Smile 3 Could Blow the Series Up To Massive Proportions

Summary

• Smile 3 could take the pandemic route, introducing a mass violent psychosis and global outbreak.
• The Smile Entity could attack thousands in a Lovecraftian horror setting, pushing the franchise to new heights.
• Smile 3 might explore the entity’s origin and unanswered questions, hinting at a possible continuation beyond the upcoming installment.

The Smile franchise is the next big thing in horror, and the third installment’s announcement cements this idea. Most sequels in the genre struggle to maintain momentum after hugely successful initial outings. But it’s the opposite with Smile 3, as Smile 2 opened up a whole world of potential for the next film.

The Paramount franchise, which first started with Parker Finn’s short film Laura Hasn’t Slept, has made a name for itself through both critical acclaim and box office success for its two feature films. As a result, Smile 3 is now one of the most anticipated horror movies, largely thanks to the open ending of the 2024 sequel. So, what direction should Parker Finn take in the upcoming installment?

Smile 3 Could Take The Pandemic Route

Open Ending Of Smile 2 Sets Up Sequel

The ending of Smile 2 truly left audiences in shock, both within the film and among those watching it. Pop star Skye Riley, the Smile Entity’s latest host, takes the stage before a big crowd during her comeback tour performance. However, she suffers a public breakdown after confronting the entity and ends up stabbing herself with a microphone. This is spiritually identical to the ending of the original Smile film, where Rose Cotter sets herself on fire after being possessed by the Smile Entity.

Just as Rose passed the curse to her ex-boyfriend and police officer Joel, Skye does the same — but on a much larger scale. This time, thousands of horrified spectators at her concert become victims of the Smile Entity. This opens up the possibility of the smile curse evolving into a pandemic, capable of claiming hundreds of thousands of victims at once. If Smile 3 takes the pandemic route, the film could explore some terrifying concepts.

The Smile Entity Could Attack Thousands

Carnage Horror In Smile 3

This includes ideas like mass violent psychosis, which would unleash an unprecedented carnage experience for viewers. Moreover, the pandemic storyline would essentially divide the global population into two groups: those affected by the curse, and those teaming up to uncover the truth behind it. It would be reminiscent of a zombie-apocalypse horror film, and push the Smile horror franchise to new heights. Strong references for this approach could include films like The Sadness or The Purge.

A movie about the Smile pandemic could also serve as a political commentary on how the world dealt with COVID-19. Imagine a president or politician forced to confront the Entity after one of their loved ones attends Skye’s final concert in Smile 2 and becomes infected. Smile 3 could benefit from the idea of a chaotic global outbreak, with the Smile Entity leaving countless victims dead within days. This threat would demand a cure or a method to defeat the entity, which would mean its origin would need to be explained.

Could Smile 3 Explore The Entity’s Origin?

Unanswered Questions From Smile and Smile 2

Even after two films, we still don’t have any context for the entity — whether it is a demonic force from hell or a cosmic being feeding on trauma. So, Smile 3 could work as an origin story without having to be a prequel. In the first film, there was a mention of 19 unexplained deaths that came before Rose. There is also the possibility of many other cases before them, some even undocumented.

Did someone conjure up this being, or has it existed since the beginning of time? Could it involve witchcraft or rituals? Smile 3 could hold the answers to all these questions and trace its way back to the beginning of time, or the first-ever victim of the hyper-violent Smile Entity. But the entity’s purpose should not be straightforward or easy to understand, as that would take away from the feeling of terror.

Smile Works As Lovecraftian Horror

So far, the entity seems to be feeding on people’s trauma. A large-scale takeover would mean that psychological torture would spread globally. The Smile Entity’s grotesque physical manifestation would be another key factor here, and the makers could take an all-out Lovecraftian horror route. The entity could be represented as a metaphysical being that needs a host to keep spreading, just like Morris mentioned in Smile 2. Therefore, an ancient or abstract origin is most likely the direction the film will take.

But given the events of Smile 2, there is a theory that Morris never existed and was just another hallucination in Skye’s mind. If he is real, he could return in Smile 3, even as an unlikely protagonist. Just like Pennywise from It feeds on people’s fear, the Smile Entity could be dependent on factors like trauma, guilt, or other psychological issues. So, someone could actually be able to resist its influence, which would make it powerless without a host.

However, it’s unlikely to get all this closure in Smile 3. Director Parker Finn has hinted that there is more room to grow for the franchise in an interview with GamesRadar:

[…] we’ve maybe only scooped a single glass of water out of the ocean. […] I think it’s really fun to imagine a lineage of Smile movies where each one becomes more off the rails than the previous one.