Did ‘Smile 2’ Just Kick Off Its Viral Marketing Campaign?

Although we're only halfway through the year, 2024 is already shaping up to be another stellar year for horror. One of the most terrifying releases that fans are waiting for in the last half of the year is Smile 2, which hits theaters this Halloween. We're still waiting for the first official trailer for the sequel, though marketing for Smile 2 it may have already taken shape in the form of a mysterious new social media account of an unknown pop star.

Earlier this week, The Instagram account was created for singer Skye Riley. The reason eyebrows have been raised in the horror community is because there is no record of this supposed megastar existing before last weekend. Throughout the week, the account has posted several different images and teases for the upcoming “Skye Riley era” referencing her upcoming single “Blood on White Satin.” A record that will supposedly drop on Tuesday, June 18. All the images have extreme close-ups or cleverly hidden silhouettes, but bear a striking resemblance to the main star of the sequel. Naomi Scott. Also, the first image released was of a crescent moon looking like a smile. Is it just a coincidence? You might be wondering why this vague Instagram ID would have anything to do with him Take a smile franchise Especially when the original had nothing to do with the music industry. well, Images shown at CinemaCon last April confirmed that Scott would play a famous pop star not so different from real-life artists like Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga or Olivia Rodrgio..

The quick look included another main star, Lukas Gage (you), a series of creepy people with the show's signature smile and Scott's character interacting with a fan. The strange scene was described as “a young girl in pigtails approaches Scott's character, smiling at the singer, who asks if she wants an autograph. While we don't see what happens next, it's obvious that nothing good can come out of this sinister interaction Scott has used his singing talent throughout his career in films such as Disney Mouth of lemonade and the Aladdin live action remake.

Horror fans will be smiling again soon

Based on the director Parker Finnthe creepy short film Laura hasn't slept, Take a smile didn't reinvent the genre when it was released in 2018. However, what it did provide was a well-crafted atmospheric scare that used its cast of Sosie Bacon i Kyle Gallner very effective The haunting visuals alone were enough to sell the film to moviegoers, but that didn't stop Paramount from implementing a memorable marketing campaign. This saw 'possessed' people with smiley faces take over sporting events in the US among other creatively refreshing things. this helped Take a smile earning over $217 million worldwide on a shoestring budget. With a new set of characters and a very different setting for this happy demon to take over, it will be interesting to see what Finn has in store for this song-worthy sequel horror.

Smile 2 will hit theaters on October 18, 2024. Again, it hasn't been confirmed that this cryptic Skye Riley account is related to the horror sequel, but we'll soon find out when the pop star's new “single” drops on June 18. Until then, you can stream it live. Take a smile on Paramount+.