Warning: This article contains spoilers for Smile 2.
Warning: This article contains mentions of suicide and mental health issues.
Even before the Entity begins haunting her,Smile 2’sSkye Riley has already many troubling habits that may leave audiences wondering what is really going on with her.Smile 2is the new sequel to the 2022 horror hit,Smile,and itfollows pop star Skye Riley as she returns to the public eyeafter being in a horrific car accident. Although Skye has everything going for her,Smile 2twistsher life upside down when she witnesses the suicide of an old high school acquaintance and begins having terrifying hallucinations. Suddenly, Skye’s career and life are on the line.
Just like in the originalSmile,trauma plays a massive role inSmile 2.The Entity uses Skye’s traumato mess with her and make her feel like she is losing her mind. Yet, it isn’t just the Entity’s tricks that make Skye suffer. In fact, it seems as thoughSkye is still coming to terms with her dark past, even before the Entity targets her. This becomes clear based on all the habits Skye has throughout the movie, including drinking several full bottles of Voss water and pulling out her hair.
Skye Riley Pulls Out Her Hair When She’s Upset
How Skye’s Hair Pulling Compares To Her Water Habit
Skye seems to pull out her hair inSmile 2in moments when she is feeling stressed or upset. For example, after her dressing room is destroyed, she begins twisting her hair and pulls out a big chunk. Later, when she is in the wellness center with her mother,Skye’s mom explains that a cover-up has already been made for Skye’s bald patch, insinuating that this is a normal occurrence. Ultimately, this habit is a destructive one that lends itself more to pain than relief. Although Skye is trying to lessen her mental anguish, she only hurts herself more.
Smile 2 Ending Explained: What The Big Twist Means
Smile 2’s ending heightens the dark themes of the first film on a truly massive scale, potentially setting up an absolutely horrifying sequel.
Skye’s other big habit, drinking water, is a much more healthy coping mechanism than her hair pulling. Whereas the hair pulling comes from a place of grief and stress, the water habit is a beneficial action that keeps Skye from ruminating on her troubling thoughts. She is not only distracting herself, but she is also staying hydrated. Meanwhile, the hair pulling only exacerbates Skye’s negative emotions by increasing her pain. In this way,audiences can see how Skye has gotten better, but is also still struggling with her mental health.
Skye’s Hair Pulling Started After The Car Crash
Skye’s Trauma Made Her Perfect For The Entity
What makes Skye’s hair-pulling even worse is the fact that it seemingly started after her car accident. In one scene,audiences see Skye in the days following the crash pulling at her long, dark hair in anguish. In the present, Skye’s hair is much shorter, hinting that the cut was an attempt to keep Skye from this habit. Because the car accident was so traumatic for Skye, she needed to find a way to cope with her pain, and her hair-pulling seemingly became her course of action, linking it directly to her bad memories.
This evil force clearly thrives on pain and suffering, and Skye had plenty of that before the Entity ever showed up.
In actuality,Skye’s hair-pulling shows how she was an ideal victim for the Entity. This evil force clearly thrives on pain and suffering, and Skye had plenty of that before the Entity ever showed up. This made it easy for the demon to mess with Skye and made her believe that she was losing her mind. All in all, the hair pulling was a small detail inSmile 2that let audiences in on the true mental state of the protagonist.
Smile 2
Cast
Smile 2 is the sequel to the 2022 psychological horror film by director Parker Finn that centers on a therapist who witnesses a patient’s suicide, leading to a series of terrifying supernatural events. The sequel will see the return of Finn as director, with Paramount continuing distribution.
