Rahul Menon’s review published on Letterboxd:
Smile while you still can—this one's bound to haunt you!
Smile 2 is like getting caught in a horrific pop star fever dream—and I mean that as a huge compliment. Naomi Scott, as Skye Riley, absolutely devours the screen, downing entire bottles of Voss water like it’s a new Olympic event. I was already rattled by the movie’s killer opening (Kyle Gallner, I see you!) and just as Skye’s terrifying visions escalate, so did my white-knuckled grip on my seat. Parker Finn takes everything he started in the first movie and amps it up to an 11—twists, scares, gore, you name it. If I thought the original was bleak, "Smile 2" pulled any shred of humor out, leaving me shaking from Skye’s brutal spiral into terror. And when Rosemarie DeWitt flashed that haunting grin? Let’s just say that smile will haunt my dreams.
Finn uses the bigger budget here to throw every sickeningly disturbing idea at the screen. This time around, Smile’s horror isn’t just some cheap jolt—it’s sinister, dark, and twisted, with a bleakness that grips you. And that ending? Way too chilling to spoil. Let’s just say Smile 2 is the most "cringe-inducing" flick that had me grinning like I’d seen a ghost.
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