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Smiley

  • 20122012
  • RR
  • 1h 35min
IMDb RATING
3.4/10
8.9K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Smiley (2012)
After learning of an urban legend in which a demented serial killer can be summoned through the Internet, mentally fragile Ashley must decide whether she is losing her mind or becoming Smiley's next victim.
Play trailer1:07
1 Video
27 Photos
HorrorMysteryThriller

After discovering an urban legend of a demented serial killer, who has nothing but a carved "smiley" on his face, a mentally fragile teenager must figure out if she is going insane - or if s... Read allAfter discovering an urban legend of a demented serial killer, who has nothing but a carved "smiley" on his face, a mentally fragile teenager must figure out if she is going insane - or if she could be the next victim.After discovering an urban legend of a demented serial killer, who has nothing but a carved "smiley" on his face, a mentally fragile teenager must figure out if she is going insane - or if she could be the next victim.

IMDb RATING
3.4/10
8.9K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Michael J. Gallagher
  • Writers
    • Glasgow Phillips(screenplay)
    • Michael J. Gallagher(screenplay)
    • Ezra Cooperstein(story)
  • Stars
    • Caitlin Gerard
    • Melanie Papalia
    • Shane Dawson
Top credits
  • Director
    • Michael J. Gallagher
  • Writers
    • Glasgow Phillips(screenplay)
    • Michael J. Gallagher(screenplay)
    • Ezra Cooperstein(story)
  • Stars
    • Caitlin Gerard
    • Melanie Papalia
    • Shane Dawson
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 94User reviews
    • 74Critic reviews
    • 25Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination

    Videos1

    Theatrical Version
    Trailer 1:07
    Theatrical Version

    Photos27

    Michael Traynor in Smiley (2012)
    Michael Traynor and Caitlin Gerard in Smiley (2012)
    Still of Shane Dawson in Smiley
    Smiley (2012)
    Official Teaser Poster
    Still of Roger Bart in Smiley
    Michael Traynor in Smiley (2012)
    Nikki Limo in Smiley (2012)
    Jana Winternitz and Toby Turner in Smiley (2012)
    Caitlin Gerard in Smiley (2012)
    Caitlin Gerard in Smiley (2012)
    Smiley (2012)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Caitlin Gerard
    Caitlin Gerard
    • Ashleyas Ashley
    Melanie Papalia
    Melanie Papalia
    • Proxyas Proxy
    Shane Dawson
    Shane Dawson
    • Binderas Binder
    Andrew James Allen
    Andrew James Allen
    • Zaneas Zane
    Liza Weil
    Liza Weil
    • Dr. Jenkinsas Dr. Jenkins
    Roger Bart
    Roger Bart
    • Professor Claytonas Professor Clayton
    Keith David
    Keith David
    • Diamondas Diamond
    Toby Turner
    Toby Turner
    • Markas Mark
    Michael Traynor
    Michael Traynor
    • Smileyas Smiley
    Jana Winternitz
    Jana Winternitz
    • Mariaas Maria
    Nikki Limo
    Nikki Limo
    • Stacyas Stacy
    Steve Greene
    Steve Greene
    • Crashas Crash
    Richard Ryan
    Richard Ryan
    • Kellsas Kells
    DeStorm Power
    DeStorm Power
    • Decepticonas Decepticon
    Jason Horton
    Jason Horton
    • Flasheras Flasher
    Billy St. John
    Billy St. John
    • Dadas Dad
    Patrick O'Sullivan
    Patrick O'Sullivan
    • Cooperas Cooper
    Tiger Darrien Blue Skylar
    Tiger Darrien Blue Skylar
    • Maryas Mary
    • (as Darrien Skylar)
    • Director
      • Michael J. Gallagher
    • Writers
      • Glasgow Phillips(screenplay) (story)
      • Michael J. Gallagher(screenplay)
      • Ezra Cooperstein(story)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit
    Ashley goes to her new college while getting over the death of her mother. She meets some new people there including Binder ('Shane Dawson') while at a party and she learns about an urban legend of an online killer that has the nickname "Smiley" who can only be seen on the web and he apparently kills people after they type in "I did it for the lulz" three times. Soon after going to the party Ashley and her flatmate Proxy go online to test it out, with horrific results. She becomes paranoid and she starts to think she sees Smiley all over the place and feels that he may be chasing her, but how can that be if he is not real? Have they somehow released him from the internet? —Michael Hallows Eve
    urban legendcollegeserial killerstudentparanoia36 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Taglines
      • Evil wears a smile
    • Genres
      • Horror
      • Mystery
      • Thriller
    • Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
      • Rated R for violence, terror, language, some sexual references and substance use by teens
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Has only sold 30,000 copies
    • Goofs
      When the detectives are talking to Ashley and they reveal the Youtube video where she's smashing her computer in the library, you can clearly see the editing options on top of the video (edit video details, edit annotations, audio swap, etc.). This would indicate that the detectives were the ones who uploaded the video, as they were logged into the account where the video was uploaded.
    • Quotes

      Binder: [on Ashley] Damn... I never got to fuck her!

    • Crazy credits
      At the very end after the credits are done, Ashley wakes up!
    • Connections
      Featured in Phelous & the Movies: Emoticonly (2013)
    • Soundtracks
      Il trovatore : Act I: Tace la notte!
      Written by Giuseppe Verdi

      Performed by Sondra Radvanovsky

    User reviews94

    Review
    Top review
    Honestly not that bad
    OK so first of all, this is a movie about stupid internet culture. Therefore it should be expected that there are going to be a LOT of stupid internet references. That said, I think they did a very good job at capturing said culture; being young-ish and working in IT, I felt like all the awkward nerds and their motivations were VERY believable. As utterly stupid as this premise and many lines of dialog (including the main "i did it for the lulz") are, that is sadly exactly how 4chan and related internet/meme/"hackivist" culture is. Anyway, this is slightly different than most teen slashers in that they seem to have gotten regular people to play the roles which makes it appear cheaper than Hollywood movies, yet it adds a gritty & quasi-realistic slant that is absent in the status quo of Hollywood beautiful people cast of stereotypes. This is by no means a fantastic movie, but I found it to be very watchable and fairly enjoyable for a low budget teen slasher. There is some really, really bad CGI (not much) and sadly the kills are generally weak / too few and far between / there isn't much gore (however there is a good twist ending which explains why the second part is as such). Overall mediocre, but this one kind of feels like Scream for a new generation - instead of the constant stupid movie references, you have internet references. I think you really have to be aware of internet culture to "understand" this movie, otherwise a lot of it won't make sense at all and it will seem very silly/stupid.
    helpful•17
    16
    • wormsoftheerth
    • Nov 21, 2012

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 12, 2012 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • I Did It for the Lulz
    • Filming locations
      • Glendora, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Level 10 Films
      • Andrew E. Freedman Public Relations
      • Paramount Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 35min
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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