Just one week left for the Daily Horror Film Fest, so I doubled up for today’s entry. I enjoy a good creepypasta, those scary urban legends on the Internet that gave us Slenderman and Squidward’s Suicide. Some exceptionally dark and creative stuff have come from creepypastas. The simple ones work best, which brings us to today’s double feature of Wednesday at 2 AM and Wednesday (The Smiling Man).

Both of these shorts are based on “The Smiling Man,” a creepypasta written by blue_tidal. A man walking alone in a park late one Wednesday night meets a man who is half walking, half dancing and smiling like a jack o’lantern. It’s a short, unnerving encounter, with no explanation offered for the Smiling Man’s behavior. The reader (or viewer) gets to fill in the details for themselves, which means the mind is free to dig up whatever frightens it most.

These films offer a faithful reading of the original story, but they handle the Smiling Man slightly different. Wednesday (The Smiling Man) is a bit more natural and nails the Smiling Man’s waltzing cadence. The way the Smiling Man in Wednesday at 2 AM, especially when he’s a bit further away, is so strange it seems supernatural, and when he gets close, it feels like something’s about to leap from the stretch of his bare neck below his twisted head.

It’s a rainy day up here in Boston, and there are enough creepypastas like this to while away an afternoon in terror. Got your own favorite? Post in the comments below!

Wednesday at 2 AM

Wednesday (The Smiling Man)