Say Cheese! The ‘Smile 2’ Trailer Will Have You Grinning From Ear To Ear

As the classic Louis Armstrong tune goes, “When you’re smiling, the whole world smiles with you,” and we’re definitely grinning ear to ear today as Smile 2 has just dropped its first teaser. We’ve known now for a little bit over a year that a sequel to the 2022 horror flick was on the way and, with its release date set for October 18, it’s about time for the marketing team to begin dropping teasers to flesh out the under wraps plot. The follow-up will see the return of our beloved scream king, Kyle Gallner (The Passenger) who now has the curse after watching Sosie Bacon’s (13 Reasons Why) Rose take her life at the end of Smile. We don’t expect Rose to return for the second film but, because the entity loves to trick its victims, we can’t completely rule it out. Joining the cast as newbies to the spooky film series are Lukas Gage (The White Lotus), Naomi Scott (Charlie’s Angels), Rosemarie DeWitt (United States of Tara), Dylan Gelula (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), and Raúl Castillo (Looking).

Somehow already more disturbing than the movie that started it all, the first official teaser for Smile 2 opens on what else but a sinister smile. We then meet Scott’s Skye Riley, a megastar performer who looks like she could use a break from the spotlight but will instead only get caught up in the curse thanks to Gage’s character, Louis, who kills himself in front of her in one of the grizzliest ways possible. Now, Skye sees smiling faces everywhere she goes as the curse has hooked its claws in and won’t let go. There are plenty of jump-scare moments, and even a clip that looks like a nod to Suspiria, while Skye tries to escape her horrific fate.

The arrival of the debut Smile 2 trailer has been foreshadowed by the brilliant marketing team who, along with the folks behind The Boys, deserve a raise. It would be difficult to forget the campaign that was launched for the movie that started it all, which included hired actors planted at sporting events, who would flash eerie smiles at the camera. An incredibly effective way of getting the word out, the plan certainly drove up intrigue. This time around, the team tried something different by creating a fake Instagram account for Scott’s character, Skye Riley. Before the trailer dropped, the only information about the horror sequel came from what was shown at this year’s CinemaCon. The deeply disturbing footage gave those in attendance a taste of the new movie which will center around a pop star named Skye Riley. So, when the Instagram account appeared seemingly out of nowhere, it raised alarm bells for many.

Can ‘Smile 2’ Really Be That Terrifying?

In short, yes. Director Parker Finn returns to pick up where he left off after celebrating his feature-length filmmaking debut with Smile. The first film had plenty of queasy and disturbing moments but we’re expecting Finn to really up the ante with the second installment. Gage has also previously teased the horror that awaits audiences when Smile 2 cringes onto screens later this year, as the actor became physically sick to his stomach during filming. Plus, with Scott’s character being a globally celebrated pop star, the curse has a chance to infect stadiums full of people.

You can check out the first trailer for Smile 2 above and stay tuned to Collider for more information. In the meantime, you can now stream Smile on Prime Video.

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