By Krystal Torres ’25
Gruesome, horrifying, and repulsive are all words that cannot even begin to describe the new movie “Smile 2.” I would not recommend this movie to anyone squeamish or nauseous at the sight of blood. It was very graphic and had a lot of gruesome scenes. If you have a weak stomach, this movie is not for you.
In the film, the main character, Skye Riley, is a famous pop singer and artist. She previously struggled with substance abuse because of a car accident that resulted in a back injury. Surgery was required, which is why she needed these substances. She went to a rehabilitation center to better herself and when she was released, she announced a world tour to show everyone her improvement. However, she’s keeping a secret from everyone. She still has drugs and has thoughts of taking them to relieve her back pain. In one scene, it shows her hiding away in her bathroom staring hopelessly at the pills when her mother/ manager knocks on the door and startles her. This led to her dropping the pills down the drain and getting frustrated. This is when the movie takes a turn. She goes to see an old friend and the person she gets her drugs from, and she notices he’s acting irrationally. To sum it up, he ends up killing himself in front of her by bashing his face in with a large and heavy weight you would typically use to work out with. Her life then changes. She starts to see things that aren’t there and have “hallucinations.” Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to be saved from her struggles, which eventually led to a tragic ending for her.
One of the scenes that I, unfortunately, remember vividly and think about is the ending when she is getting almost eaten and the demon she had in her is coming out. This demon was made up of intestines and looked very disgusting.
Naomi Scott, who plays Skye Riley, does an amazing job showing how the “demon” controls the person’s thoughts and controls what they do. When she screamed, she screamed from deep down and when she would explode or have a manic episode, she would make it so believable that I would feel for her almost as if it was real.
While I myself am very squeamish and I did find myself covering my eyes and ears or looking away at least ten times during this movie, I would watch it again and would recommend it to others. Everything about this movie was good, from the music, to the way the actors were portrayed, the different scenes, the sudden jumpscares you wouldn’t expect, all of it was excellent and enhanced the movie.
I would not recommend this movie to anyone squeamish or nauseous at the sight of blood. This movie was very graphic and had a lot of gruesome scenes. If you have a weak stomach, this movie is not for you.
The Raider Press 