With Halloween just around the corner, ‘Smile 2’, the highly anticipated horror sequel, is ready to hit theaters.
Following the success of the original, which grossed $200 million worldwide, ‘Smile 2’ continues the terrifying story of a deadly curse cast after witnessing someone’s death. This time, the film follows pop superstar Skye Riley, played by Naomi Scott, as she battles the pressures of fame, a traumatic past and the madness caused by the curse.
“She goes through a lot that I think people can relate to in a very dodgy context,” Scott said. “I think she feels isolated. She feels like people are looking at her but not seeing her.”
Director Parker Finn talked about how his childhood in the Midwest shaped his love of horror.
“I was a movie-obsessed kid growing up in dreary Northeast Ohio. It always feels a bit like Halloween there,” Finn said.
The relationship between Skye and her mother, played by Rosemarie DeWitt, was layered thanks to Finn’s writing.
“Parker wrote this very nuanced script that could almost play like a drama. It was really expertly laid out,” DeWitt said.
Ray Nicholson, son of legendary actor Jack Nicholson, plays Paul Hudson, Skye’s friend.
In one memorable moment, his sinister smile in the film drew comparisons to his father’s famous performance in the film The radiant. When asked if his father had given him any advice about the genre, Nicholson replied, “My father and I don’t talk about acting that much… I think it’s important for me to find my way.”
He added, “My mother says, ‘Ray, you were such a beautiful boy, and then you started to look like your father.'”
Finn also talked about the meaning of sound in Smile 2.
“I like to try to avoid the typical horror sounds… I want it to feel fresh and different so it can get under your skin,” he said.
“When you go to see a horror movie in the theater, it’s a communal experience,” Nicholson said. “You don’t just want to be scared.”
“Smile 2” is distributed by Paramount Pictures, part of CBS’s parent company, Paramount Global. “Smile 2” hits theaters on October 18.
