Warning: This article contains major spoilers for Smile 2.

This article contains mentions of self-harm and violence.

In Smile's tragic ending makes it stand out from other horror movies, and now, Smile 2 has followed in its footsteps.

In many ways, Smile 2 takes the same route as Smile. Skye witnesses her friend Lewis (Lukas Gage) take his own life, and he becomes haunted by hallucinations that wear down her mental state. However, Smile 2 makes one massive change. At the ending, it is revealed that most of the movie occurred in Skye's head. Although Skye thought she had control over the Entity, the demon reveals that it has been pulling the strings all along, and the movie offers several clues that this is what is happening.

8 Skye's Water Bottle Never Actually Broke

An Early Sign That Skye Couldn't Trust Herself

One of the very first moments where Skye (and the audience) should have realized that her reality was changing is when her water bottle shattered in her apartment. In the scene, Skye is waiting for Gemma (Dylan Gelula) to show up and is shocked when her water bottle mysteriously falls to the floor and breaks. Skye then finds a creepy fan naked in her apartment, smiling. He chases her until Gemma shows up, revealing that none of this actually happened. The man wasn't real, and the water bottle never broke at all.

Arguably, this is an obvious hint, but one that is easy to miss. It is expected that Skye's reality will shift because of the Smile Entity's curse, but more surprising that the horrors weren't over. When Gemma arrives, it seems as though the Entity's fantasy is over. Yet, in hindsight, the water bottle scene is just the beginning of a never-ending nightmare for Skye. If Skye had thought more about the water bottle, perhaps she would have had more doubts about her reality.

7 Skye Keeps Losing Track Of Time

Skye Only Briefly Questions Her Time Jumps

Another red flag that the Entity is controlling Skye's life are the time jumps. When Gemma sleeps over, Skye wakes up and finds Gemma possessed by the Entity. The next time Skye "wakes up," it is morning, and she's late for work. Even before this scene, Skye is shocked when Gemma tells her that their call happened an hour ago. Skye's loss of time is a major sign that the Entity has taken over. Although Skye blames her own declining mental health for these time gaps, it is actually the Entity playing its tricks.

It is easy to accept that Skye's time jumps are the result of the Entity messing with her, but the truth isn't so clear. It isn't just that the Entity is making Skye lose track of time. In reality, the Entity is completely fabricating everything that Skye sees. Like a dream, the Entity doesn't have to follow the rules of time and space, so it can jump from scene to scene with ease. Skye notices this but doesn't realize it is the Entity completely commandeering her reality.

6 Gemma Telling Skye Not To Go To The Police

Gemma's Logic Is Flawed

One of the more subtle tricks that the Entity plays on Skye is when Gemma warns her not to go to the authorities about Lewis's death. Skye reveals what she saw to Gemma, and when she asks if she should call the police about it, Gemma immediately shuts her down. She argues that it will be a PR nightmare for her. Skye quickly agrees and they drop the subject completely. At first, this reaction from Gemma makes sense; in retrospect, it seems very odd.

Smile 2 currently has an 84% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes.

From the audience's perspective, Gemma's argument makes sense. Skye's pop star reputation would be affected by her having gone to a drug dealer's home. However, the fact that she witnessed a violent suicide is more prevalent than her being near drugs. Getting the police involved would have offered Skye some protection and maybe given her a sense of ease, which the Entity certainly doesn't want. So, it would make sense that the Entity made Gemma shoot down the police idea to keep Skye alone and terrified.

5 The Teleprompter Malfunctioning & Reading "Paul Hudson"

There Was No Reasonable Explanation For The Teleprompter Issue

In a movie full of hard-to-watch moments, one of the absolute worst is when Skye presents at a charity event and completely bombs. Though she comes prepared to smile and succeed, the teleprompter stops working, forcing Skye to improvise. Because of her worsening mental health, giving her air time leads to a very uncomfortable airing of her feelings. Then, the teleprompter comes back to life and forces her to welcome her dead ex, Paul (Ray Nicholson), to the stage. Skye freaks out and ends up pushing an old lady off the stage.

Paul Hudson is played by Jack Nicholson's son, Ray Nicholson.

The astonishing nature of this scene makes it easy not to question the logic of the moment. Skye's PR disaster is too distracting to really wonder why any of it happened in the first place. A teleprompter malfunction is a realistic issue, yet the machine reading off Paul's name doesn't make any sense at all when there would be no reason for a real person to do this. Thus, the only possible culprit is the Entity, who not only put Paul's name on the teleprompter but created the entire situation to lower Skye's morale.

4 Skye's Mother Expects Her To Do The Tour With A Concussion

Skye's Mom Is Eager But Not Cruel

When Smile 2 gets into the nitty-gritty of Skye's life falling apart, another bad omen is that Skye's mother expected her to go on the tour with a concussion. Skye wakes up in a wellness center to her mother taking control of her life and demanding that she continue with the tour. The two get into a massive fight, where Skye accuses her mother of not truly caring about her. Skye's mother gives a heartbreaking monologue before stabbing herself with glass, causing her death.

Once again, the severity of this scene makes it easy to forget that this doesn't quite make sense. Although Skye's mother is characterized as being overly invested in Skye's career, her lack of empathy for her daughter is hyperbolic. With Skye beaten and bruised, it is extreme that her mother would act so uncaring. Furthermore, forcing her to start her tour with a concussion is not only cruel but a hazard to her long-term health. This is a sign that the Entity is behind this scene.

3 Skye's Getaway Plan Actually Works

Skye Shouldn't Have Been Able To Escape

There is movie logic, and then there is Entity logic. It is exciting to see Skye escape the clutches of the wellness center after killing her mother, but the ease with which she does this isn't entirely realistic. Skye nearly makes it to the exit without anyone noticing the giant blood stain on her gown. Then, she manages to steal the security guard's gun and shoots it into the air, presumably without any prior gun experience. Finally, she escapes onto the street and has a full-on conversation with Gemma without anyone arriving to detain her.

While it's nice to accept that Skye is able to do all of this, there are big flaws in this logic. Skye probably would have been seen long before Joshua (Miles Gutierrez-Riley) noticed her and called out for help. On top of that, her maneuvering of the gun is cool but unlikely. All in all, the Entity clearly manufactured this moment to create hope for Skye and the audience. Thus, when Skye's reality came crashing down, it would be all the more sweet for the demon.

2 Gemma Wasn't Real

Gemma Never Answered Skye's Texts

The biggest hint that Smile 2 offers about its twist is when Skye realizes that Gemma was never real. As the pair drive to Staten Island, Skye receives a call from the real Gemma, revealing that the Gemma driving the car is actually the Entity. The real Gemma apologizes for never answering Skye's voicemail and also asks about all the weird texts Skye had been sending, which she notably never answered. The fact that the Entity created another Gemma is a huge sign that Skye can't trust anything happening to her.

While the imagined Gemma hints that everything Skye is experiencing is fake, there are hints throughout the movie that Gemma never existed in the first place. If Gemma and Skye had resolved their conflict, Gemma should have answered her texts. Furthermore, Skye never actually sees Gemma around other people. When Skye's mother comes into the apartment, she only talks to Skye and never even acknowledges Gemma. Considering Gemma and Skye's history, this is also suspicious.

1 Skye Doesn't Actually Grab The Syringe

The Entity Pushed Skye To Her Limit

The final moment where Skye finally realizes that nothing is real is when she attempts to stop her heart with a syringe. The Entity pushes Skye to such a point where Skye is willing to take her own life to destroy the demon. Yet, when she actually attempts to do this, the Entity reveals none of it is real. Every last shred of hope is destroyed as Skye's reality comes crashing down around her. She never ruined her career or killed her mother, but she also never actually fought back against the Entity. She did everything it wanted.

Ultimately, this is the crux of Smile 2's twist. Like Rose's tragic Smile fate, audiences were given hope that Skye could defeat the Entity. However, the Entity crushes these dreams and carries out a horrifying ending that has major ramifications. With so many people witnessing Skye's death, it seems likely that the Entity will possess countless more hosts and take over the world. This leaves audiences hopeless but also sets up a possible Smile 3. In this way, Smile 2 does everything right to create an awesome twist.