Directed by: Tim Hunter
Starring: Ronen Rubinstein, Mia Serafino and Crispin Glover
Written by: Bret Easton Ellis
Runtime: 96 Minutes
Rating: R for strong bloody horror violence and gore, sexuality, nudity, language throughout and some drug references
Our Rating: ★★
At first glance Smiley Face Killers has all the elements to be a decent horror thriller, but unfortunately these elements are not helpful at all.
As a strange wave of mysterious drownings of male college students plagues the California coast, Jake Graham (Rubinstein) struggles to keep his life together at school. Finding himself stalked by a hooded figure (Crispin Glover, Alice in Wonderland) driving an unmarked van, Jake fears he may become the next victim in the killers’ horrific spree.
One of the elements as stated above is Smiley Face Killers was written and produced by author and screenwriter Bret Easton Ellis, who also pinned novels including American Psycho, The Rules of Attraction, and Less Than Zero. I guess you could argue two of the three novels were successfully made into decent forays on the silver screen. American Psycho is a cult classic of course. It can also be said this is because of the stellar performance by Christian Bale. We do not get this from Glover in this role, which is disappointing. The film also stars newcomers Ronen Rubinstein and Mia Serafino. Aside from Glover, the cast in its entirety is made of newcomers, and unfortunately it shows. They all, including Glover give lackluster performances, honestly, it is tough tell if this due to the material on the page, or just underwhelming acting. The film is supposedly, inspired by true events and the twisted “smiley face killers” conspiracy theory that according to the PR has apparently gripped the American imagination for decades. Unfortunately, this film does nothing to make the viewer want to do any research or play internet detective regarding these cases. And, I happen to love true crime.
Smiley Face Killers was directed by Tim Hunter, who in addition to helming the cult classic River’s Edge has directed episodes of some of the most celebrated TV shows in recent history, including “Breaking Bad,” “Mad Men,” and “Twin Peaks.” It was produced by Braxton Pope (upcoming The Card Counter, The Canyons) and David M. Wulf (Inheritance, The Night Clerk).
Honestly, Glover’s “performance” in this is a glorified cameo, I am sure his appearance is solely about working with Hunter once more. It is really doubtful he read this script and just leapt at playing this disfigured, uninteresting villain. Smiley Face Killers‘ pacing is slow and never captivates the audience. There are kills, but the characters are so flat they are pretty much forgettable. Once the reason behind the killings is revealed, it still does nothing to make the narrative more exciting. In fact, it still a little confusing as to why exactly they are targeting these young men. The final scenes and ending are annoying, there is no better word for it. The way the main character Jake is resolved did not make much sense, and without spoiling I will just say hopefully no one would have friends are quite this callous. Overall, if you are in the mood for slow paced, thriller then watch it.
Smiley Face Killers is out Digital and On Demand December 4, and on Blu-ray™ and DVD December 8th.
