Smiley

At a college party, Ashley and Proxy test the Smiley legend by sending a random stranger a link on a Chatroulette-style site after typing 'I did it for the lulz' three times. The stranger is murdered before their eyes, confirming the myth's deadly potential. The event plants fear and curiosity about Smiley.

Proxy convinces Ashley to stay silent about the murder. Ashley grapples with guilt and increasingly believes Smiley is stalking her, despite her friends and a psychiatrist dismissing the fear as anxiety.

Ashley’s fear persists, but she is told that her experiences are anxious nightmares rather than real threats. The panic isolates her from friends who doubt the myth's truth.

She attempts to persuade the police to investigate the Smiley killings, but they dismiss her warnings as irrational sensationalism. The case remains unsolved and the killings continue.

Proxy suddenly loses contact with Zane and then video-chats Ashley in hysterics. They fear the danger is real and the group behind the myth may be closer than they thought.

Ashley goes to Zane's house and finds him shot dead, holding his own handgun. The discovery confirms that the Smiley threat is not a rumor but a deadly reality.

Ashley seizes the handgun and orders Proxy to type 'I did it for the lulz' three times, hoping to summon Smiley. Proxy complies out of fear, and the atmosphere tightens with dread.

Chaos erupts as Binder is shot by Ashley accidentally; moments later, Smiley appears and slits Binder's throat. The room is engulfed in horror as the myth materializes.

Ashley is attacked by several Smileys, fights them off, and then throws herself out of the house in what she believes is her death.

It is revealed that Ashley's classmates, including Proxy and Binder, along with the babysitter from the opening, are part of a fringe Anonymous group. They created the Smiley myth as a large-scale prank and express satisfaction with Ashley's death.

Binder states that Smiley will likely live on long after them and inspire copycat killings. The group contemplates the lasting impact of their deception and its real consequences.

Later, Proxy video-chats Zane about their morality. Zane dismisses her concerns and jokes by typing the phrase three times. A Smiley appears behind Proxy, kills her, and waves at Zane on the webcam.

In a post-credits scene, Ashley wakes up gasping, revealing she survived her fall. The film hints that the nightmare may not truly end.