Director Parker Finn beat the odds with the first “Smile” film. Shot for $17 million, the 2022 horror turned into a box office behemoth grossing over $200 million worldwide. So while shooting “Smile 2,” Finn took the same approach, pushing his budget and schedule to the limits in a process he described as fitting “a […]

The box office is ear-to-ear for “Smile 2,” with Paramount’s horror entry landing $9.4 million from 3,619 domestic locations across Friday and preview screenings. That’s above the $8.2 million opening day that the first “Smile” earned in 2022 — a successful kick-off for this sequel, which carries a $28 million production budget. With Halloween season […]

SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers for “Smile 2,” now in theaters. Parker Finn, the writer and director of 2022’s horror hit “Smile” and the just-released “Smile 2,” has taken one of the most recognizable horror ideas in recent years and blown it up even bigger for the sequel. In this chapter, troubled pop star Skye […]

This essay by Parker Finn on his favorite horror movie of all time is one of several contributed as part of Variety’s 100 Best Horror Movies of All Time package. Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining” is not only my favorite horror film — it’s quite possibly my favorite film of all time. Cinephiles and scholars alike […]