Tickled (2016) Plot Summary Explained

David Farrier, a New Zealand reporter specializing in odd and quirky stories, discovers a strange online subculture centered around competitive endurance tickling, where athletic young men are restrained and tickled. When he attempts to secure an interview with the producer, Jane O'Brien Media, he is met with an unexpectedly hostile and homophobic response. Intrigued by this volatility, Farrier teams up with producer Dylan Reeve to uncover the identity of the people behind the company.

As their investigation goes viral, the duo faces legal threats and is visited in New Zealand by representatives from Jane O'Brien Media who attempt to bully and intimidate them into dropping the project. The investigation eventually leads them to Los Angeles and reveals the history of "Terri DiSisto" (also known as "Terri Tickle"), a pioneer of tickling videos from the 1990s. Through interviews with former participants and other producers, Farrier and Reeve uncover a pattern of coercion, manipulation, and defamation used by Jane O'Brien Media to silence those who spoke out.

The trail eventually leads them to David D'Amato, a former school administrator and the man behind the "Terri Tickle" alias. They discover D'Amato had previously served prison time for cyber-attacks against a former partner. After tracking him down and confronting him on the street, Farrier speaks with D'Amato's stepmother, who provides a chilling conclusion to the investigation when she admits she is "afraid" of her stepson.