This Man is the narrative core of The SMILE Tapes, the internet horror series created by the mysterious Filipino artist Patorikku, which was first released on YouTube between December 2021 and June 2022. The series reimagines him as the central entity behind a mental infection. This Man is HIM, the force responsible for a pandemic triggered by a drug called SMILE, derived from a psychoactive spore. The “infected” are disfigured with a permanent smile.
Stylistically, the series adopts a VHS-inspired aesthetic, combining elements of degraded analog media, pseudo-clinical documentation and emergency broadcast footage.