MOVIE NEWS – The marketers of the horror film Smile II have launched a full-scale attack. The film’s heroine, Skye Riley, the famous pop star (Naomi Scott), is haunted by her past, and people with chilling smiles begin to harass her, which we know where it leads.

Skye already has her own website, Instagram account, presence on the platform formerly known as Twitter, and impressive activity on TikTok, even though she is not a real person. Moreover, Skye has her own songs, with her biggest hit being aptly titled Blood on White Satin.

The viral campaign for Smile II fits into the trend of targeting thrillers and horror films’ audiences on online platforms, namely young people. If feasible, they delight potential viewers with literal two-bit, coffee-break-playable games, like the recent Cocaine Bear. During the campaign for the world’s highest-grossing film, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, fans could even call Mario and Luigi’s Brooklyn plumbing service through their website for fresh information about the film. The trend likely started with The Blair Witch Project in 1999, where the website offered not the film itself but the terrifying horror myth that underpinned the story, which hooked users, resulting in the low-budget, shaky-cam opus earning a quarter-billion dollars.

Of course, Smile II is based on the concept of the first part, but according to writer-director Parker Finn, they are not repeating previous ideas, but have set out in a new, unexplored direction to scare the audience as effectively as possible.

(Smile II – domestic release: October 17, 2024.)