Smile 2 first reactions call the horror sequel "bloody", "violent", and "bigger than the first"

The first reactions to horror sequel Smile 2 are here, and they're pretty positive. Check them out below.

GamesRadar+'s Emily Murray writes: "Thought #Smile2 was great! Kicking off with a brutal opening, it's a rollercoaster of thrills with a stellar turn from Naomi Scott as Skye Riley. It's too long and the jump scares do get boring, but on the whole enjoyed how Parker Finn has escalated things from the first movie."

"Naomi Scott leads a triple act triumph as 'Skye Riley' in Parker Finn's exceptionally well directed #Smile2," the Hollywood Handle's TomMCJL tweets. "An imperfect but violent, bloody & uneasing fun time with welcomed doses of humour throughout & small yet strong supporting performances from Lukas Gage & Kyle Gallner."

Twitter user Lemon Garcia says: "#Smile2 is BIGGER than the first. It knows how to have fun this time! Naomi Scott delivers the best performance in a horror movie this year. The shots are amazing. The ending is such a banger that you’ll be excited to what’s next."

YouTuber Don Santana writes: "Yeah… #Smile2 I was so impressed all through the movie. The acting was amazing, the choice of shots, pace of the movie, the horror action, jumpscares were fire, especially one scene which I'm not gonna spoil but just say 2 words: dance, house. BEAUTIFULLY done!"

Horror presenter Bunny Galore tweets: "Epic time at the premier of Smile 2 last night, great fun rollercoaster of a horror movie and @NaomiScott is glorious in a tour de force performance !"

Written and directed by Parker Finn, the movie follows pop sensation Skye Riley who gets infected with the Smile curse. As her world begins to spiral, she starts having increasingly disturbing things happen to her and she starts to see the Smile monster everywhere she goes. Not ideal when she's just about to head on a huge world tour...

Naomi Scott plays Skye, while Kyle Gallner reprises his role as police officer Joel who was cursed with the Smile monster at the end of the first movie. Rosemarie DeWitt, Lukas Gage, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, and Peter Jacobson all also star, while Drew Barrymore plays herself.

Speaking about the decision to return for a second film, director Finn told SFX magazine that he felt they'd only just scratched the surface of this story. "There was information I had for myself that wasn’t expressed in the first film that I took the opportunity to bring into the new one, so what Smile 2 is doing is showing us new things. We felt like we’d uncovered the mystery in the first one, but we’ve maybe only scooped a single glass of water out of the ocean."

Smile 2 is released in theaters on October 18 in the US and October 17 in the UK. For more upcoming movies, check our guide to the best new horror movies on the way in 2024 and beyond.