Smile 2 ending explained: who dies, what happens to Skye Riley, and is this the end of the curse?

Highly anticipated horror sequel Smile 2 is finally here and it certainly steps things up from the 2022 original movie. Writer/director Parker Finn returns to helm this follow-up, which follows pop star Skye Riley, played by 2019's Aladdin star Naomi Scott, as she sets out to embark on a world tour. However, events soon start spiralling out of control as she becomes haunted by a supernatural entity.

The movie is quite the thrilling rollercoaster, filled with hallucinations and nightmares that may leave audiences scratching their heads, questioning what exactly is real. Have no fear though, we are here to help with our guide to the Smile 2 ending, which goes through all of your key questions including who dies, what happens to Skye Riley, and more.

Naturally, the following features major spoilers for Smile 2 so turn back now if you haven't seen the film already. And if you are debating whether it's worth a trip to the theater, check out our Smile 2 review for our full verdict.

Smile 2 ending explained

The final act of Smile 2 is not only incredibly brutal, but it is unclear exactly what is a hallucination and what is really happening as the supernatural curse increasingly possesses our protagonist Skye Riley. In fact, everything from this point onwards is open to interpretation as to whether it's real, as events spiral.

Things really go from bad to worse when Skye is checked into a rehabilitation center where she has a tense argument with her mother. We see her mom seemingly become possessed by the curse and stab herself to death with a piece of broken glass. However, we then see Skye covered in blood holding the shard. So, did she murder her mother, being taken over by the monster herself?

It certainly looks that way and so Skye escapes from the wellness center, grabbing a gun and causing quite the scene. Bumping into her friend Gemma, the pair steal a car and start driving towards where Morris is, the man who earlier asked Skye to help him kill the curse once and for all. 

However, again things are turned upside down as Skye receives a call from Gemma, whilst her friend is supposedly sat next to her. That Gemma now reveals herself to be a hallucination of the monster and tries to crash the vehicle.

Somehow Skye makes it to the warehouse where she was meeting Morris and they begin to get her ready to temporarily stop her heart, causing her to die for long enough to kill the curse. However, as Morris leaves to fetch something, Skye comes face to face with the monster, who appears as a double of the pop star. 

The monster disguised as Skye drugs her, with Skye then waking up on stage on the first night of her world tour. We see her mom in the crowd. Was her death earlier just a hallucination? It's unclear.

A confused Skye then encounters the monster who unhinges its disgusting jaw and completely absorbs her. We hear the audience screaming amidst other violent noises, with the final scenes showing Skye's body on the floor and the microphone sticking out of her head. It's clear that the monster assumed total control and forced Skye to stab herself to death using the microphone.

It's a jaw-dropping conclusion but does anything follow that? Check out our Smile 2 post-credits scene guide to see if it's worth sticking around once the credits have rolled.

What happens to Skye Riley?

It's unclear what is real and what is a hallucination throughout the whole of the third act of Smile 2, as the curse starts to completely take over. Somehow, Skye finds herself on stage for the first gig of her world tour, but the curse completely possesses her body, as we see the monster next to her (in all of its vile glory).

It opens its jaw to absorb Skye and it completes its work, forcing her to stab herself to death on stage with her glitzy microphone. We see Skye's lifeless body lying there with the microphone sticking out of her head, brutally confirming her demise.

Who dies in Smile 2?

There is quite a lot of death in Smile 2 which seems about right, since a menacing supernatural curse is on the rampage. 

The first notable character to meet a violent end is Kyle Gallner's police detective Joel, who saw the curse passed on to him during the final scenes of the original movie. He is completely obliterated by a car during a brutal opening scene, which is a stunning one-shot sequence.

Lukas Gage's drug dealer Lewis also dies early on in the movie, with the curse causing him to smash his skull in with a heavy weight. This is the cruel death that Skye witnesses, which leads the curse to being passed onto her.

Talking of Skye, the curse takes over her body momentarily whilst she is at the rehabilitation center, in the scenes that take place just before the final act. Although, at first, it may seem like her mother is stabbing herself to death with a piece of broken glass, it's revealed that Skye did it whilst being possessed. 

Crucially though, her mother may not actually be dead as we see her face in the crowd during Skye's final performance at the end of the movie. Is this or the hospital scene a hallucination? It's pretty much left to the audience how they interpret events as the lines between reality and nightmares becoming increasingly blurred.

One thing that is certain, though, is that Skye meets her fate at the very end when she finds herself on stage, during the first performance of her new world tour. With the curse taking full control, she uses her microphone to stab herself to death in front of the entire crowd.

What happens to the curse?

As revealed in the final scenes of Smile 2, Skye had either completely hallucinated her visit to Morris or their attempt to temporarily stop her heart to kill the curse had been interrupted by the monster. 

With Skye being unsure what is real and what is a nightmare, audiences are also left grasping for the truth. But what is certain is that the pair's attempts to put an end to the curse ultimately failed.

Instead, things get much, much, much worse as the curse completely possesses Skye, causing the pop star to kill herself on stage in front of a crowd of thousands (rather brutally too, using her microphone to stab herself to death). This passes the curse on to every single person in that crowd, who witnesses Skye's violent demise, which as we note above is a number in its thousands.

This means that the curse is now incredibly rampant, likely to spread like wildfire given the sheer amount of people affected. Which, yeah, isn't good news at all...

Will there be a Smile 3?

The film's jaw-dropping ending will definitely leave you wanting a Smile 3, which is neatly set up during those shocking concluding moments. Skye's violent death is witnessed by thousands in the crowd during the first performance on her world tour, meaning, in theory, the curse has been passed on to each of those individuals.

With a threequel, the curse can be more rampant and widespread, with more people affected than ever before. Maybe this would encourage a group to band together, to finally put an end to the horrors, killing the curse once and for all. That would certainly be fitting for a final movie in a strong trilogy.

Of course though, those are just our theories, with writer/director Parker Finn holding his cards close to his chest regarding what come's next in the Smile series, whether that be a Smile 3 or something else. 

However, it's clear that the filmmaker believes there is still plenty to explore, telling GamesRadar+ in an interview: "I think there are so many different, interesting directions the world of Smile can take, different roads it can go down. Right now I'm very excited to see how audiences respond to Smile 2 and if we are lucky with how audiences can connect with and embrace the film, I think the sky's the limit."

Smile 2 is out now in UK cinemas and will release in US theaters on October 17.

For more, check out our picks for the best horror movies of all-time as well as our guide to the upcoming horror movies you need to get on your radar.