Smile 2 is a psychological horror film that was released in theaters October 18, 2024. It is the sequel to the 2022 film Smile. The film follows pop star Skye Riley as she attempts to continue her music career after suffering a traumatic accident that affected her both physically and mentally. As Skye is learning to manage her stressful life in the public eye and her PTSD, she accidentally witnesses the violent and, unbeknownst to her, demonic death of a friend. The main portion of the movie follows Skye as she spirals down a rabbit hole of demonic hallucinations that seem to be driving her toward her very own death. 

Doing my best to avoid spoilers, Smile 2 was one of the most unique, well executed movies I have seen come out of theaters in recent years. I consider myself a Cinemark patron, and I find myself typically going to the movies two or three times a month. Given this, I have seen the good and the bad that recent movies have to offer, and in full honesty, there’s a lot of bad. Generally, including movies outside the horror genre, there seems to have been an overall drop in the quality of movies being released, coupled with a frankly ridiculous increase in ticket pricing. Films more and more lack the creativity and individuality in plot and other aspects of the movie design that make a film truly stand out. Most movies coming out are sequels, prequels, remakes or part of a never ending cinematic universe that frankly should’ve been put to sleep years ago (*cough* Marvel *cough*).

But, really, look at some of the 2024 movies that come up after a Google search: Dune: Part 2, Venom: The Last Dance, Inside Out 2, Joker: Folie a Deux, Smile 2, Kung Fu Panda 4, Deadpool and Wolverine, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Nosferatu (remake), Despicable Me 4, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, Terrifier 3, Alien: Romulus, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Gladiator II, Moana 2, Madame Web, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, and the list goes on. This is not to say that these movies are not of high quality or an enjoyable experience;I myself thought Dune: Part 2’s cinematography was breathtaking enough to pay sixteen dollars to see it a second time, and many of the other movies on that list I found worth the time and money to see. But it doesn’t change the fact that there is clearly a pattern of regurgitation in Hollywood right now, and it’s getting old. 

Despite the fact that Smile 2 found its way onto the list of recycled concepts, I found that the film was produced in a refreshing way. While still reusing concepts from the original movie, Smile 2 had me hooked and shook from the opening scene, and for the first time in a while, I felt like I was really watching a horror movie. The film used a combination of subtle, eerie details and shocking gory scenes to keep you on your toes, so you never knew what was coming. The film did a good job of showing Skye’s mental state; I couldn’t tell when Skye was hallucinating any more than she could, and it led to some interesting plot twists I can genuinely say I didn’t see coming. You felt Skye’s sanity slipping throughout the film, little by little, as events in the movie grew increasingly disturbing. Additionally, Naomi Scott, who played Skye Riley, did a phenomenal job performing. Some of the scenes left you feeling truly gutted with the emotion she portrayed. 

However, as much as I truly loved this movie, as did many other people I talked to about it, I didn’t choose to write this article to solely highlight its successes, but also a certain aspect of the movie I personally noticed and believed worthy of discussion. In the film, Skye Riley has a disorder called trichotillomania (trick-oh-till-oh-mania), or TTC for short. Trichotillomania is a body focused repetitive disorder (BFRB) related to OCD that is characterized by the persistent, compulsive urge to pull out one’s own hair. Throughout the movie, we witness Skye pull out clumps of her hair multiple times while in distress. Although it is not explicitly stated within the film that Skye has TTC, I personally recognized the symptoms immediately while watching and a quick Google search after the movie confirmed my suspicions. 

What stood out to me the most was how trichotillomania was portrayed. Most people do not know what TTM is, what its symptoms are, or how it looks in real life, as it is not often represented in the media. Beyond Smile 2, I have never stumbled upon TTC naturally as I have with other mental illnesses and disorders such as OCD, ADHD, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia. This is also not an uncommon occurrence; there are many mental illnesses out there that are not represented or discussed, and even with the better known mental illnesses that are, there are still large misconceptions surrounding what these illnesses actually are and how they affect the people that have them.

In this movie, Skye was violently ripping the hair from her scalp. Most people with TTC do not violently pull out their hair in fits of rage or distress. That is not to say that some people with TTC don’t do that, because mental illness doesn’t look the same for everyone, but for most people with TTC, hair pulling occurs rather calmly. It can happen when bored, or happy, or stressed, and it usually isn’t chunks of hair, but individual hairs pulled, from all different parts of the body. What they did represent was that it is compulsive, as in a repetitive, ritualistic action that a person feels driven to perform despite recognizing the irrationality or excessiveness. It is clear that the directors of the film were using TTM as a scare factor, something violent and gory that a character does to themselves, leaving the viewer shocked, disturbed, and with an unsettled stomach. 

Misrepresenting mental disorders in media, especially lesser known mental disorders like TTM that manifest themselves in physically damaging ways, can be extremely harmful for those that actually have the disorder. You may be thinking, why does it matter if the disorder’s name was never explicitly mentioned? Viewers aren’t going to know what it is anyway. Well, here’s something to think about. The viewers who consume these scenes are going to associate the action of pulling out your own hair with violent, gory urges to rip chunks of your hair from your scalp. So, when they think of a person pulling their hair out, they may automatically think of those harmful scenes, because it’s the only exposure they’ve had to the illness. Now, imagine that person has a friend or family member with TTM who comes to them for help, comfort, or to just share what they’re dealing with. The first thing that is going to jump to mind are those scenes, and unbeknownst to the viewer, they may react with repulsion, disgust, or some other negative emotion that they initially associated with the gory scene.

People with TTM, or any other disorder, are likely already struggling to cope with and accept their disorder. TTM is chronic, and there is no definitive treatment or cure. It is something people deal with for their entire life. Most, if not all people with TTM have already felt repulsion, disgust, and shame towards themselves, and having another person react to them negatively, especially someone they trust, will undoubtedly cause them harm. Ideally, the media should stop using exaggerated mental disorders as scare factors and common plot lines because they misrepresent disorders, which is damaging to the very real people that struggle daily through the symptoms of these disorders. They should instead focus on incorporating disorders into plotlines to provide depth to their story and characters, and representation to lesser known disorders. 

However, when does the media ever do what they should do? Films and other forms of media, especially the horror or thriller genre, are always going to exaggerate parts of real life for entertainment, including things like mental illness; it’s kind of inevitable. Most things we see in films aren’t real, because they’re designed for entertainment purposes. To counteract this, as viewers we should work toward consuming our content consciously, with an open mind and understanding that what we’re seeing isn’t how it necessarily is. We need to be mindful of misinformation, exaggeration, or bias, so we can be sure not to carry those misconceptions into the real world with us. 

And, as always, remember to treat those around you with kindness, empathy, and respect. The movies may be filled with fiction, but there are actual people out in the world dealing with a version of the very real disorders and symptoms you see on your screens. It can be hard, even impossible, to understand the difficulties people face if you’ve never personally experienced them, but you don’t need to completely understand the why or how to be compassionate and supportive of the people around you. 

If you or a loved one are struggling with your mental health, know that you are not alone and help is available. For the National Suicide Prevention Hotline, call 988, for the Crisis Text Line text “HOME” to 741741, and for the SAMHSA National Helpline, call 1-800-622-HELP.

Click here to access the National Institute of Mental Health website