Smile 2 Review
This was pretty much a better version of the first Smile in many respects. I mean where to begin when the movie really isn't playing around during the prologue? For one I'm gonna come clean: Naomi Scott's performance is almost on equal footing with Goth's in Pearl. One moment we are transported into Black Swan/Suspiria meets Evil Dead the next we are given a more masterful handling of jumpscares than the previous outing. Plus it even throws in some inspired intelligence during a bit involving a freezer. But one of its more inspired elements is how it takes advantage of that same pop star lifestyle and mixes one Avant Garde scene with another slightly exploitative scene with a heaping dose of psychological drama to give you a horror movie that is as fun as it is outré. There's even a scene that is a clever red herring involving a crazed fan which worked even better with the same line-blurring horror. It has everything a good modern horror movie should have, even if it flirts with the line if not crosses it just right at certain points.