Why Smile 2’s Entity Is “More Savage” Than In First Film Explained By Director

Warning: Some SPOILERS lie ahead for Smile 2!

With the movie garnering even greater acclaim than its predecessor, Parker Finn explains why he made The Smiler more savage in Smile 2. Acting as a sequel to Finn’s 2022 viral horror hit, the movie follows pop star Skye Riley, about to make a comeback tour after a near-fatal car accident a year before, as she inadvertently inherits the curse of the malevolent Smiler. She subsequently experiences a series of horrific events to test her sanity, namely the entity presenting itself as a variety of people with a haunting smile across its face.

In honor of the movie’s release, Bloody Disgusting spoke with Finn to break down the development and expansion of the new horror franchise with Smile 2. When asked about whether The Smiler is more savage in the film because the entity is getting stronger or because of the more chaotic mind of Skye, Finn confirmed it to be a “little of both“, going on to explain that one of the biggest things he thought of was making sure “it felt truly tied” to Naomi Scott’s protagonist:

A little of both. And I love that you latched onto that because that was exactly what was on my mind, was this sense of feeling like it’s such a personal thing for each person it interacts with. I really wanted to make sure that it felt really truly tied to Skye and her world, this big world that she has. So it felt very right to go bigger, to go more brutal, more insane, more savage, as you put it. I wanted to make sure that if I was going to ask audiences to give me their time again, that I wasn’t just doing a traditional continuation or a simple retread of the first, but something that felt truly surprising and unexpected that had Smile coursing through its veins but also had its own identity, its own metabolism.

The writer/director also continued to explain that part of the reason why the entity is more savage in Smile 2 is actually the audience themselves. Finn recalled wanting to “find brand-new ways to scare” viewers going into the sequel, namely since the majority will “start ahead of the character” after watching the first film. Check out the rest of Finn’s explanation below:

When it came to figuring out how I was going to stress people out, how I was going to scare them when they’re coming into this film potentially having seen the first. They start ahead of the character, and I was wondering, “Can I use that against them? Can I find brand-new ways to scare them?” Anything we might think we know about the entity after the first, it’s like, well, we’ve only seen that through one person’s eyes so far. What if it’s totally different for someone else? I really wanted to up the ante everywhere I could across the board.

What Finn’s Explanation Means For Smile 2 & Beyond

A Character-Focused Approach Remains His Priority

Finn’s confirmation of The Smiler being far more savage in Smile 2 stemming from Skye’s chaotic mentality makes a lot of sense when considering the entity’s overall rules. Though much is still unknown about it, both movies have made it clear that the entity feeds on trauma, requiring it to spread to a new host as much as stay alive. Though Sosie Bacon’s Rose in the first Smile certainly had a troublesome past and busy life, Skye’s pop star status in the sequel does give a meaningful explanation for why the entity would hold nothing back in tormenting her.

The writer/director’s mention of wanting to view each film’s haunting through his protagonist’s perspective also proves that future Smile movies will always bring a character-focused approach to expanding the franchise. This also lines up with what Finn has shared about the possibility of other films after the new installment, recently sharing the following with Screen Rant ahead of Smile 2‘s release:

I do think that there are so many exciting places that Smile could go. For me, it’s still always about wanting to do something thematically rich that’s centered on character stories. I love where this film goes, and right now I’m excited for audiences to see Smile 2. Hopefully, if they embrace it, I think that there could be a really interesting future for Smile.

Our Take On Smile 2’s Savage Entity

Finn Should Explore Horror Subgenres In New Sequels

Finn truly raised the bar with his second outing in the director’s chair, particularly with Smile 2‘s ending that opened the door to literally thousands of sequels after Skye committed suicide on stage while possessed by The Smiler. While I love his promise that he will always take a character-first approach to developing further installments, part of me also thinks he should start exploring other subgenres within the franchise, as the relentless tension of the sequel might be hard to match, and, subsequently, would be better to have different means of terrifying audiences.

Source: Bloody Disgusting

Smile 2 is the sequel to the 2022 psychological horror film by director Parker Finn that centers on a therapist who witnesses a patient’s suicide, leading to a series of terrifying supernatural events. The sequel will see the return of Finn as director, with Paramount continuing distribution.

Director

Parker Finn

Release Date

October 18, 2024

Distributor(s)

Paramount Pictures

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