Strap in for an uninspired, lack-lust horror gone wrong in an example to filmmakers everywhere of how not to do it.
From the opening five minutes of Smiley you can tell this is going to be a bit tongue-in-cheek. We start with a young girl on some variation of ChatRoulette telling her babysitter about the urban legend of Smiley. The rules: You start a chat with someone, you type in ‘I did it for the lulz’ three times and then Smiley will appear behind who you’re talking to and kill them. The story holds the Candyman inspiration on its sleeve, but there’s nothing really wrong with that apart from the rule of them dying rather than you. It doesn’t really seem fair to play with someone else’s life like that, but oh well. Of course the babysitter is hot and clueless, so she has to go.
Skip forward to meeting Ashley (Caitlin Gerard) being dropped off at her college house by her dad. She’s living with Proxy (Melanie Papalia), whose parents own the house they’re staying at. These are the two least convincing college kids ever, especially Proxy who genuinely looks like she is in her twenties. Proxy convinces the good-girl Ashley to get high and go to a party where a group of people are meeting, probably for sex. There they meet Zane (Andrew James Allen) who’s trying his best to hit on them with suggestive one-liners. Oh, it’s important to know at this point, Zane’s an overly annoying dick but he’s also probably the second best-acted part in the whole film, and that’s a depressing thought. At the party we soon meet the same guy who ‘killed’ our hot babysitter at the beginning of the film. Turns these people are all a bunch of freaks who meet on an a forum and post weird things to each other, then decide to meet up and do weird things at a party with each other. I’m only 25, but I’m pretty sure this isn’t a great representation of modern 18 year olds? Anyway, Ashley is terrified by the notion of Smiley and to put her at ease Proxy decides they should do it themselves to prove it isn’t real. They choose their victim and it becomes apparent it’s very real and the girls are completely freaked out, even though just seconds before they were having a right good laugh about it all.
Smiley is one of those great-on-paper ideas if the direction had been better. There are obvious classic slasher film inspirations such as the aforementioned Candyman and Scream, and with better direction and execution, perhaps it could have been closer to these films. Our introduction to Smiley especially was poorly done, more mystery should have been made around the character and the film ruins it by trying to go far larger than it needs to. It tries to bring science and greater meaning into the story which deflates any momentum the film might have had leaving it to rely on poor acting and cheap jump moments.
Roger Bart is a bright spark in the film as fast-talking Professor Clayton who just likes to mess with his students and generally not take himself or what he does too seriously, mostly because the students don’t either. Ashley is inspired by the professor and his classes, who’s teachings seem to influence her in her own personal battle against Smiley. There’s very little character depth or story, and the latter in particular just aimlessly jumps from one scene to another with pointless dream sequences / visions in between.
Smiley is yet another example of horror gone wrong. The film tries to be too clever, too cool for its own good, trying to ride off the name of the ever-growing popularity of online communities but gets it so, so wrong. The premise, if kept simple, under the right direction and better, more appropriate casting, could have worked, but instead just becomes another missed opportunity. Characters which are set up in the beginning of the film become fleeting. And the tensions and momentum are never given a chance to build, constantly being broken up by so many different side stories that you just don’t care about and which ultimately ruins the film.
Rating: A disappointing and confused film that peaks around the 4 minute mark, (2/10).
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