Smile – Matthew Liedke on Film

Sequels to good horror movies can sometimes be tricky to pull off, depending on the concept behind the scares. Unfortunately, despite a solid effort, “Smile 2” doesn’t stick the landing.

The film picks up just six days after the end of the 2022 film, with the smile spirit being passed on from the police officer from the original to a drug dealer. That individual just so happens to be the supplier to a major pop music star named Skye Riley (Naomi Scott), who’s taking pain meds for a lingering injury.

The bad news for Skye is she meets up with her dealer just as he is killed by the smile entity, passing it on to her. As a result, her preparation for a new musical tour turns into a nightmare.

Continue reading “REVIEW: ‘Smile 2’ shows this concept can only go so far”

Here in Minnesota, we know all about misleading smiles. It’s called being passive aggressive. The smiles in this film, though, are much more devilish.

Parker Finn makes his feature directorial debut with this new horror film, with Sosie Bacon playing the protagonist Rose. A doctor in a psychiatric ward, Rose regularly works with patients and it’s what brings her into contact with a troubled woman at the movie’s start.

The woman, a PhD student, says she’s been seeing a sinister figure who takes the form of people with an evil grin, before taking her own life. At first, Rose deduces that the woman must have been suffering from a mental ilness, until the same evil force begins appearing before her, too.

Continue reading “REVIEW: ‘Smile’ will have horror fans smiling”