Say cheese. Two years ago, Parker Finn scared the living daylights out of audiences with his hit horror film Smile . A feature debut that grossed $217.4 million on a $17 million budget? Not bad at all. He’s returning to the series with Smile 2 . But if there’s one thing Joker: Folie á Deux taught us, it’s that lightning doesn’t always strike twice, even if a film makes a lot of money the first time around. While we’ll have to see how this sequel does at the box office, one thing’s for sure: Parker Finn is a phenomenal filmmaker who’s outdone himself.

Smile 2 is one of the best horror sequels ever made. Making a sequel to a successful horror film is never an easy task. Even the good ones aren't as good as the original. But Smile 2 defies all expectations by being just as excellent as the first film. Some might even say it's better. For me, this film equals the quality by telling a new story with the same curse. The film starts six days after the end of the original, with Joel (Kyle Gallner) trying to get rid of the curse. This opening scene is breathtaking, all shot in one long take. There are intricate camera movements here, and it's fantastic.

We meet Skye Riley, played by Naomi Scott. Skye is a famous pop musician and we quickly learn her backstory. She is an immediately compelling character, as she is on the verge of re-establishing her career after a devastating incident the year before. The idea of making the main character a famous musician is a risk, as these people are hard for most viewers to relate to. At times, you feel a disconnect between her struggles and your own, but Finn’s script manages to ground her where possible.

Like the first film, Finn spends a lot of time developing the protagonist. The sequel focuses almost entirely on new characters, so we have to care about everyone early on in the film. Immersing yourself in these people is easy because the music sounds authentic. Scott is a talented musician, so she brings her excellent singing voice to Skye. She also has a flawless American accent while delivering some of the most intense scenes of the year. Her work in this film is astonishing because none of it seems easy.