at trying to make the experiences of our protagonist somewhat relatable to the audience, amplifying the horror aspects as a result.
Following the heart-stopping and tension-spiking events that we are forced to witness in the original, it would become easy for the filmmaker to forfeit the idea of making the sequel just as frightening as it's predecessor. But this certainly isn't the case as Parker Finn finds a whole new catalogue of ways to make audience members fall from their seats with a series of unexpected and hair-straightening jump scares.
Naomi Scott undoubtedly serves up the best performance of her career as mentally-haunted popstar, Skye Riley. The English actress perfectly portrays what the lifestyle of an admirable female musician, tasked with facing and overcoming her own traumatic experiences, whilst facing a deadly curse, just might be like.
The character of Skye Riley is one that should be and will be remembered for generations to come, as there are so many layers to her personality and past experiences that have made her the protagonist we see on screen. And Naomi Scott's portrayal of the mentally-haunted and career-obsessed musician will go down as one of the best performances within the horror genre of all time.
It is going to be really exciting as to where Parker Finn will take the future of the 'Smile' franchise. The filmmaker is 2 for 2 now in terms of creating movies that not only dramatically increase the heart-rate of audience members, but take them on a cinematic journey filled with unexpected twists along the way. The future of the franchise could see the 'Smile' series reach similar heights that we have seen the likes of 'Saw' and 'Scream' reach across recent decades.
PrimeTime Films Score: A-
Comments