Horror, gore, with trauma as core

Parker Finn’s ‘Smile’ was an international hit. So, it’s no surprise that he has come up with yet another smile-using demonic possession to make inroads into mental health issues.

The action here picks up just six days after the events of the first film. A cop, Joel (Kyle Gallner), is shown moving in on the home of two murderous drug-dealer brothers. His plan to kill one while making the other watch goes awry because Lewis (Lukas Gage), a low-level dealer, wanders in and ensures chaos. Thereafter, we see the remains of one dead person split across the road in the sinister shape of a smile.

Cut to global pop icon Skye Riley (Naomi Scott), who is readying a return to performing after a period in rehab and a lengthy break due to a gruesome car crash that scarred her and killed her actor boyfriend Paul (Ray Nicholson). Her dependence on pain medication gets her back in touch with Lewis, but that connection proves costly as Lewis bashes his own head open with a 35-pound weight plate, and Skye becomes the victim of possession. Things start to go truly haywire thereafter.

On the cusp of her world tour, Skye begins seeing visions of Lewis and Paul along with ‘smiles’, signalling that demonic possession is underway. Skye is forced to confront her dark past in order to regain control of her life before it spirals out of control.

This film is a tense horror commentary about the devastating effects of trauma.

The narrative is replete with striking visuals and shocking gore, embellished by trusty production design and a musical score that uses creepy sounds to heighten the cinematographic atmospherics. The horror revolves around trauma and addiction. Riley has to battle her internal demons as well as the ‘smile creature’, never sure whether what she is seeing or feeling is real or imagined.

This film is fairly compelling up to a point. Menace in the form of jump-scares stalks the narrative frequently. Finn makes use of black comedy to underscore the thrills. The tempo is slow and uneven at times, but the brutality and hyper-violent gore are hard to stomach.

Cinematographer Charlie Sonoff’s work is commendable. His smart use of lighting enhances the mood and effective framing makes the imagery haunting. Scott’s performance is the highlight of the film. She effectively conveys the trauma of associated guilt, pain, grief and possession with great aplomb. But her performance fails to gain an edge because of Finn’s repetitive use of trickery.

The songs and dance on-stage are performed with aplomb. Cristobal Tapia de Veer’s score manages to serve up an ambience that augments the horror. Costume and production design are also befitting. The narrative mixes campy elements with its horror and fails to come good in the third act.

Finn’s ‘Smile 2’ could have been better given the spiffy tech specs and gravitating performances. Unfortunately, his repetitive overuse of a divisive element makes the experience rather confounding.