Parker Finn might be an actual director. . .

But maybe he’s more of a “story by” guy than a screenwriter?

Which is one (not the only) reason that Smile 2’s 127-minute runtime feels like a crime; its horror scenes play like a semi-chub merging of Longlegs, It Follows, and Vox Lux.

Body-horror fans can feast on a buffet of options in theaters now: The Substance, Terrifier 3, and Smile 2. 

Speaking of which, the sound design of gore always gets short-thrifted at the Oscars.

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There’s a concert in Smile 2 performed at Herald Square Garden, a name that cleverly nods to the fact that the real Madison Square Garden is blocks closer to New York’s Herald Square than the actual Madison Square.