The reason I think the first one is more frightening is for one, the sequel is…the sequel, we’re aware of the nature of the entity is by the time we’re watching the sequel and because of that, the discovery phase of the horror is slightly dulled. Don’t get me wrong, its still terrifying, but part of the horror of the first movie is the absolute brutality of the reveal at the end. In the sequel, we can more reasonably suspect exactly how it’s going to go down, with some admittedly intriguing caveats that keep the second movie interesting.

Secondly, I just feel like the protagonist of the first film is far more relatable than the protagonist of the second, but that’s just a personal take. I think most fans of the franchise actually disagree with me on that one.

I will say that the sequel is very well done though and is just different enough from the first film to garner a watch as it’s not solely a repeat of the beats from the first film.

I do very much love the Smile series as you can probably tell, and horror isn’t usually my jam. Just this one…it did manage to terrify me in a unique way that I don’t think I’ll ever forget.