Review of Smiley (2012) by Joshua P — 08 Oct 2013

Better than expected riff on the modern slasher film. It primarily stumbles when it tries to co-opt real-world sites and memes (e.g. 4chan, Anonymous, "I did it for the lulz") instead of creating in-movie equivalents (hideandgochat standing in for chatroulette).

As with many slashers, it is a morality play at heart, wanting to act as an indictment of certain aspects of Internet culture. The young writer/directory (24 yrs old) shows promise. In the end, though, it is still primarily a teen-oriented slasher.