How 'Smile 2' ending sets the stage for 'Smile 3'
What's the story
The Hollywood horror film Smile 2, helmed by Parker Finn, was released on Friday to rave reviews.
The film follows the life of pop star Skye Riley (Naomi Scott), who becomes the latest victim of a demonic entity.
It ends on a shocking note with Skye's death, which takes place on stage during a performance in front of thousands of fans and possibly millions more online.
What does it mean for a potential third part?
Let's decode.
Background
'Smile 2' built on the lore of its predecessor
The Smile series follows a sinister entity that haunts its victims for a week before pushing them to suicide. The curse is then transferred to anyone who witnesses the host's death.
In Smile 2, an ER nurse named Morris (Peter Jacobson) proposes that stopping the infected person's heart temporarily could possibly defeat the entity.
This theory results in Skye's doomed run-in with the entity during her final performance and death.
Director's insight
Director Finn's perspective on 'Smile 2' ending
Finn opened up about the film's ending to Entertainment Weekly, revealing that it was a perfect conclusion to Skye's journey.
He said, "For Skye, what I was chasing was this catharsis of her journey that ends so horribly, but it ends, for me, exactly where it should."
"It felt like the most horrifying thing I could possibly do was have her on stage...in front of 20K screaming fans."
Finn's opinion
The entity will likely impact thousands of people now
He said, "There's a question of, is it being live-streamed? How big could it go? It felt intoxicating to me. I loved this feeling and power of the Smile, and this idea of the commentary on celebrity platform and influence on the public."
"She's potentially passing this on [to her fans and other viewers] and the idea of, because of her platform and celebrity, how many people that can reach."
Sequel speculation
'Smile 3': Finn teases potential future of the series
About a potential third part, Finn said, "We'll have to see how audiences react to Smile 2. I'd want to make sure we're doing something that feels like, holy s---, I can't believe this is where Smile is going."
The Smile films are so character-driven; it's why I wanted to tell these intimate, human melodramas. There are a lot of interesting directions on where it could go."
Read our review of the film here.