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And so it begins. The upcoming horror movie Smile 2 has kicked off its marketing campaign in the most cryptic, yet ingenious, way - with a string of social media posts belonging to the film's fictionalized popstar protagonist.
A lyric video has surfaced, posted on Twitter by DiscussingFilm, said to be promoting a new song by Skye Riley, thought to be the popstar played by actor Naomi Scott, in which Smile 2 centers around.
The video teases Riley’s new song Blood on White Satin, whilst the popstar, who we can only see from behind, struts to a stage. However, the strangest part of the video is when it cuts out to flashes of what looks to be the house from the first movie where Rose comes face to face with the Smile monster. Another off-cut shows a hand reaching for a weight.
Although Paramount has not confirmed that this has anything to do with the movie, DiscussingFilm states in its Twitter caption that the popstar is Scott, which makes sense as it is known the actor can sing, as we saw in the live-action remake Aladdin. Watch the full clip below.
First teaser for ‘SMILE 2’ reveals Naomi Scott’s popstar character Skye Riley. pic.twitter.com/rueVZtZU2HJune 13, 2024
On top of this, a sneaky Instagram account with the handle @SkyeRileyNation recently became active, promoting the drop of Skye Riley’s latest single which is said to be dropping on Tuesday, June 18. Does this mean that Smile 2’s first official trailer will be released on June 18? As well as social marketing, the movie has also placed a billboard on Sunset Blvd promoting Riley’s new album with the words "Skye is limitless" plastered across a black and white image of a woman’s face. See the billboard below.
Paramount’s Smile franchise is no stranger to out there marketing campaigns, as it took it to the next level in the run-up to the 2022 movie Smile. The movie had actors placed in random locations standing completely still with eerie smiles on their faces, just like in the movie. But this year it seems to have become a bit of a trend with The Strangers: Chapter 1 using hacked Ring Doorbell footage to promote the movie, and Nicolas Cage’s upcoming flick Longlegs using cryptic nameless videos and images.
Directed by Parker Finn, Smile 2 continues the story of a horrific curse passed on from person to person through a simple smile. The first trailer, which was shown behind closed doors, is said to show Scott’s popstar being confronted by a sinister-looking man who breaks into her dressing room and smiles at her. Smile 2 stars Scott, as well as Smile’s Kyle Gallner, Rosemarie DeWitt, White Lotus’ Lukas Gage, Dylan Gelula, Raúl Castillo, and Miles Gutierrez-Riley.
Smile 2 arrives in theaters on October 18. For more, keep up with upcoming horror movies heading your way.
