2AM: The Smiling Man

Brilliant, simple, and straight to the point. This was great and it left me with fear chills. I actually had a few nightmares for a week after watching this. This was an extraordinary short film, and the actors were great.

I am aware that this is based on some sort of creepypasta- internet-related type thing, but, when completely separated from all that, this is an extremely effective, if extremely brief horror short. The running time is slim and the creepiness is aplenty; the best way to create horror is to, at first, create some sort of mystery, and allow the mystery to naturally unfold before the real "horror" truly starts kicking, which is what this movie does almost perfectly. It has flaws (the final jumpscare was much less compelling than it wanted to be), but its quality outshines them all and creates a very engaging and quick little horror story that is sure to get even the bravest viewers at least slightly weirded out by its off putting visuals and concept.

This horror short leans toward the realistic side of the genre. While the eerie man our protagonist encounters on a dark, empty street does have a disturbingly creepy smile, it's his otherwise awkward behavior that stands out more. These days, it's not uncommon to run into someone intoxicated or high who acts in a similarly unsettling way.

That said, we can assume there's something more going on here-likely a supernatural element-but the film still feels grounded in the kind of encounter that could realistically happen late at night. And horror doesn't always need to be supernatural; it's terrifying enough when a strange, erratic man starts following you through the dark.

The protagonist's acting was solid, though I think they could have done more with the makeup or styling of the smiling man to make him appear more frightening.

Ambiguity, an urban legend, suggestion and the precise levels of story. and the impact. that is all for a real interesting horror. this film is a brilliant example. because the story is more important than CGI or tones of blood. because the simplicity is the key for explore the fear in precise manner. because all is like a trammel. working in real admirable manner in this case.

I've become a fan of creepy pastas as they are the new urban legends or should I say there roots come from urban legends and myths. To me they are interesting and intense storytelling's as you keep digging for more. The Smiling Man being one of the oldest ones as I was surprised it was made into a short film and that's the best way to take creepy pastas into a visual mode being short films.

This is the horror that actually scares me. Not some dumb cheap jump scares, blood or crappy slasher mask-guys, but this - unsettling, bizarre, ambiguous eerie and somehow upsetting vision of something that seems to be harmless, yet turns into horrifying nightmare.

I hope I see more creepy pastas taken into short films or an anthology film featuring various popular stories.