Reviews
[REVIEW] ‘Smile 2’ Sees Parker Finn up the Ante on Sights, Sounds, and Scares
From its opening sequence, I knew that Smile 2 would be everything I wanted from the first Smile film. Aside from its excellent scripting and some true blue moments of terror from actress Sosie Bacon, the first film felt, unfortunately, underwhelming in how it utilized the horror of having your reality slowly stolen from you. Parker Finn’s directing and Charlie Saroff’s cinematography elevate what would be just a collection of solid scares and pitch-black humor into an enjoyably bleak supernatural experience, the most disturbing parts of which are its human ones. The raw human sorrow it generates, and the feeling of hopelessness it forces you to sit in. It’s a film about the slow and painful consumption of a performer by the masses, and what’s left behind as a result. And it’s what makes Smile 2 a damn good horror sequel.
From its opening sequence, I knew that Smile 2 would be everything I wanted from the first Smile film. Aside from its excellent scripting and some true blue moments of terror from actress Sosie Bacon, the first film felt, unfortunately, underwhelming in how it utilized the horror of having your reality slowly stolen from you.
Smile 2 Proves the Franchise Has Room to Grow
I had doubts about a sequel beyond that since the Smile movies’ conceit also necessitates running through a plot that you’ve already seen before but in newer and more creative ways. When the “rules” of a monster are as constraining on the narrative as this one, there are only so many avenues the film can take leading to its inevitable ending. It’s a plot that demands you up the ante and make every moment before the credits count and feel worthwhile. And Parker Finn’s Smile 2 manages to do that.
It begins with a full-tilt, anxiety-inducing opening sequence that will leave you wracked with tension. Finn’s camerawork at the start proudly announces what’s to come: while the first Smile sat in steady shots and moments of relative silence to try and creep you out, Smile 2 cranks the amps, making you feel the cacophony of noise and chaos that will soon be plaguing the film’s superstar in mind and body. It’s a showstopping tone-setter, marking the beginning of a great sequel.
Skye Riley’s Comeback Becomes a Living Nightmare
With a new album out and a world tour set to begin in a week, singer-songwriter Skye Riley is the comeback kid in the eyes of the media. But behind the scenes, the loss of her boyfriend in a highly publicized car crash, as well as her own substance abuse and self-harm issues, prove to make for anything but a glamorous return. As Skye tries to manage her physical pain from the accident, she witnesses the sudden and brutal suicide of an old friend, with an unnatural smile on his face as he does it. Soon, she finds herself carrying more than guilt for being unable to stop him: the visions of smiling people, both dead and alive, have begun to haunt her, and they’re only getting worse as her grasp on what’s real blurs into nothingness.
The film gives us a messy character to root for in Skye Riley, portrayed in an exceptional performance by Naomi Scott. She feels real and raw, contrasting the artificial persona she’s forced to inhabit and the parasocial leeching she has to stomach. The film goes to lengths to show the skin she’s forced to slough off and put back on to please the people around her, sequins and spandex, and all manner of concert outfits as she walks between living like a human and being treated as a cash cow performer. Naomi Scott in turn dons the resulting exhaustion and misery like a glove and embodies the film’s ideas of a person being left with nothing to give.
Horror Through Celebrity, Control, and Emotional Collapse
Scott is the quintessential pop star trying to be neatly redeemed through the press, and repressing all her emotions until she has to vomit them back out to disastrous effect. She conjures all the parts of Skye’s breakdown, both horrifying and mortifying, with pure dread. Her torture throughout the film feels even more relentless than Rose Cotter’s before her, and it’s due in large part to Scott’s facial acting being dialed in; her eyes manage to anchor the audience’s fear to her own and drag them down to her level.
Still, the film’s writing of her situation regularly dances and springs on the delicate line between “that’s hilarious” and “that’s depressing”, which is undoubtedly skillful. To inject great dark comedy in horror is a lot like composing musical comedy, in that it requires more than being just good at both, it requires shared excellence between the two. Certainly, not every intentional joke hits, but the subtlest moments it has to offer always do. Either way, don’t expect the film to be as strait-laced as the first entry.
Effects, Gore, and the Return of The Entity in Smile 2
In terms of how Smile 2 follows up on its predecessor’s well-loved effects, it’s about on par with what we’ve seen before. Some of the CGI fails to hit its mark, but every wound we’re subjected to, large and small, feels like they’re wrenched from true flesh and blood. Spoilers if you haven’t seen Smile, since this is something that happens in both films, but my one major complaint is the big demonic reveal of The Entity’s “true form”.
The final number we saw from the previous film is back with some shiny new paint, and while the compositing of digital and practical effects for this sequence is well done, the “improvements” that have been made to the creature’s look feel overdesigned and a little hokey compared to the pure nightmare fuel we were fed in the climax of Smile. The monster looks a bit irreverent, given the film builds up a genuinely emotional streak throughout it only to cap off on meaty, wide-eyed insanity. That being said, those final shots are still tough to forget in their grotesqueness, and it’s an effective closer that does exactly what it needs to.
Parker Finn’s directing and Charlie Saroff’s cinematography elevate what would be just a collection of solid scares and pitch-black humor into an enjoyably bleak supernatural experience, the most disturbing parts of which are its human ones. The raw human sorrow it generates, and the feeling of hopelessness it forces you to sit in. It’s a film about the slow and painful consumption of a performer by the masses, and what’s left behind as a result. And it’s what makes Smile 2 a damn good horror sequel.
Most people find that stretching their dollar still barely gets them by in today’s economy. I am very particular about what I spend my spare money on regarding extracurriculars. And no one likes to feel like their money is wasted. Madame Morbid Trolley Tours wasn’t an experience I had been familiar with. Maybe that’s because I’m chronically offline for most of my life. So this leads to the perfect question: in today’s turbulent economy, is Madame Morbid Trolley Tours worth the price? The short answer is unquestionably, yes. But it’s more than just a simple yes.
My wife and I arrived at the designated meeting point 15 minutes before the scheduled departure time. A handful of minutes later, a gorgeous, e-candle-lit trolley pulled up to the side of the road. We were greeted by impeccably on-brand Allison Chase, our tour guide, and trolley driver ‘Mad’ Matt Zaller. The wonderfully cheery duo invited us on the trolley, and the tour was set to begin.
400 Years of Death, Destruction, and Infrastructure
After a welcoming video intro from someone who knows a thing or two about busting ghosts, we set off on the inaugural Madame Morbid Trolley Tour in its ninth year of operation. From the Brooklyn Naval Yard all the way to Dumbo, and more, this tour magnificently chronicles 400 years of history, the good and the bad, expertly. No matter how much you think you may know about Brooklyn history, I can bet there will be something new learned within the first 15 minutes of the tour. From the first-ever plane crash to one of the worst theater fires in history, this tour covers tragedies that the greatest horror writers couldn’t conceive.
The Deadly [Charming] Docent
Allison Chase led the fascinating tour in character from the moment we stepped on the trolley until our departure. But Allison’s character was not forced or fake; you could feel Allison’s passion for not just morbid history, but the accuracy of it. Some of the stories we heard were steeped in historical context, and it was not boring for a single second. The Madame Morbid Trolley Tour is not your standard full-talking tour. It’s a mixed-media adventure of some of Brooklyn’s darkest moments.
During “downtime” (the times between locations), we were edutained by mini documentaries (that were quite funny). Some of the “downtime” was filled with traffic trivia (I won a needle pen!). And other times were show-and-tell-like, with objects passed around for us to examine. But there was never a moment of silence that wasn’t purposeful. All in all, Allison’s knowledge and passion shone like the luminosity of a full moon.
Is Madame Morbid Trolley Tours Worth It?
The Madame Morbid Trolley Tour was not just a fun night out for my wife and me, but it was a delightfully dark night of edutainment. It should also be noted that ‘Mad’ Matt’s driving skills were fantastic. There was a time when I had become enamored with how Matt handled the narrow streets of Brooklyn before realizing that I needed to refocus my attention on Allison. The Madame Morbid Trolley Tour is an exceptionally fun evening of horror and history that will make you think twice next time you walk down the streets of Brooklyn. It is worth the money, and then some. There’s no better activity for a cold, dark October night than the Madame Morbid Trolley Tour.
For more information on Madame Morbid Trolley Tours, and to get your tickets, click here!
I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I should have watched the Stephen King adaptation Cujo a million years ago. First of all, I was a voracious King reader in middle school. The other thing I was obsessed with during those years was Friends. You know, the show that hinges a major episode’s subplot on Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) watching Cujo for the first time. Whatever the reason was, I never got around to it, but I’m rectifying that oversight now.
What is Cujo About?
Cujo tells a relatively simple story. Donna Trenton’s (Dee Wallace) a housewife who’s cheating on her husband Vic (Daniel Hugh-Kelly) with local handyman Steve (Christopher Stone). There’s no accounting for taste, because Vic is 10 times hotter and Steve doesn’t own a bed frame. Look, Donna. I know Vic has that awful David Hasselhoff hair, but I promise the 1980s will end sooner or later. It’ll be OK.
Donna’s attempted termination of this affair ultimately leads to its discovery. Amid this drama, her car breaks down at a mechanic’s isolated farmhouse, trapping her and her son, Tad (Danny Pintauro). You see, the mechanic’s dog, Cujo, freshly christened with rabies, is patrolling the area and attacking everything in sight.
Dee Wallace Is Cujo’s Not-So-Secret Weapon
It would be impossible to start a worthwhile review of Cujo without praising Dee Wallace. The woman is a genre icon, naturally. Think about this: She had only appeared in seven theatrical movies before starring in Cujo. Four of those movies are The Stepford Wives, The Hills Have Eyes, E.T., and The Howling. But this woman didn’t become an icon simply by accidentally stumbling into some iconic titles. She is simply terrific as Donna, using her darting eyes and taut expression to deliver oodles of subtext. You instantly get the sense of how trapped she feels by marriage and motherhood without her uttering a single word.
A good performance is vital, here. Because there’s a hell of a lot of drama to get through before she’s trapped in that damn car. But Wallace instantly shoves you into Donna’s perspective, whether you like it or not. This makes it all the more potent when she is menaced by Cujo. Her desperate attempts for survival, also impeccably performed, have true weight because she seems like a real person. She is also given an incredible scene partner in Danny Pintauro. The future Who’s the Boss? star, who was only six when shooting Cujo, has a perfect everychild quality. His innocence heightens the peril. But so does that fact that he is just as irritating as every six-year-old you’ve ever met.
This movie truly captures how annoying it must be to be stuck in a life-and-death situation with a child. This is a compliment, I swear! Donna is worn down by every aspect of the situation, including her own son’s inability to cope with it. And this ratchets up the tension even further, to an almost unbearable degree.
Cujo Is a Mixed Bag, But Worthwhile Overall
The movie doesn’t work if Cujo himself doesn’t work, and at first I was real worried that he wouldn’t. In the first half, the St. Bernards that play Cujo onscreen are often shown to be wagging their tails in delight. Which kind of undercuts the reality of the situation, I’d say. But the editing and the special effects step in to fix what animal training couldn’t. The attack scenes in the second half are constructed with quick cuts that never let you get too much purchase. It’s a good approach for keeping viewers off-kilter.
Also, Cujo becomes less and less recognizable as a cuddly canine the further the movie gets. It’s a simple trick, really. He ends up getting coated with more and more slime. Saliva, pus, blood, and what have you. This is good for making him feel like a true movie monster. Plus, it’s a good mirror for the sliminess inside the car as it gets covered in sweat, blood, and grime.
The second half of the movie ultimately works like gangbusters. It’s a shame that Cujo is too cowardly to get Donna and Tad in the car before the halfway point. This decision is somewhat faithful to the book’s structure as I remember it. However, it diminishes the weight of the long days that they spend in the car. We really need to feel that crushing stretch of time, and we don’t. When Tad is suffering from dehydration, it’s not a gut punch. Honestly, I just found myself asking, “Already?” It’s good that they gave the movie a happier ending, because the classic grimdark Stephen King finale wouldn’t have landed.
Is Cujo Worth Watching in 2026?
At the end of the day, Cujo is a solid movie and I’m glad I finally watched it. However, it’s not such a stone-cold classic that I’m not at least a little intrigued by that upcoming Netflix remake…
