Warning - The rest of this article contains spoilers for Smile 2.
Smile 2's confusing twists and turns have left audiences questioning what really happened to Skye Riley and what was an illusion from the demonic entity.
While the plot behind the horror sequel was certainly complex, director Finn Parker explained some of Smile 2's biggest spoilers in an interview with The Direct.
Smile 2's Real and Fake Scenes Explained
As Smile fans will be aware, the film's central demonic entity passes from one host to another after one sees a possessed host succumb to its tricks and kill themself.
For Natalie Scott's Skye Riley, that takeover came in the apartment of her high school friend and drug dealer Lewis Fregoli (read more about the cast of Smile 2 here). After he commits suicide with a weight plate in front of Riley, the demon passes over to her, meaning any events from that point on could be considered real or fake.
Did Skye's Mother Actually Die?
When Skye was admitted to a rehab clinic, she was met there by her mother, who was seemingly revealed as the demon in disguise when she began to stab herself with a shard of a broken mirror. But this came with yet another twist when Skye was suddenly covered in blood, indicating she had killed her mother.
However, after the events that followed where Skye escaped the rehab clinic and attempted to kill the demon in the Pizza Hut freezer, the singer reappeared in the stadium where her mother was present in the concert audience.
As Elizabeth showed no signs of injury or concern and was acting normal in the audience, it appears everything in the rehab clinic was an illusion, meaning Skye's mother never died at all, neither by murder or suicide.
Was Gemma Ever There?
After Skye violently escaped the rehab center and carjacked a vehicle, Smile 2 delivered its most shocking twist. The pop sensation had never reconnected with her estranged best friend Gemma as they seemingly did early in the movie, thus confirming every interaction with her was just another demonic illusion.
But that's not to say every scene featuring Skye's former best friend never happened, as when Elizabeth arrives to tell her daughter she's running late, she never acknowledges Gemma saying "hello" to her. This may mean the scene itself still happened, but Skye was simply alone in the room with her mother.
There are further hints throughout Smile 2 that Gemma was never there before the big reveal, such as how easily she forgives Skye after a major fallout, how she never interacts with other characters, and conveniently never replies to texts.
Did the Creepy Fan Attack Skye at Home?
During a signing and photo session, Skye was approached by Alfredo, a creepy fan who was in love with the singer but ultimately behaved aggressively. Later, Alfredo surfaced naked in Skye's apartment and tried to attack her before Gemma arrived and the intruder was never seen again.
Skye's encounter with Alfredo at her public appearance may well have been real, after all, such incidents are commonplace for global superstars. The situation was quickly shut down by security and Skye's team, and if the encounter was an invention of the Smile entity, it likely would have made it far more traumatizing.
But when it comes to Alfredo's attack in the apartment, that was presumably fake given how Gemma appeared (who was established to have never been there) and the situation ultimately resolved itself with the creepy fan simply vanishing.
Later on in Smile 2, more events take place in Skye's apartment which are clearly fake, including further interactions with Gemma and the moment where the singer was swarmed by a circle of dancers.
Did Morris Have the Cure?
After Morris' former nurse brother succumbed to the Smile entity and met his demise, he set out to track down its latest host with a plan to end it all.
As such, Morris contacted Skye to propose a plan where she is briefly killed and later resuscitated, leaving the demon with no host. This plan was (kind of) put into action in the movie's climax as Morris and Skye traveled to a Pizza Hut freezer to try and execute this plan to no avail.
Obviously, the scene in the freezer was ultimately revealed as an illusion by the demon, indicating she had never met him a second time at all. But was her meeting with Morris in the bar ever real?
There's every chance Morris was never there, and the demon was simply trying to play with Skye by offering her an apparent glimmer of hope while simultaneously pushing her towards her suicide, thus fulfilling the cycle of Smile.
Then again, this could just as easily be real, as it furthers the demon's agenda far more for Skye to die in front of a large crowd of potential victims, making it suggesting a private suicide in the hope of freedom a strange one.
As such, Morris could return in Smile 3 to continue trying to destroy the monstrosity by meeting up with the next victim and pitching the same or another plan.
Smile 2's Other Confusing Events
As discussed previously, Smile 2's mix of real and fake events means that nothing beyond the death of Lewis Fregoli can be assumed to fall in either camp.
For example, at one point in the movie, Skye returned to her dressing room to find it trashed with her belongings in tatters and mirrors smashed - a crime for which she blamed her assistant Joshua. While the true culprit was never confirmed, Skye likely destroyed the room herself while under the control of the Smile entity.
During a rehearsal for her concert, Skye seemingly suffered a gruesome injury that left the bone popping out of her leg. However, this turned out to be another illusion, presumably as the demon sought to taunt the singer about the real knee injury she suffered in the car accident that killed her actor boyfriend Paul Hudson.
Speaking of which, Skye's deceased boyfriend joined her on stage during her speech at a charity event where he was played by The Shining star Jack Nicholson's son Ray. But this was just another example of the Smile entity taunting her about her past to generate fear and lead her to injury and an older woman.
How Smile 2 Sets Up a Massive Third Movie
Across almost every previous death due to the Smile entity, the circumstances have been roughly similar, with only one witness present to become the new host. But Smile 2 threw a curveball in the chain as Skye Riley killed herself in front of a stadium full of her fans, leaving plenty of fresh victims for the demon to torment.
It is unclear whether the demon can only pass on to a singular host or spread to everyone who witnesses the death. But if the latter were to be the case, the world of Smile could be looking at an epidemic as the thousands of Skye supporters present become possessed and each starts a new chain of passing on the entity.
As such, Smile 3 could take the franchise in a fresh direction as the world becomes flooded with cases of demonic possession and mysterious deaths. Perhaps this could open the doors for Morris to return and continue his mission to kill the entity, helping and interacting with more hosts in future sequels.
For now, Smile 3 has yet to be officially announced as the sequel continues to gross far less at the box office than its predecessor. But, so far, Smile 2 has still been a success, bringing in almost $85 million worldwide on a $28 million budget, meaning the franchise may well have a future in its sights.
Smile 2 is playing now in theaters worldwide.
