Andrew Fitzgerald (the 'missing' director of this so called documentary) uses the real life story of the "Smiley Face Killers" theory of many single accounts of accidental drownings being linked together by a so called "Smily Face" marking and many other coincidences that is too odd to be assumed each as a single accidental death. After watching more real life stories and reading a lot more information about this, it's a very intriguing bunch of circumstances that definitely has a lot of fact linking a lot of these accidental deaths together. This film highlights a lot of the director's (Andrew Fitgerald) film career to build up to the ending of his so called real footage abduction. The film is told from his friends point of view after Andrew is told to be missing in real life. A quick Google search and you'll find the ending of this film is an utter and total hoax, he is alive and well and was never missing at all. He even promotes this 'documentary' after it's release and still posts on Facebook today. I feel very sorry for all involved in this real story, the family, friends & detectives featured in this film, as Andrew bring great doubt & disbelief in the whole story to anyone newly researching it. There was absolutely no need to bring fiction into the truth. If your interested in the Smiley Face Killers story please do not watch this horrible self promotion piece of poorly executed film.
13 Reviews
So Disappointing (NOT REAL)
mthompson-7860129 December 2016
Warning: Spoilers
I stumbled upon this documentary on YouTube while working a pretty boring overnight shift. I was actually really excited about it because I have actually heard bits and pieces about the Smiley Face Killer conspiracies.
The initial plot was attention grabbing, since I thought it was a REAL documentary. Turns out it's fake. Which is really disappointing and puts a bad taste in my mouth since these types of events are pretty common (young men going missing and turning up in the local river). The movie itself was very boring and dragged out. I found myself nodding off a few times while the different cases were explained.
It was the ending that made me realize the documentary couldn't be true. While watching it unfold, I couldn't help but feel like it was predictable and overly dramatic.
If you ever find yourself bored, you're better off just looking into the Smiley Face Killer stuff yourself with a simple Google search.
The initial plot was attention grabbing, since I thought it was a REAL documentary. Turns out it's fake. Which is really disappointing and puts a bad taste in my mouth since these types of events are pretty common (young men going missing and turning up in the local river). The movie itself was very boring and dragged out. I found myself nodding off a few times while the different cases were explained.
It was the ending that made me realize the documentary couldn't be true. While watching it unfold, I couldn't help but feel like it was predictable and overly dramatic.
If you ever find yourself bored, you're better off just looking into the Smiley Face Killer stuff yourself with a simple Google search.
Shameful
filmnoir-4756830 July 2016
This mockumentary is a disgraceful, disrespectful, cynical attempt at what? Is it black humor? Is this about adding a credit to a resume? To be so unfeeling and cold, so effortlessly, is all I'd ever need to witness regarding anyone involved in this piece of garbage. There were real victims and there are real, heartbroken families and friends left behind, you jerks. How proud and happy YOUR families must be. Shame on you all. This continued pattern of murders and senseless loss of promising young people is terrifying, and should be treated as such. Perhaps Steph Young, David Paulides, or some other tireless researcher or author will finally be able to uncover what's behind these sinister crimes. If a senator's son died this way, I think we'd see a tremendous amount of publicity and effort to solve the crime. So sad.
Incredibly Disrespectful but well made MOVIE
jenniferdragonetti5 November 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I was very interested up until the end. The supposed "disappearence" of Andrew while visiting "Arthur". I think that this film took the very true horror that these families are experiencing and poke fun at it with this insinuated drowning of Andrew. While its a great movie ending, this film is being portrayed as a Documentary, (and I use that word EXTREMELY loosely), therefore there should have been no need for this ending. Now had this film presented itself as what it essentially IS, A MOVIE, this would've went over much better with me. As I said, while well made, make no mistake that this is in fact just that, a movie. There are REAL people and families that are suffering the devastating loss of loved ones due to these crimes while the makers of this film try to make a name for themselves. Couldn't you have gained the same notoriety by actually doing an ACTUAL DOCUMENTARY with the actual people involved, (rather then actor portrayals), and help this cause while at the same time EARNING the noteriety??? Shame on you. While this film may have met the appropriate criteria to consider themselves a "Documentary", (again, I use this word very loosely), it is still just another crappy, borderline misrepresentation of real events. They should really reevaluate their priorites.
totally scary - but fiction - but based on true
myredright28 March 2018
Totally scary but didn't know it was fiction until tight at the end, that said it was entertaining and based on the real The Smiley Face Killers. I read the book on this and it chilled my blood totally - as there's real abductions and murders happening of college-aged men
My opinion, what do you think?
cantgooutside28 November 2015
This is in fact a fake documentary. However, it is a fact that many males fitting the profile are indeed going missing, then found dead due to drowning. The director came across extremely conceded and self centered during the "doc" but I continued watching as I am familiar with cases such as those reviewed in this movie. This movie is extremely disrespectful to the victims and families to the numerous males dying in this way.
To hear the true, respectful story on the numerous college age boys dying in this way, Google search "missing 411 a sobering coincidence" The director just crapped all over the true story of these mysterious murders for notoriety, it seems at least. Please, if I am wrong, I am open.
To hear the true, respectful story on the numerous college age boys dying in this way, Google search "missing 411 a sobering coincidence" The director just crapped all over the true story of these mysterious murders for notoriety, it seems at least. Please, if I am wrong, I am open.
Gripping, and compelling, with a strange twist
tula-9290517 December 2016
A creative and riveting film that grips you right at the end in a terrifying twist. Though this is fiction it is based on REAL events. Estimates are there are 300 dead college men - all killed by "The Smiley Face Killers" - author Steph Young (Stephen Young) has written compelling books about these "Smiley Face killers" -'Dead in the Water: Forever Awake. Investigating the Smiley Face Killers' -was one of the most frightening books i have ever read. This documentary-style movie is based on these killers and the phenomenon of disappearing college men. It's a real-time investigation and a documentary style. A retired NYPD began tracking these killers - they're still out there. This imaginative, compelling, and ultimately terrifying movie does an awesome job in bringing this to light. Good Job! The suspense is gripping throughout and the ending shocking!
Misrepresented as a documentary
mephistopheles9315 January 2020
It wasn't until the retarded ending that I suspected this was fake. It's basically a shameless self promotion video making use of real tragedies for self-promotion. I was also revolted by the dialogue during the dummy test. Very disrespectful.
A Very Good "Fake" Documentary !!!
JoeKulik7 July 2015
Warning: Spoilers
I'm not only a film fanatic, but a "true crime" fanatic too, and I came across this film in the true crime serial killer listings. So I watched it naively thinking that its an actual doc about the Smiley Killers deaths. I completely enjoyed the film on YouTube, but got very bummed out when I looked at its IMDb page & realized that it's really a spoof on the Smiley Killer deaths. I mean that this film is pure fiction, even using actors for people in the film that are portrayed as the victims and the families of the victims. I'm still giving this film a 10 because it's very entertaining and well done but I REALLY wish that I had known that it was a fictional account of the Smiley Killer deaths before I viewed it.
Suprisingly good film
SteverB22 January 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I can't imagine where all of these negative reviews are coming from, all suspiciously complaining about the same thing. I didn't see any disrespect to any family members who have lost loved ones. What I did see was a well done film about the Smiley Face Killers brought to the screen in a fictional fashion. I would think families would be happy for any sort of publicity about these deaths since police and coroners want to file them all under "accidental drownings," when they are quite obviously anything but. Their loved ones' deaths are being ignored by authorities and a film like this engages the public interest.
If anyone thinks for a second that EVERY film ever made isn't promotion for the director and anyone else involved, you have several more thinks coming. The fact that people were upset about being "duped" into believing this was a documentary doesn't change the fact that the film is a well done study of these crimes. A film review should be about the merits, or lack thereof, of the film, not whining about things that weren't in the film. "The Blair Witch Project" duped a lot of people too; that doesn't make it a bad film. "Bridgend" is a fictional account of a cluster of suicides in Wales of young people; it too is not disrespectful to anyone. That film made me seek out the documentary on the same subject. People need to stop clutching their pearls and start acting like adults!
If anyone thinks for a second that EVERY film ever made isn't promotion for the director and anyone else involved, you have several more thinks coming. The fact that people were upset about being "duped" into believing this was a documentary doesn't change the fact that the film is a well done study of these crimes. A film review should be about the merits, or lack thereof, of the film, not whining about things that weren't in the film. "The Blair Witch Project" duped a lot of people too; that doesn't make it a bad film. "Bridgend" is a fictional account of a cluster of suicides in Wales of young people; it too is not disrespectful to anyone. That film made me seek out the documentary on the same subject. People need to stop clutching their pearls and start acting like adults!
Good because it's bad
dcs57723 September 2017
Warning: Spoilers
I watched this fully unaware that it might be fake. Given that fact, I felt all the performances were very believable and even more impressive to me was how well the film mimicked a low-budget, first time documentary. Giving them the benefit of the doubt, they did a great job of being purposefully bad and low-quality in some of the filming techniques...the overuse of voice-over, the injection of the director and their personal history, and the docu footage of the process. Since I believed it to be real, I was riveted up to the chilling and believable end.
SPOILERS AHEAD
The only moment I may have had any suspicion that something was off in the film was the moment in the final scene where the director has chosen to go to a person's house alone at night - a person who has behaved very defensive in their communications and who is involved in a subculture the director believes could be linked to the killers. And the fact that the friend or others involved were seemingly unaware of this until the accidental discovery of this footage on his hard drive.
I only discovered the film was a fake when I decided to google it afterwards...hoping it were fake because of how disturbing it was and believing the perpetrators would have been caught by now it if it were real.
The best way to experience this film is like I did...believing it to be real...which means it can only really be experienced once...or as long as that belief persists. This parallels my experience of The Blair Witch Project to which this film owes everything. Given the supernatural elements of Blair Witch and it's complete lack of a factual basis, the Smiley Face Killers has a greater potential to maintain its creepiness upon multiple viewings.
Assuming the film was made purposefully amateurish to add to its believability, I think this is a well-executed horror film that has yet to receive its due. The only possible detracting factor has been mentioned by others and that is the questionable ethics regarding its effects on the real murders. Hopefully, it draws attention to those investigations, if nothing else.
SPOILERS AHEAD
The only moment I may have had any suspicion that something was off in the film was the moment in the final scene where the director has chosen to go to a person's house alone at night - a person who has behaved very defensive in their communications and who is involved in a subculture the director believes could be linked to the killers. And the fact that the friend or others involved were seemingly unaware of this until the accidental discovery of this footage on his hard drive.
I only discovered the film was a fake when I decided to google it afterwards...hoping it were fake because of how disturbing it was and believing the perpetrators would have been caught by now it if it were real.
The best way to experience this film is like I did...believing it to be real...which means it can only really be experienced once...or as long as that belief persists. This parallels my experience of The Blair Witch Project to which this film owes everything. Given the supernatural elements of Blair Witch and it's complete lack of a factual basis, the Smiley Face Killers has a greater potential to maintain its creepiness upon multiple viewings.
Assuming the film was made purposefully amateurish to add to its believability, I think this is a well-executed horror film that has yet to receive its due. The only possible detracting factor has been mentioned by others and that is the questionable ethics regarding its effects on the real murders. Hopefully, it draws attention to those investigations, if nothing else.
Thorough & thought provoking, BUT not a "fake" documentary
WinnieTheJew14 August 2015
I 100% agree with this films 1st review by EveryManHisPart, this is a great review, thorough and well put!
HOWEVER, that upon a bit more reading and online research please note that this is NOT necessarily a "fake" documentary. It follows the same standards of presentation as any other television or film documentary in that it does list actors that portrayed actual persons in reenactments in a few scenes, but certainly not the whole film is represented by actors. The official movie page "The Smiley Face Killers - The Award Winning & Horrifying Documentary Feature Film" on YouTube (uploaded by NewDawnFilm.com) clearly states in the "About" section:
"Through in depth interviews with victims family members and experts, *REENACTMENTS* and behind the scenes footage - this film gives an in depth look at what motivates this murderous gang that's accountable for over 80 murders across 13 states."
(*emphasis added*)
HOWEVER, that upon a bit more reading and online research please note that this is NOT necessarily a "fake" documentary. It follows the same standards of presentation as any other television or film documentary in that it does list actors that portrayed actual persons in reenactments in a few scenes, but certainly not the whole film is represented by actors. The official movie page "The Smiley Face Killers - The Award Winning & Horrifying Documentary Feature Film" on YouTube (uploaded by NewDawnFilm.com) clearly states in the "About" section:
"Through in depth interviews with victims family members and experts, *REENACTMENTS* and behind the scenes footage - this film gives an in depth look at what motivates this murderous gang that's accountable for over 80 murders across 13 states."
(*emphasis added*)
A fake documentary for a real terrifyng story
allanon-392051 April 2022
I didn't know that this documentary was a fake, what I know for sure is that the "Smiley Face Killers" really exists, they are unknown and they are suspected about forty kills, using abduction of drunk people and the "waterboarding" torture. Their mark is, obviously, a smile paint in some rocks or engraved in the trees nearby the corpses. Really chilling.
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