“Smile 2,” the long-awaited follow-up to the 2022 horror sensation from Paramount, is back to crank up the terror to new heights. Directed by Parker Finn, the sequel follows pop star Skye Riley, played by Naomi Scott, as she battles a familiar but more unrelenting smile entity amidst her anticipated comeback tour. Featuring disorienting hallucinations, the return of a fan-favorite character, and an unexpected celebrity cameo by Drew Barrymore, “Smile 2” is brimming with suspense and horror. Let’s take a fresh look at its chilling conclusion.
After a harrowing ordeal with the smile entity that seems impossible to shake, Skye Riley finds herself at a rehab clinic, visibly unraveling under the curse’s influence. The entity fully takes over, leading to a gruesome confrontation with her overbearing mother, Elizabeth, whom Skye ends up killing in a possessed rage. It’s a brutal moment, one that also sets the stage for her desperate flight to meet Morris—a mysterious new character with a risky plan to break the curse, though it’s not without its dark price.
During her escape, Skye is joined by her estranged friend Gemma. But just when it seems she has an ally, a jarring twist occurs: Skye gets a call from Gemma, revealing that the “Gemma” sitting beside her is actually the entity in disguise. The tension ramps up as Skye presses forward and finally meets Morris at a grimy pizza joint. His plan? To put Skye’s life on pause by freezing her heart momentarily, hoping that the smile entity would leave her. It’s a desperate gamble, but at this point, Skye is willing to try anything.
Alone in the freezer, Skye endures another horrific hallucination—this time, it’s a younger version of herself, fully overtaken by the entity, ready to do battle. Blood drips from above as the two struggle, and in a frantic bid to reclaim control, Skye injects herself to halt her heart. But, as it turns out, this entire sequence is just another delusion. In an abrupt jolt, the scene transitions to opening night of her comeback tour. The sudden change is disorienting, reality blurring once more.
The real shocker arrives as the entity takes on a monstrous form—a smiling, grotesque figure that forces Skye into a gruesome, body-horror finale. With a twisted grin, the entity compels her to rip open her own stomach, allowing it to crawl inside her. The ending offers no respite, as Skye ultimately stabs herself in the eye, succumbing to the curse. But in true “Smile” fashion, it doesn’t end there. Her horrific death unfolds in front of a massive audience, meaning the curse is far from contained—it’s now passed on to everyone who witnessed the dreadful spectacle.
The bleak, stomach-churning conclusion captures the inescapable nature of the smile entity, a force that feeds on fear and pain. It’s an ending that hints at more chaos to come, potentially paving the way for “Smile 3,” where an even broader population may fall prey to this relentless curse. With each sequel, the stakes seem to rise—what started as an individual’s nightmare now threatens to consume everyone in its path.
In “Smile 2,” Parker Finn doesn’t just aim for more gore and higher stakes; he also digs deeper into Skye’s backstory. From her struggles with addiction to the tragic crash that took her partner Paul’s life, Skye’s traumatic past is inextricably linked to the entity’s hauntings. It blurs the lines between her own guilt and the supernatural horror pursuing her, making the audience question what’s real and what is simply Skye’s internal demons taking form.
The film ultimately leaves us with a question: Is there ever truly an escape from the past? For Skye, it appears not. The entity not only preys on the body but on unresolved trauma, and with her death spreading the curse to countless others, the true horror lies in its relentless, insidious reach. And as the entity’s new hosts become evident, it’s clear that this nightmare is only just beginning, with countless others left to face their own terrifying smiles.
