After watching Smile 2, I’m convinced the third film might set another bad example for horror sequels.
Smile 3 is set to be filmed this year in 2025. It will be released in the coming years and will continue Smile 2, which came out last year. Big horror sequels are not as popular as they used to be in the 80s and 90s, but they are still a thing. Usually, they are only made because of the box office and not because of the quality of the film.
We rarely see a horror sequel be better than the original, and it’s mostly just because the title or the IP holds a lot of power, and people will see it regardless of how good it is. This same tradition is not as common in video games. I feel like The Last Of Us Part II is better than the original, and the same with Silent Hill 2. Now, I love horror, so I don’t necessarily have a problem with that. The more, the merrier.
At least a lot of these are more original than all of Hollywood’s offerings. But at the same time, I feel like there could be a better quality of horror sequels, and Smile is a big franchise that could prove that. I enjoyed the first Smile, and after watching the second one, it was a downgrade in my opinion.
I’m worried about the third film, as the director and creator of The Smile franchise, Parker Finn, came out and said that he wants each film to be crazier than the other. I understand, as a horror director, that’s something you might want to try. But they’re not getting better as far as the story goes. Smile 2, while entertaining and having great visuals, felt pretty predictable after watching the first film.
In the second film, it felt like they could’ve turned a couple of things around and had a more definitive ending for the franchise. These films could also benefit from having A-listers star in them. They are making so much money at the box office; I doubt that some higher-named people wouldn’t be interested in doing one.
Even though the concept in Smile films isn’t anything insanely groundbreaking because it seems very similar to most cursed-type films, such as The Ring, it’s more about the way it’s filmed and executed that sets the Smile series apart from others.
I enjoyed the interesting approach to music and cinematography that the first film and second film have to offer. I just wish the story was a little bit better in the second film. They tried a lot of new things, and that’s good, but they didn’t seem to land as well as the first one.
The first film didn’t have as big of a budget, so they had to work with what they had. I think the third film could set a really good example of how horror sequels can improve on the story instead of just kind of rehashing and not making important steps in the franchise. Sometimes, you have to see the good guy/girl win a little bit over the villain/monster in horror films. Or at least to the point where you think that they can get away from the horror that is chasing them.
Now, what they could do with the third film is go into the origins of this curse, which is something that I find pretty interesting. It’s something the Ring series did well in Japan. Unfortunately, it seems like the third one might just follow the second one’s footsteps and make it gory and intense. But I’m hoping that the third film will do something interesting so it can kind of reinvigorate the series and set a good example for horror sequels. I’m there either way.
