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 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.

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.

"2AM: The Smiling Man" is a 4-minute horror movie and it does exactly what horror films need to achieve. It will scare you. At least that's what it did for me. We see a young man who is about to return home from a party possibly. Streets are empty as it's 2 am at night. But when he turns around, he sees another man apparently following him. That other guy has like the creepiest smile ever on his face and constantly seems to be looking up to the sky. Paul Foltz did a very nice job there. A bit of a shame to see that he never acted in anything else according to his profile page, but as this film is from only 2 years ago, maybe he will at some point again. Same applies for the writer and director of this film. They did a very fine job here and that last shot with the creepy guy suddenly appearing out of nowhere was expected, yet I hoped it wouldn't happen. Good job from everybody involved. Very atmospheric short film too with the loneliness coming from the empty streets and the music being a perfect choice too. Thumbs up!