In the Smile franchise, the monsters are the ones doing the creepy smiling. But in the new horror short Remain Calm, putting on a creepy smile may be the only thing that’ll keep you alive.
Just in time for Halloween, writer and director Jake Lewis has released his 14-minute short film Remain Calm, which has gone viral on YouTube with over 5.5 million views since October 12!
What’s so notable about Remain Calm? Well, for starters, the horror short stars Pauly Shore, Nick Swardson, and horror icon Doug Jones (Pan’s Labyrinth), but it’s also got a killer hook that is commanding millions of people to hit that PLAY button over on YouTube.
The filmmakers preview, “In A Quiet Place, the one rule is: you make a noise, you die. In Remain Calm, the one rule is; you feel anxious, you die. Our monster, Mr. Frett (Kevin Keppy), can only see its prey when they’re filled with anxiety. So, in an increasingly anxious world, how do our heroes stay calm when their lives literally depend on it?”
All effects for Remain Calm were done practically by Gorgazma (Pizza Panic Party). Half the film was shot on location and the other in Jake Lewis’ very own soundstage, Reel Ghost Studios.
Pauly Shore tells PEOPLE this week, “I’m so thrilled by the response of this short that we did with Jake and Sam Lewis, Nick and Doug. I love that people are digging it. And happy Halloween!”
You can watch Remain Calm below, which feels a bit like Clerks getting invaded by a creepy science experiment. We wouldn’t be surprised to see this one turn into a feature in the coming years…
Jake Lewis and his creative team have been making international headlines for their acclaimed viral short films. Most notably, he made a trilogy of short biopics, the first being about Robin Williams. This short film was featured in People, CNN, and Rolling Stone, just to name a few.
Jake’s short film, The Court Jester with Pauly Shore playing Richard Simmons, premiered in Park City adjacent to Sundance to sold out crowds and made international headlines, being featured in Entertainment Weekly, LA Times, The Hollywood Reporter and more. It was streamed over a million times within 24 hours of its release.
Jake’s third biopic was a short about Jack Nicholson and John Belushi called The Cowboy and The Samurai, which premiered at the Chinese Theatre with Dances With Films. It was featured in Variety and named by the Star Tribune as one of the year’s Top Shows to Stream.
Lewis, along with his production team, opened up their own film studio called Reel Ghost Studios, which is a soundstage in downtown that’s available for rent. It has a number of standing sets including a medieval bar, a Sci Fi Cantina, a cave and an 11,000 square foot soundstage where his team can build custom sets for productions.