Smile 2: Unmasking Joel's Grim Fate and the Unstoppable Smile Curse!
Smile 2: Picking Up Where Smile Left Off (With a Shocking Twist!)
Smile 2, directed by Parker Finn, is a terrifying sequel that continues the chilling story from the original Smile. This psychological horror film brings back Kyle Gallner's police officer, Joel, who survived the events in the original. The movie mostly focuses on Naomi Scott's pop star, Skye Riley, battling the unstoppable Smile Curse after a drug and alcohol-fueled trauma. Just like Dr. Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon) from the first film, Skye becomes the terrifying entity's next target. The film's ending is what is going to shock some people. But, it's also fairly complex and this article will cover some aspects related to this terrifying reveal.
Before Skye falls victim, the Curse jumps from person to person – and that's where Joel enters the story, helping reveal that transition.
Joel's Fatal Attempt to Pass the Curse
After witnessing Rose's self-immolation in Smile, the curse takes over Joel. Understanding what's happening and also aware that he would have a time constraint to pass it onto another before it does away with him; he devises a plan to spread that awful curse! Considering victims of the curse don’t generally last more than a week, this situation creates intense suspense! Joel, trying to pass the curse to spare innocents targets two drug dealers and makes those arrangements and makes those plans before finally going through with it.
However, the plan goes south incredibly badly. Joel, intending to create a witness, ends up killing them both! No witness! He flees other dealers and then... gets completely smashed by a truck in that insane sequence and the sequence of death depicted has plenty of gore, easily showing that there was that same amount of extreme gore. He literally gets ripped apart. Brutal!
Was the Smile Curse Directly Responsible?
That's where things get interesting: Was the Smile Curse to blame, technically? No. The curse didn’t possess Joel and make him drive into a street! The curse however still had a strong hand, as the series emphasizes! His desperation to spread that evil; that entirely impossible decision. That led him to the end, directly and indirectly.
This isn’t to mention that Joel’s actions to get the curse passed shows it didn’t simply resolve and die, and we discover just how wide and pervasive this evil curse truly is; its insidious manipulation continues; continuing through other actions entirely unaffected by Joel’s own terrible and extremely problematic behavior.
Connecting Joel's Death to Skye's Story: Passing the Torch (of Terror!)
The ending reveals an unsuspecting accomplice that watched and knows precisely about the prior murder, this person (Lewis Fregoli – played by Lukas Gage) becomes this unfortunate vehicle used for transferring that terrible curse!
The curse then makes its way from Lewis to Skye. The timing is key—Skye texts Lewis to ask for painkillers. That's when the curse grabs control, completely forcing Lewis to kill himself in another gory way– smashing his face with that big, heavy plate. This shows exactly how deeply terrifying the possibilities surrounding this seemingly innocuous and casual conversation really was, making those later plot elements truly and dramatically unexpected; those sudden reveals.
Why Joel Died in Smile 2 (and Not Smile 1!)
The Smile movies present a continuous narrative and those scenes, and these key sequences provide a lot of insight which is only realized when examining several of those plot developments and thematic undercurrents of Smile 2! Joel’s death in Smile 2 is important! It demonstrates precisely how the curse can work, how it infects and then is passed onward without the victims’ own direct contribution, without any kind of free will involvement which directly relates back to other events throughout Smile 2’s storyline!
And his death helps continue this storyline! Rose died in the original. That meant this evil simply couldn't be overcome completely. It made the transition perfect to bring this to other plot points; these added layers emphasize how wide-spread the curse might become; and is what exactly would make it a compelling follow-up. That sequence, bringing it through various new character additions, including Skye’s encounter.
Conclusion: Smile 2 Delivers Terrifying Storytelling Success!
Smile 2 isn’t just some random sequel! It’s an exceptionally smart addition, deepening Smile’s initial concept. That approach makes the story’s intense narrative incredibly terrifying! And it even gets better: that decision for the death, while it doesn’t happen perfectly, highlights those essential aspects around how this all works, what its overall effect on people and how widespread that seemingly uncontrollable and easily transmittable curse really might be! That chilling sequel proves the evil within Smile’s universe and its lingering implications have endless possibilities for new storylines; its effectiveness is only possible due to those terrifying elements!
