“Smile 2,’’ the recent sequel of “Smile” (2022), is a psychological supernatural horror film directed by Parker Finn. The original film follows a therapist slowly losing her sanity from a curse unwillingly given to her by a traumatic event spawned from one of her patients. The sequel, however, follows a pop star Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) who is infected by the Smile curse and the film follows as her mental health rapidly deteriorates. The Smile curse feeds off of mental health, and despite being a great concept with great performances by talented actors, there was more potential that wasn’t fully lived up to in the original. However, the sequel lives up to all of that potential and more.

Bigger, bolder, and infinitely more cruel than its predecessor, “Smile 2” refines every idea from the original while being even more creative and thrilling in the process. Personally, the jumpscares were not very memorable; the build-up sequences were much more intense and intriguing. The enemy’s weapon is the mind, there’s so much creativity in this concept that was executed perfectly. Not to mention, the final act was absolutely perfectly crafted and terrifying to watch unfold.

Skye is a fantastic protagonist to follow throughout the movie, in large part thanks to Naomi Scott. She delivers such an amazing performance and really sells how hopeless her situation feels in ways the original can only dream of accomplishing. She’s trapped, and the film successfully makes the audience feel trapped as well. The film puts this character through hell and back, and back to hell again, especially with the more hard-to-watch scenes. Public and private scrutiny, substance abuse, a demon haunting her mind, and worst of all; a mother who’s easily the most hateable modern horror character to date. As well as the acting, the look of the film is amazing. Top-tier cinematography with awesome uses of tracking shots and long takes to heighten the tension at every opportunity. The film’s opener immediately caught my attention for how dynamic it looked.

All around, “Smile 2” is an amazing sequel to the first movie, and a perfect movie on its own too. It’s completely worth the watch, and will scare you to no end.