In an early scene in ''Smile 2,'' the fictional pop superstar Skye Riley is in her drug dealer's apartment. ''Do you believe in weird stuff?'' he asks her, between doing lines of coke.

Parker Finn follows his surprise 2022 hit about a malevolent spirit that jumps hosts via a diabolical grin, this time infecting a troubled pop star with a ton of trauma to feed on.

Expanding lore is a key element in horror sequels, and it’s something that I pondered heavily going into my screening of writer/director Parker Finn’s Smile 2. Revisiting the original in the days before,